The Tau of Tammuz: Pagan Worship in Yhwh’s Temple

Source: Sumerian and Akkadian tablets, Babylonian inscriptions, and fertility cult symbols.

The Tau (T) was a sacred symbol of Tammuz — the dying and rising god tied to the seasons. Women would weep for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14), and the Tau became a ritual mark — painted, carved, or worn. The worship of Tammuz was a deeply rooted pagan practice mentioned in the Hebrew Bible — a direct affront to Yhwh (God). It represents one of the clearest examples of how Israel turned from the covenant and embraced false gods.

"Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of Yhwh, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz."

This vision shows women inside the Temple gate, mourning for Tammuz — a pagan fertility god. It was spiritual adultery right in Yhwh’s house.

Tammuz (Sumerian: Dumuzi) was a Mesopotamian deity of fertility, vegetation, and shepherds. His death and rebirth were tied to the agricultural cycle, and his worship was emotional, sensual, and filled with ritual mourning.

• Worshipped by Babylonians and Canaanites
• Associated with Ishtar/Inanna — goddess of sex and war
• Symbol of dying and rising gods — used later in Roman myths and even twisted into Christian tradition

Each summer, when the vegetation died, Tammuz was said to die and descend into the underworld. His followers — especially women — would weep, wail, and mourn, believing it would help bring him back to life and restore the crops.

This ritual:

• Copied pagan myths
• Replaced Yhwh with seasonal gods
• Turned hearts from obedience to emotional deception

• Idolatry — bowing to a false god.
• Mourning rituals — done at the Temple gate, defiling holy ground.
• Spiritual betrayal — Israel had a covenant with Yhwh, not pagan fertility gods.

Ezekiel’s vision shows the layers of corruption:

• Idol at the Temple entrance
• Secret chambers of imagery
• Women weeping for Tammuz
• Men worshiping the sun in the inner court

Each step moved further away from Yhwh — and closer to judgment.

Tammuz worship is not just ancient history — it's echoed in:

• Easter sunrise services (sun worship)
• Weeping rituals during Lent (borrowed from pagan mourning)
• The “dying and rising god” myth — inserted into Greek-Christian theology

Worship belongs to Yhwh alone. He is the Living God — not a seasonal myth. He doesn’t die each year and rise again with the crops. He reigns forever.

Let’s reject all false gods — from Tammuz to the idols of our own age — and return to pure obedience, covenant, and worship of Yhwh.

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