The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

From Anacreon (p. 296) we learn that another of thetiales of Bacchus was " Aithiopais," which means " the .son of Ethiops." We have already pointed out thatthe Ethiopians were descendants of Cush, and thereforeathiops must have been Cush himself. (SeeHab. 3:7, margin.)The literal meaning of the name Bacchus is thelamented one," being derived from Bakhah " to weep "or " lament." Hesychius (p. 179) says that among thePhenicians " Bacchos means weeping." The Hebrewword used in the Bible for weeping and lamenting isRaca, or Bakah (See Psa. 84:6, where the word Bacaappears untranslated-" valley of Baca," should read"valley of weeping "). On certain mystical Bacchanalianfestivals a spotted fawn was torn in pieces, andgreat lamentations were made. Photius tells us thesignificance of this ceremony : lL The tearing in piecesof the nebroi [or spotted fawns] was a: imitation ofthe suffe.ring in the case of Dionysus or Bacchus(Photius, Lexicon, pars. i, p. 291). Thus the greatlamentations which followed the violent death ofNimrod (Nebrod), when his body was torn into 14pieces by the judges of Egypt, was annually commemoratedby the various nations. The backslidingwomen of Israel wept for the death of the falseMessiah under the name of Tammuz, in memory ofthe wailing of Semiramis for the death of Nimrod :Ezek. 8:13, 14, reads : Turn thee yet again, and thoushalt see greater abominations that they do. Then hebrought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's housewhich was toward the north; and, behold, there satwomen weeping for Tammuz." It is significant thatthese women sat ,at the north gate, the same place asthe seat of the image of jealousy mentioned inverse 3. Taminuz is identified with Osiris, and is