dionysius
... incident, Dionysius is often referred to as the “Twice-Born God.” To keep the child safe away from Hera, Zeus had tried many times to hide Dionysius in any way. The first was to keep him dressed as a girl in order to keep him hidden from Hera. When that didn’t work, he had him turned into a young goat. Unknown to Hera, Hermes had him brought to the nymphs of Mount Nysa. The nymphs nurtured Dionysius throughout his youth. Eventually, Dionysius arrived at Phrygia. Cybele, the Phrygian mother goddess welcomed Dionysius and exercised a powerful influence on Dionysius. She taught him religious rites and soon, Dionysius started creating his own rites based on things taught by Cybele. Worshipers celebrated Dionysius as a kind of fertility god. Through a combination of wine, music, dancing and religious fervor, followers achieved a mystical communion with the god. High in the mountains, hidden in the forests, Dionysius and his followers engaged in wild frenzied rites often religious and sexual ecstasy. In celebration, women suckled gazelles , wolves, fawns. At other times they engaged in sparagmos, ripping cows and sheep and eating them raw. After he left Phrygia, DIonysius began doing his own missionary work. He traveled from land to land, spreading the culture of the grape. He taught the people the cultivation of the vine and to the joys offered by wine. By doing this, he spread the word about his own divinity and initiated countless followers in is religious mysteries. His most known form of punishment was driving people mad. He thought madness was the best revenge. After countless lovers, Dionysius married Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. According to legend, Ariadne was cruelly abandoned by her lover on the island of Dia. There, Dionysius found her and fell in love. After he had completed the work of spreading the word and initiating followers, Dionysius ascended among the immortals at Olympus. The Greek god of Dionysius and our God of Christianity had some major differences and some similarities among them. One major similarity among both of them is that they both talk to their fathers in need of help. Jesus talked to his father for help and asked for forgiveness before and after his crucifixion. Dionysius talked to his father when he didn’t know what to do when he saw a boy named Ampelos. Another similarity among them is that both Jesus and Dionysius started their lives on earth. Both were born from a womb and not just created. Jesus ...