That's cool. I hope you're not saying he came up with the dove like Forest Gump came up with the smiley face <g> So what was with all the dirt-y doodling back then? Like Jesus in the dirt too with the woman caught in adultry?


>The reason that there is a fish symbol where there are two curved lines was that during the early period of the Christian church there was a tremendous persecution. For example, Nero would take men, women and children, tie them to poles in his backyard, cover them with pitch and light them on fire to illuminate his parties.
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>Anyway, the so-called 'official' reason for the persecution was that Christians refused to say, "Caesar is Lord" and submit to Emporer Worship. As such they opened themselves up for the persecution. When two travelers would meet on the rod and start talking one might pick up a twig and start 'doodling' in the dirt. At some point they might draw a sort of curved line and move on to something else. If the other individual was a Christian they would complete the curved line with their own, making the fish symbol. Fish == IXOYE = Another believer and someone 'safe'.
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>The corollary symbol these days is the Maranatha Dove. Interestingly enough I know the fellow who came up with the design. His name is Barry Malone and we were friends back in the early 70's. He was/is a grapich artist. He was in a coffee shop with someone else (Kearney Erickson?) and 'doodled' the dove on a napkin. The rest is, well, history. <g>