The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Fish Gem
c. 250–350 CE
Overall: 3.5 x 7.5 cm (1 3/8 x 2 15/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.592
Location: 104 Late Antiquity
Description
To avoid punishment, early Christians practiced their faith in secret. Images of fish were part of a code developed to refer to Jesus Christ. To those in the know, the Greek word for fish (ICHTHYS), was an acronym for the phrase Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter which translates as Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.- (Vladimir G. Simkhovitch, New York).
- {{cite web|title=Fish Gem|url=false|author=|year=c. 250–350 CE|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.592