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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Topical Bible: Dionysus</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/topical/d/dionysus.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/newtopical.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/topical/vmenus/genesis/1-1.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcde/d/dionysus.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/topical/">Topical</a> > Dionysus</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/topical/naves/d/dionysius--a_convert_of_paul.htm" title="Dionysius: A Convert of Paul">◄</a> Dionysus <a href="/topical/d/dioscorinthius.htm" title="Dioscorinthius">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse">Jump to: <a href="#isb" title="International Standard Bible Encyclopedia">ISBE</a> • <a href="#thes" title="Bible Thesaurus">Thesaurus</a> • <a href="#grk" title="Strong's Greek Concordance">Greek</a> • <a href="#lib" title="Library">Library</a> • <a href="#sub" title="Subtopics">Subtopics</a> • <a href="#rel" title="Related Terms">Terms</a></div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><a name="te" id="te"></a><div class="vheading2">Topical Encyclopedia</div>Dionysus, also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology, is a figure from ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the god of wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theater. While Dionysus is not directly mentioned in the Bible, understanding his role in ancient cultures provides context for certain New Testament passages and the cultural environment of the early Christian church.<br><br><b>Cultural Context</b><br><br>Dionysus was a prominent deity in the Greco-Roman world during the time of the New Testament. His worship involved ecstatic rituals, processions, and festivals, such as the Dionysia, which were characterized by revelry and sometimes debauchery. These practices often included the consumption of wine, which was believed to facilitate communion with the divine and induce states of ecstasy.<br><br><b>Biblical References and Implications</b><br><br>While Dionysus himself is not mentioned in the Bible, the cultural practices associated with his worship are relevant to several New Testament passages. The Apostle Paul, in his letters, often addresses the issue of idolatry and the moral implications of participating in pagan rituals. For instance, in <a href="/1_corinthians/10-20.htm">1 Corinthians 10:20-21</a> , Paul warns the Corinthian church: "No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons."<br><br>The city of Corinth, where Paul established a church, was a melting pot of various religious practices, including those dedicated to Dionysus. The apostle's admonitions against participating in pagan feasts and idol worship can be seen as a direct response to the cultural milieu that included Dionysian practices.<br><br><b>Wine and Christian Practice</b><br><br>The use of wine in Dionysian rituals contrasts with its use in Christian practice, particularly in the Lord's Supper. In <a href="/ephesians/5-18.htm">Ephesians 5:18</a> , Paul advises, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." This verse highlights the distinction between the excesses associated with pagan worship and the sober, spiritual focus of Christian worship.<br><br><b>Moral and Ethical Considerations</b><br><br>The worship of Dionysus, with its emphasis on ecstasy and the blurring of moral boundaries, stands in stark contrast to the ethical teachings of Christianity. The New Testament frequently calls believers to a life of holiness and self-control, virtues that are often at odds with the indulgent practices of Dionysian cults. <a href="/galatians/5-19.htm">Galatians 5:19-21</a> lists "drunkenness, orgies, and the like" among the acts of the flesh, warning that "those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."<br><br><b>Conclusion</b><br><br>While Dionysus is not a biblical figure, the cultural and religious practices associated with his worship provide a backdrop for understanding the challenges faced by early Christians in a pagan world. The New Testament's emphasis on sobriety, self-control, and the rejection of idolatry can be seen as a response to the pervasive influence of deities like Dionysus in the ancient world.<a name="isb" id="isb"></a><div class="vheading2">International Standard Bible Encyclopedia</div><span class="encheading">DIONYSUS, (BACCHUS)</span><p>di-o-ni'-sus (Dionusos): The youngest of the Greek gods. In Homer he is not associated with the vine. In later Greek legend he is represented as coming from India, as traversing Asia in a triumphal march, accompanied by woodland beings, with pointed ears, snub noses and goat-tails. These creatures were called satyrs. The vine was cultivated among European-Aryans first in Thrace, and here Dionysus is said to have established his worship first in Europe. Then the cult of Dionysus passed down through the Balkan peninsula to Thebes; and in the localized form of the myth the deity was born here-son of Zeus and Semele. "Offspring of Zeus on high.......... Thou that carest for all Who on Bacchus in Italy call And in Deo's sheltered plain Of Eleusis lord dost reign, Whither worshippers repair! O Bacchus that dwellest in Thebes, On whose broad and fertile glebes Fierce warriors from the dragon's teeth rose, Where Ismenus softly flows, The city that Semele bare!" -Sophocles, Antigone. Among all the Greek deities none appealed more vividly to the imagination than Dionysus. Greek tragedy is a form of worship, the ritual cult of the god of wine, who makes the initiate wise and the ungodly mad. Dionysus speaks most strongly to the sense and to the spirit at the same time. There is nothing monotonous in the Dionysiac legend; it is replete with both joy and sorrow-in some aspects it is a "passion" in others a triumph. All the passion plays of the world (even the Oberammergau Schauspiel) are in the ancient spirit. One Dionysus after another has been substituted, but from the first there has been a desire on the part of the devotee to realize his god vividly with thrilling nearness, to partake of his joys and sorrows and triumphs in his manifold adventures. In the early myths Dionysus was one of the lesser gods; he is mentioned only twice in the Iliad and twice in the Odyssey; but he is always represented as being more nearly akin to man than the great august deities of Olympus.<br><br>He is a man-god, or god-man. To the inhabitants of the vine-clad slopes of Attica, to which his cult had been brought from Phrygia through Thracian Boeotia, he was particularly dear. At their vintage feasts last year's cask of wine was opened; and when the new year brought life again to the vines, the bountiful god was greeted with songs of joyful praise. The burial of the wine in the dark tomb of the jars through the winter, and the opening of these jars at the spring festival symbolized the great awakening of man himself, the resurrection of the god's worshippers to a fuller and more joyous life. The vine was not the only manifestation of the god-oil and wheat were also his; he was the god of ecstasy, the giver of physical joy and excitement, the god of life, the god of certain laws of Nature, germination and extinction, the external coming into being and the dying away of all things that are, fructification in its widest aspect whether in the bursting of the seed-grain that lies intreasured in the earth, or in the generation of living creatures. Hence, the prominence given to the phallus in the solemn processions in honor of the god.<br><br>Nicanor (2 Maccabees 14:33) and Antiochus Epiphanes (2 Maccabees 6:7) thought that the cult of Dionysus would not be objectionable to the Jews. Ptolemy Philopator branded the Jews with an ivy-leaf (3 Maccabees 2:29), which was sacred to Dionysus. See also <a href="../b/bacchus.htm">BACCHUS</a>.<br><br>J. E. Harry<p><a name="grk" id="grk"></a><div class="vheading2">Greek</div><a href="/greek/1354.htm"><span class="l">1354. Dionusios -- Dionysius, an Athenian</span></a> <br><b>...</b> Word Origin from Dionusos (<b>Dionysus</b>, Gr. god of wine and revelry) Definition<br> Dionysius, an Athenian NASB Word Usage Dionysius (1). Dionysius. <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1354.htm</font><font color="#ff6600" size="-1"> - 6k</font><a name="lib" id="lib"></a><div class="vheading2">Library</div><p><a href="/library/josephus/the_antiquities_of_the_jews/chapter_15_how_antiochus_who.htm"><span class="l">How Antiochus, who was Called <b>Dionysus</b>, and after Him Aretas Made <b>...</b></span></a> <br><b>...</b> How Antiochus, Who Was Called <b>Dionysus</b>, And After Him Aretas Made Expeditions Into<br> Judea; As Also How Alexander Took Many Cities And Then Returned To Jerusalem <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 15 how antiochus who.htm</font><p><a href="/library/sozomen/the_ecclesiastical_history_of_sozomenus/chapter_xv_flavian_and_evagrius_bishops.htm"><span class="l">Flavian and Evagrius, Bishops of Antioch. The Events at Alexandria <b>...</b></span></a> <br><b>...</b> Book VII. Chapter XV."Flavian and Evagrius, Bishops of Antioch. The Events<br> at Alexandria upon the Destruction of the Temple of <b>Dionysus</b>. <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../chapter xv flavian and evagrius bishops.htm</font><p><a href="/library/athanasius/select_works_and_letters_or_athanasius/section_49_his_birth_and.htm"><span class="l">His Birth and Miracles. You Call Asclepius, Heracles, and <b>Dionysus</b> <b>...</b></span></a> <br><b>...</b> His Birth and Miracles. You call Asclepius, Heracles, and <b>Dionysus</b> gods for their<br> works. Contrast their works with His, and the wonders at His death, &c. <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 49 his birth and.htm</font><p><a href="/library/theophilus/theophilus_to_autolycus/chapter_vii_fabulous_heathen_genealogies.htm"><span class="l">Fabulous Heathen Genealogies.</span></a> <br><b>...</b> And therefore in the Dionysian tribe there are distinct families: the Althean from<br> Althea, who was the wife of <b>Dionysus</b> and daughter of Thestius; the family of <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter vii fabulous heathen genealogies.htm</font><p><a href="/library/athenagoras/a_plea_for_the_christians/chapter_xxviii_the_heathen_gods_were.htm"><span class="l">The Heathen Gods were Simply Men.</span></a> <br><b>...</b> Osiris is named <b>Dionysus</b> (Bacchus) by the Greeks." [801] "Almost all the names of<br> the gods came into Greece from Egypt." [802] Apollo was the son of <b>Dionysus</b> <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../athenagoras/a plea for the christians/chapter xxviii the heathen gods were.htm</font><p><a href="/library/tatian/tatians_address_to_the_greeks/chapter_viii_the_demons_sin_among.htm"><span class="l">The Demons Sin among Mankind.</span></a> <br><b>...</b> Poseidon frequents the seas; Ares delights in wars; Apollo is a player on the cithara;<br> <b>Dionysus</b> is absolute sovereign of the Thebans; Kronos is a tyrannicide <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../tatian/tatians address to the greeks/chapter viii the demons sin among.htm</font><p><a href="/library/athanasius/select_works_and_letters_or_athanasius/section_12_other_shameful_actions.htm"><span class="l">Other Shameful Actions Ascribed to Heathen Deities. All Prove that <b>...</b></span></a> <br><b>...</b> but he deified and raised to heaven those born of his adulteries, contriving the<br> deification as a veil for his lawlessness: such as <b>Dionysus</b>, Heracles, the <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../select works and letters or athanasius/section 12 other shameful actions.htm</font><p><a href="/library/unknown/the_clementine_homilies/chapter_xxiii_the_gods_no_gods.htm"><span class="l">The Gods no Gods.</span></a> <br><b>...</b> Acherusian lake; and that of Helius in Astra, and of Selene in Carr??, of Hermes<br> in Hermopolis, of Ares in Thrace, of Aphrodite in Cyprus, of <b>Dionysus</b> in Thebes <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter xxiii the gods no gods.htm</font><p><a href="/library/unknown/the_clementine_homilies/chapter_ix_artemis.htm"><span class="l">Artemis.</span></a> <br><b>...</b> And that troubled and drunken composition which arises from the upper and lower<br> vapours they called <b>Dionysus</b>, as troubling the intellect. <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter ix artemis.htm</font><p><a href="/library/origen/origen_against_celsus/chapter_xlii_celsus_then_does.htm"><span class="l">Celsus, Then, Does not Speak as a Good Reasoner...</span></a> <br><b>...</b> of the body of Jesus, "Well, after he has laid aside these qualities, he will be<br> a God:" (and if so), why not rather ??sculapius, and <b>Dionysus</b>, and Hercules? <b>...</b> <br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xlii celsus then does.htm</font><a name="thes" id="thes"></a><div class="vheading2">Thesaurus</div><a href="/topical/d/dionysus.htm"><span class="l"><b>Dionysus</b></span></a><br><b>...</b><b>DIONYSUS</b>, (BACCHUS). <b>...</b> The vine was cultivated among European-Aryans first in Thrace,<br> and here <b>Dionysus</b> is said to have established his worship first in Europe. <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/d/dionysus.htm - 9k</font><p><a href="/topical/b/bacchus.htm"><span class="l">Bacchus</span></a><br><b>...</b> Hebrew prophets condemned. It has been surmised that <b>Dionysus</b> was originally<br> not a Greek, but an oriental deity. His worship had <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/b/bacchus.htm - 12k</font><p><a href="/topical/d/dionysia.htm"><span class="l">Dionysia</span></a><br><b>...</b> di-o-nish'-ia (Dionusia, "festivals of <b>Dionysus</b>" (Bacchus)): The rural (vintage)<br> Dionysia were celebrated in the month of Poseideon (19th day), which is <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/d/dionysia.htm - 10k</font><p><a href="/topical/i/ivy.htm"><span class="l">Ivy</span></a><br><b>...</b> On the day of the king's birth every month they were brought by bitter constraint<br> to eat of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Bacchus (<b>Dionysus</b>) was kept <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/i/ivy.htm - 7k</font><p><a href="/topical/g/greece.htm"><span class="l">Greece (15 Occurrences)</span></a><br><b>...</b> The particular form of the god was ordinarily indicated by an epithet attached<br> to his name, Zeus Olympios, <b>Dionysus</b> Eleutherios, Athena Nike. <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/g/greece.htm - 59k</font><p><a href="/topical/a/ancient.htm"><span class="l">Ancient (64 Occurrences)</span></a><br><b>...</b> The particular form of the god was ordinarily indicated by an epithet attached<br> to his name, Zeus Olympios, <b>Dionysus</b> Eleutherios, Athena Nike. <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/a/ancient.htm - 98k</font><p><a href="/topical/h/hellenism.htm"><span class="l">Hellenism</span></a><br><b>...</b> fear, and of hope. Among them we must mention <b>Dionysus</b>, the god of teeming<br> Nature (see <b>DIONYSUS</b>), and Orpheus. With their advent <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/h/hellenism.htm - 26k</font><p><a href="/topical/h/hellenist.htm"><span class="l">Hellenist</span></a><br><b>...</b> fear, and of hope. Among them we must mention <b>Dionysus</b>, the god of teeming<br> Nature (see <b>DIONYSUS</b>), and Orpheus. With their advent <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/h/hellenist.htm - 26k</font><p><a href="/topical/o/orgies.htm"><span class="l">Orgies (4 Occurrences)</span></a><br><b>...</b> by certain ceremonies in honor of some pagan deity; especially, the ceremonies observed<br> by the Greeks and Romans in the worship of <b>Dionysus</b>, or Bacchus, which <b>...</b><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/o/orgies.htm - 8k</font><p><a href="/topical/d/dioscorinthius.htm"><span class="l">Dioscorinthius</span></a><br><br><font color="#ff6600" size="-1">/d/dioscorinthius.htm - 6k</font><p><a name="res" id="res"></a><div class="vheading2">Resources</div><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Dionysus.html">Is Jesus a copy of Dionysus? | GotQuestions.org</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-myth.html">Is Jesus a myth? Is Jesus just a copy of the pagan gods of other ancient religions? | GotQuestions.org</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/infidel.html">What is an infidel? | GotQuestions.org</a><br /><br /><a href="https://clyx.com/term/dionysus.htm">Dionysus: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com</a><br /><br /><a href="/concordance/">Bible Concordance</a> • <a href="/dictionary/">Bible Dictionary</a> • <a href="/encyclopedia/">Bible Encyclopedia</a> • <a href="/topical/">Topical Bible</a> • <a href="/thesaurus/">Bible Thesuarus</a></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="sub" id="sub"></a><div class="vheading2">Subtopics</div><p class="pspc"><a href="/topical/d/dionysus.htm">Dionysus</a></p><a name="rel" id="rel"></a><div class="vheading2">Related Terms</div><p class="pspc2"><a href="/topical/d/dionysus.htm">Dionysus</a></p><p class="pspc2"><a href="/topical/d/dioscuri.htm">Dioscuri (1 Occurrence)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/topical/naves/d/dionysius--a_convert_of_paul.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Dionysius: A Convert of Paul"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Dionysius: A Convert of Paul" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/topical/d/dioscorinthius.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Dioscorinthius"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Dioscorinthius" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div> <div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"><script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div></td></tr></table></div></div></div> <br /><br /> <div align="center"> <div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>