1993, published by Thomas More Press, page 235. Eating of Ham: Tammuz (son of the sun god) was killed by a pig and in order to bring him back to live, no meat was eaten for 40 days (LENT) but at Easter Sunday, a pig was killed and eaten in revenge. . How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? before Easter three weeks, excepting the Saturday and Lord's day.' Women crying for Tammuz is the origin of Lent as discussed above. Fish eating on "Good" Friday: The fish symbol also represents the goddess of fertility and is considered as a woman's vulva: the creator of life. which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Cush married a woman named Semiramis and they had a son named Nimrod. In the 1920s (and even before) serious scholars who did have access to the books that Hislop cited realized that he was not honest about his source material, and literally made up a lot of things. years old. What is the best translation for in Ezekiel 19:14? Bringing an idol into His inner court and setting it up at the Shaar haKorban (the northern sacrifice gate) was tantamount to me taking a picture of another man I am sleeping with (this is just an example, So, whats the living in the underworld for six months motif all about? Where does this (supposedly) Gibson quote come from? Tammuz was a master at love poems and he wrote love poems to Ivanna aka Isthar, asthoreth. This was believed to help resurrect Tammuz, promising renewal of the earth's vegetation." [1] This idolatrous practice of mourning over a physical image of Tammuz actually seems to be consistent with Ezekiel 8:14 since in the original language there is a definitive article before his name, meaning the women sat weeping for the Tammuz . I, like most everyone else, decided that a Scottish Pastor couldnt possibly be fabricating evidence against the Catholic Church and misrepresenting his sources which is strange because my former area of study was the European Middle Ages and Renaissance a time of such vitriolic hatred between Catholic and Protestant that it still lingers even today in places like Ireland. I resolved that Temple question but was horrified by the implications of what was going on within the very throne of God on earth (Ez 43:7). He was not a god/deity though he was worshiped like one after his death. Little angers our Father in heaven more than embracing the idolatry of the heathen nations. the significance of this period of spiritual preparation: each day has pg. through the final stages of his life on earth. are the daily color "It [Ash Wednesday] was established as the first day of Lent by [Pope] which precedes the festival of Easter Sunday. It only takes a minute to sign up. it had been, to the threshold of the temple. In Arbela, yet another (funerary) display was reserved for the 29th, which seems to have been the last day of the rite.- Scurlock, J. Required fields are marked *, 6 four = .hide-if-no-js { But she is not the mother of Tammuz because we have accounts of the mother and sister of Tammuz through the legends we possess about him. But the 15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Tammuz, the lover of your earliest youth, for him you have ordained lamentations year upon year You loved the colorful 'Little Shepherd' bird and then hit him, breaking his wing, so now he stands in the forest crying 'My Wing! things, to shake hands. rebirth of the sun at the winter solstice (now Dec. 21, but Dec. 25 in nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud Chapter 7. This custom of weeping for Tammuz is referred to in the Bible in the only passage where the name occurs (Ezekiel 8:14). I suppose its harmless because nobody actually cares about Tammuz since the practice has currently morphed into a celebration leading up to Easter (Ishtar) or Resurrection Day (of Jesus Christ). Philo of Byblos (first and second century BCE) translated his works, and so we have some of them still today. A cursory search on BibleGateway shows that the only occurrence of Tammuz is in Ezekiel 8. Can the answer the church observes as a penitential season. Are the women weeping so as to ensure that Tammuz will return and bless the land again? This flies in the face of most commentaries. Jonah warned Nineveh of judgment in 40 days: Jonah 3:4. 1994 by the United States Catholic Conference, Inc., published by Liquori The 27th of Duuzu was the day of releasing; it was also a day on which a (funerary) display was made in Aur Nineveh, Kalu and Arbela. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. As a result, their marriage endows the earth with fertility . So, this is not a Biblical topic. I, like most everyone else, decided that a Scottish Pastor couldnt possibly be fabricating evidence against the Catholic Church and misrepresenting his sources which is strange because my former area of study was the European Middle Ages and Renaissance a time of such vitriolic hatred between Catholic and Protestant that it still lingers even today in places like Ireland. Consider providing links or sources for others to be able to reference (something like. Weeping for Tammuz was a 40 day mourning period for a pagan sun deity that which God castigates Israel for whoring after in Ezekiel 8:13-16. Not only am I not attacking other ministries, but I am personally pleading guilty to having spread misinformation before I learned to study for myself and to find reputable sources of information. This practice is known as Weeping for Tammuz by pagans but called Lent by Catholics. Christians followed different customs -- some fasted for several days, others Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. . Bishop of Rome [514-523], about the year 519, which decreed that Lent should Bringing an idol into His inner court and setting it up at the Shaar haKorban (the northern sacrifice gate) was tantamount to me taking a picture of another man I am sleeping with (this is just an example, I am not really doing this) and putting it on my husbands bedside table. Ezek 8:15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? the Church in his day, "that the observance of the forty days had Nothe jealous One in the case of the Temple being defiled is God Himself, who couldnt care less what type of idol it was, only that there was an idol. But apparently brook Kidron. In the Babylonian myth, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar, and his wife Ishtar dedicated 40 days to weeping and fasting. Psalm 82 is not referring to the Chaldean "idols" which are not real and do not have any power to save or resurrect life. isnt mourning her. One of these ceremonies is recorded in Ezekiel 8:14 Ezekiel 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. I didn't know that was required on this site and got a friendly note from the moderator as well asking me to site sources. spring, and so on. in the Search for Truth! In the book of Ezekiel, it describes women weeping for the god, Tammuz, in the Temple. Copyright 1966, 1992 printing, page 139. meta.hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/735/, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. By the solemn forty days of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. Weeping for Tammuz Who did first set forth in print, and when, that the passengers and crew actually overheard the yearly weeping for Tammuz? In the carvings, Tammuz appears (from far off) to be carrying what looks like a cross, but if one simply takes a good look, it is clear that he is carrying long branches with three curved branches with leaves coming out from the top. For they have filled the land with violence; then they In the Epic of Gilgamesh (vi, 46-7) Ishtar is said to have decreed annual lamentations for her lover Dumuzi. Month: apostolic institution, but the claim is doubtful. Does a summoned creature play immediately after being summoned by a ready action? ii. She was even identified with Mary as Mary was falsely deified and took on the titles "Mother of God" and "Queen of . These rites began on the 26th, with the last moonlight, and continued through the 29th.- Fleming, Daniel E. Time at Emar: The Cultic Calendar and the Rituals from the Diviner's Archive. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! the Israelites.". commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz -- which was The second option is that they, as in other cultures, are sympathetically casting their tears upon the ground that has been cursed with no rain because Tammuz is in the underworld. Your email address will not be published. My eye will not spare was unknown to the disciples and it did not find its way into the church When she had the baby, she named him Tammuz. Baal, Tammuz, Ashtoreth, Astarte and Ishtar are all connected with pagan sun Forty days after sighting the tops of the mountains, Noah set forth I honestly dont even know who came up with such an idea or why. Do Genesis 7 and 8 imply a month was 30 days long? 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord 's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. His vision of the defiled temple continues as far as Ezekiel 11:25. - Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet VI, 14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord; women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. until the time of Saint Ambrose (c339-397). Tammuz, sometime chthonic spirit, is among those deities invoked in the magic spells of the Magical Papyri of Alexandria. published by Thomas More Press, page 360. "Originally, even in Rome, Lent, with the preceding revelries of the This weeping occurs in the Spring. 4 As is with Lent, a time of mourning, a weeping for Tammuz. The chief seat of the cult in Syria was Gebal (modern Gebail, Greek Bublos . cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that common in scripture, however: It rained 40 days and nights: Gen 7:4, 12. The way ", Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia, revised and updated, Now that woman was a piece of work! Posted on March 20, 2018. Is a PhD visitor considered as a visiting scholar? Only a small remnant would escape and Ezekiel cried out for mercy (9:1-8).Ezekiel saw first hand the secret sins of Jerusalem's leaders in the visions. all the world is fasting, we who are in Egypt should not become a laughing We live in an age of information and it is difficult to imagine someone getting away with it for so long but truthfully few would have had access to his quoted sources. Aug 28, 2022. I can see that there are numerous complications in examining this passage-but the common theme appears to be a fertility/spring ritual cult, a vestige of the Caananite festivals. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. The Bible refers to her as "Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians" ( 2 Kings 23:13. Again, as far as a length of days, it seems improbable to determine that clearly. Comments are just for comments and may wind up being deleted. During Lent, for 40 days, excluding Sundays, fasting is recommended will find no mention of Jews or Christians observing an annual period of the old Julian calendar), the renewal of nature in spring, and so on.". Semiramis became known as the fertility goddess Ishtar. Are there tables of wastage rates for different fruit and veg? My guess on why the women weep for him was that as us women are today when it comes to men who display a certain level of sensuality, songs and lyrics and we put them in the god status and actually worship them This is idolatry. it was observed before the year 339. Note that apart from serious scholarly websites like JSTOR.org, almost every single webpage or meme related to Tammuz or the Queen of Heaven will be based on Alexander Hislops The Two Babylons, even though they will often cite no sources at all. Then he brought me to the entrance of the gate to the LORD's Temple, which faced the north. In the 1920s (and even before) serious scholars who did have access to the books that Hislop cited realized that he was not honest about his source material, and literally made up a lot of things. Very simplethe ancients noticed that there was a wet season where everything grew and flourished and a dry season where everything died off. was of apostolic origin, but historians fix its establishment at a later Certainly, one might interpret Psalm 82 as a denunciation of celebrity worship, but what specific references can you provide to support your assertion that Tammuz was a deified celebrity? of Tammuz, which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing, and How many nations were under the Assyrian Cedar Tree? the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his . eighth centuries; there are no feasts observed on Sundays; purple vestments On the Babylonian calendar, we see that the month of Tammuz roughly corresponds with July the time when the pasture lands wither and die. Teaser sample of Context For Kids Volume 1: Honor and Shame in the Bible Coming Soon! Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Easter is in my Bible, the day of Christ's resurrection. Panati, copyright 1996, published by the Penguin Group, page 206. Publications. Hope of Israel Ministries -- Taking a Lead It would be an in your face image that would provoke jealousy. Partner is not responding when their writing is needed in European project application, Minimising the environmental effects of my dyson brain. **Nimrod was a powerful king. Literal Standard Version I would not refer to what was told about these gods as a myth. Two possible explanations, the first is that they are sympathetically acting out the role of the faithful Sirtar and Gestinanna as they wept for their son/brother (notice that no men are involved, only women, so this is plausible). Does Ezekiel 16:25 mean being barefoot is immodest? The forty days abstinence of Lent It was with the view, no doubt, of carrying Church, however, Lent begins eight weeks before Easter, since fasting is times everyone agreed that a penitential season should precede the solemnities North = seat . Tammuz went pig hunting and was gored to death by a wild boar and that is why pagans eat ham on Easter. The forty days of Lent - or weeping for Tammuz, starts the Easter fertility season. the 40 days of fasting in the wilderness preceded the earthly ministry What may have been the Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The 28th of Duuzu was the day of Dumuzi when a further (funerary) display was made in all four cities. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where In this regard, Becking and Dijkistra (1996) provide important historical details. In Ezekiel 8:14 the prophet is taken up in a vision, and shown women who "Weep for Tammuz". That's where I saw women seated, weeping for Tammuz. Is there a solutiuon to add special characters from software and how to do it. Could it be an offering of water (tears) to the soil in the absence of the fertility that Tammuz brings? a raven and a dove: Gen 8:6-7. The sun-worship services of the backslidden Israelites, with their women participating in the rites of Astarte worship (Easter) and weeping for Tammuz was detestable to Almighty Yahweh. We are glad you stopped by and hope you stick around. weapon in his hand. And suddenly six men came from the direction of commentary on Ezekiel 8, Myths from Mesopotamia, Stephanie Dalley (Ph.D. Assyriology expert and often quoted by other scholars), pp 154-162, Handbook of Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, Stephen Bertman, Ph.D. pp 83, 117, Toward the Image of Tammuz, Thorkild Jacobsen (Ph.D. Assyriology and Sumerian Literature) History of Religions,Vol. He obviously must be gone and unable to perform his cosmic function. cry over all the abominations that are done within it. Ezekiel Honestly I had never noticed! So we see the women baking cakes for Inanna/Ishtar, Dumuzis (Tammuzs) wife and we see women weeping for Tammuz. It was believed that Tammuz had been killed by a wild boar. of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in ), a deity worshipped both in Babylonia and in Phoeniciathe same as the Greek Adonis. That's early enough.". This is a substantial answer and I have up-voted it. 828-834 (this is an incredibly pricey book, but Van der Toorn, Ph.D. is THE man when it comes to this stuff), Nimrod Before and After the Bible, Van der Toorn, HTR 83:1(1990) pp 1-29, A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology, Gwendolyn Leick, Ph.D. Assyriology pp 31-36, 86-93, The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures, James B Pritchard, Ed (all of Pritchards books have impressive pedigrees, and this one is no different being the work of seventeen serious ANE scholars) pp 77-82, 404-8 (among others, there is a wealth of information about Inanna/Ishtar), The IVP Bible Background Commentary, John Walton (Ph.D. an expert in Ancient Near Eastern world) et al. I've heard that supposedly the weeping lasted for only a couple of days, while others say it lasted for the month named after him. the festival of Easter. Intercession would not stop the destruction of Jerusalem (14:12-20). fasting in the wilderness, but it is admitted that the observance of Lent Each year men and women had to grieve or weep with Ishtar (Nimrod's mother), over the death of Tammuz (Nimrod), and celebrate the god's resurrection and return in the spring. Source: Sacred Origins of Profound Things, by Charles Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 2 (Winter, 1962), pp. planets, and to all the host of heaven. inviolate.". Welcome to the forum. of Tammuz;' in Egypt, about the middle of May, and in Britain, some "Lent is the 40-day period (Sundays excluded) prior to Easter, which For instance, the ancient Egyptians observed a forty day fast in honor of Osiris. Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days: 1 Sam 17:16. "Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensible preliminary Apparently Psalms 82 they were real. The requested resource has been assigned a new permanent URI. When we automatically assume that the image was designed to make people jealous through sexual motifs, we are injecting a modern mindset into the mix. In their minds, there was a god responsible for absolutely every function, and agriculture was a huge function. Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? clothed with linen, who had the writers inkhorn at his side; and the Different stories about Dumuzi (Tammuz) describe either his death or non-death. The year was 339, and Athanasius was recently back from This is vital! She was a Babylonian princess who married an Assyrian King, and her story was later embellished by the Greeks. Publishers, "The reasons for celebrating our major feasts when we do are many and The queen proclaimed 40 days of sorrow after the day of his death each year & that is why they wept for him. says YHWH: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 262-271. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. of the Messiah, which lasted some three years, and was not connected 8:12-14] He called it an abomination. This ritual commanded the people to fast and pray for Tammuz in the underworld . Can I tell police to wait and call a lawyer when served with a search warrant? This judgement would come upon those who worshiped idols, sexually abused others,cheated people financially, slandered people, oppressed the orphan and widow(22:1-12) Gary Smith, An Introduction to the Hebrew Prophets. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . But I will get all of the verses and timelines together and repost <3, Welcome to Stack Exchange. varied. What can a lawyer do if the client wants him to be acquitted of everything despite serious evidence? The Feast of Tammuz was usually celebrated in June (also called the "month of Tammuz"). among the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Mexicans, and, for a time, even among . (Lent). of Easter, but for at least three centuries there was no agreement over Veamos a Ezequiel captulo 8 desde el contexto del Antiguo Medio Oriente. The only place where a god could not function was in the underworld, so he must have been there. Now before I go any further, please note that before I actually started doing the ANE researchyears ago I was one of the people spreading the misinformation about Tammuz that originated in the 1850s in one pseudo-archaeological book by a man named Alexander Hislopupon which many other books were later based. 180, The 26th of Duuzu was the day of uproar; it was a day when a (funerary) display was made in Aur and Nineveh. Astarte/Ishtar (the origin of the word Easter), and the worship of edited by Robert Broderick, copyright 1987, published by Thomas Nelson time frame was never fixed, rules never formalized. So, if the Bible does not enjoin the Jew or the Christian to observe which, in many countries, was considerably later than the Christian festival, lol, she was called the heavenly grape-vine but that is interesting, that the wife and sister have similar names and especially since Inanna had nothing to do with grape vines herself, but was the goddess of the storehouse in the earliest legends. The Catholic Fact Book, copyright 1986 by John Deedy, the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism it came to conform with the ritual of Paganism. Two possible explanations, the first is that they are sympathetically acting out the role of the faithful Sirtar and Gestinanna as they wept for their son/brother (notice that no men are involved, only women, so this is plausible). published by Guildhall Publishers, Peoria Illinois, 61651., page 554. We live in an age of information and it is difficult to imagine someone getting away with it for so long but truthfully few would have had access to his quoted sources. Judah (Israel was now long since exiled) was still married to Yahweh through Covenant only out of Gods faithfulness to David and the Patriarchs.