Fisen, Bartholomew a Jesuit, was born at Liege inl 1591, and died at Lisle, June 26, 1649. He is the author of, Origo Prima Festi Conpor is Christi (Liege, 1628): — Historia Ecclesiae Leodiensis (ibid. 1642, 1696, 2 volumes, fol.). See Winer, Handbuch der theol. Lit. 1:619, 825; Jichler, Allgemeines
The fish is a symbol of almost universal occurrence in the painting and sculpture of the primitive Church. Like the dove or the lamb, it is used in more than one sense; but its nonscriptural or anagrammatic meaning was perhaps the most popular. SEE ICHTHYS. At so early a period as the middle of the 2d century, and under the continual dangers of persecution, the use of such a symbol for the person of the Lord was perfectly natural, as it would attract no notice from the outer world; and in the same manner, with even more obvious reasons, the form of the cross was frequently disguised up to the time of Constantine. But the mystic senses assigned to the emblem by various fathers often seem to the modern mind somewhat gratuitous and ill-founded. SEE FISHERMAN.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More