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In the book of Ezekiel, it describes women weeping for the god, Tammuz, in the Temple. 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. Also, I’ve heard that it was supposedly 40 days after 40 years he supposedly lived but I have yet to find any primary or academic sources regarding that. Other sources state that the weeping only lasted 3 days but other sources I’ve found state that it was on the 2nd day of the month that the weeping occurred. Here are some sources I’ve found regarding the weeping of tammuz but does anyone have some other sources regarding this practice?
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’! – 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. – Ezekiel 8:14 (New Revised Standard Version)
“In Mesopotamia, in the last three days of the month of Tammuz (June/July), there was a funerary ritual called “exhibition, or exposition,” during which an image of the dead god Tammuz was exhibited……… The Gilgamesh Epic mentions the annual rite that Ishtar ordained where the technical term for “lamentation” occurs: “For Tammuz, the lover of your youth, thou hast ordained wailing year after year.”- Voth, Steven M.., Walton, John H.., Ferris, Paul W. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Ezekiel. United States: Zondervan, 2009. Pg. 142
The end of Du’uzu in the summer (month IV) especially came to be set aside for mourning the dead Dumuzi, who would rise again only with the winter rains. 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. Germany: Penn State University Press, 2000. Pg. 180
“The 26th of Duʾuzu was the day of uproar; it was a day when a (funerary) display was made in Aššur and Nineveh. The 27th of Duʾuzu was the day of releasing; it was also a day on which a (funerary) display was made in Aššur Nineveh, Kalḫu and Arbela. The 28th of Duʾuzu was the day of Dumuzi when a further (funerary) display was made in all four cities. In Arbela, yet another (funerary) display was reserved for the 29th, which seems to have been the last day of the rite.”- Scurlock, J. A. “K 164 (‘BA’ 2, P. 635): New Light on the Mourning Rites for Dumuzi?” Journal of Assyriology and Oriental Archaeology 86, no. 1 (1992): 53–67. Pg. 57-58
Pentecostal Theology
Late in 2023, both PCCNA and USCCB endorsed an official bilateral and every member of both teams has an ecclesial endorsement. Dr. Hunter reported directly to the PCCNA executive committee during the February 2024 PCCNA conference in Montgomery, AL. The PCCNA – USCCB Dialogue quinquennial theme is “Waters that Unite: Waters that Divide”. The 2025 session hosted by USCCB will focus on the Season of Creation . The 2026 session hosted by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel will celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Azusa St. Revival.
Thanks to an invitation from the Rev. Dr. David Han, the first session in this historic bilateral will be hosted by the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. A summary written by Dr. Kimberly Belcher (UUSCCB) and Rev. Dr. Harold Hunter (PCCNA) for the 2024 theme follows below. New ground will be broken with an actual foot washing service led by Rev. Dr. David Han. The Pentecostal paper will be read by Rev. Dr. Christopher Thomas, an expert on this subject.
The historic USCCB – PCCNA Dialogue will first meet October 2 – 4, 2024, at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, in Cleveland, TN. Under the dialogue theme, “Waters that Unite: Waters that Divide,” this initial session will look at the example of Jesus in John 13 where he washed his disciples’ feet. Although the method of practice varies between these traditions, there is common ground to be found. For Pentecostals, foot washing is a holy ordinance like that laid bare 30 years ago at the founding of PCCNA, known as the “Memphis Miracle”. For Catholics, it is a sign of charity that begins the Holy Triduum (“three days”) that remembers Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. For both, it serves as a call to the mutual love and service Jesus asks of his followers.
The PCCNA team will remain unchanged at the start of the formal bilateral. The USCCB team will be led by Bishop Peter Smith. Bishop Smith comes as a member of the USCCB Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. Rev. Dr. Walter Kedjierski’ term as Executive Director at the USCCB Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs has come to an end. The next officer is Rev. Russell K. McDougall. Rev. McDougall has been serving as the Rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem for Holy Cross at the University of Notre Dame.
Troy Day
The scholarly sources you’ve compiled suggest the most consistent historical evidence points to a 4-day observance (Tammuz 26-29), particularly based on Fleming and Scurlock’s analysis of Mesopotamian ritual calendars. The “3 days” tradition may conflate the core mourning period with the broader festival window. Given Ezekiel’s prophetic context, it’s worth noting he may have been referencing the standardized Babylonian practice his contemporaries would have recognized—making the multiple-day duration more historically grounded than the 40-day tradition you mention (which lacks primary source support). The “colorful ‘Little Shepherd'” reference from Gilgamesh VI is particularly valuable for understanding the mythological backdrop, though it speaks more to the emotional character of the lamentation than its specific duration.