The symbols that adorn so many churches are painting a story of the events of the Bible, much like a comic does today, because in the early days so many people could neither read nor write. The quality of Pat’s pictures of the symbols in many churches in Yorkshire were only matched by his encyclopaedic knowledge and storytelling skills. The well-known symbol of the fish — ever-watchful with its unblinking eyes — was one of the most important symbols of Christ to the early Christians. In Greek, the phrase, “Jesus Christ, Son of God Savior,” is “Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter.” The first letters of each of these Greek words, when put together, spell “ichthys,” the Greek word for “fish”. The Christians’ choice of a cross as the symbol of our faith is really surprising when one considers the horror with which crucifixion was regarded in the ancient world. So the next time you go in a church, look around at the symbols in the stained glass windows, the paintings, carvings and stone work for they tell their own story and have their own meanings. The web will help you unravel them!