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Do not fill this in! ==Religion== {{See also|Pashupati|Dhangar|Kuruba}} [[Dumuzid]], later known as Tammuz, was an important rural [[deity]] in [[ancient Mesopotamian religion]], who was revered as the patron god of shepherds.<ref name="BlackGreen">{{Cite book |last1=Black |first1=Jeremy |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |last2=Green |first2=Anthony |publisher=The British Museum Press |year=1992 |isbn=0714117056 |page=72}}</ref><ref name="Jacobsen2008">{{cite book |last=Jacobsen |first=Thorkild |title=Toward the Image of Tammuz and Other Essays on Mesopotamian History and Culture |date=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nldKAwAAQBAJ&q=Did+Tammuz+influence+the+passion+narrative+of+Jesus |pages=73β103 |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=William L. |chapter=Toward the Image of Tammuz |place=Eugene, Oregon |publisher=Wipf & Stock |isbn=978-1-55635-952-1 |author-link=Thorkild Jacobsen |orig-year=1970}}</ref> In his role as ''Dumuzid sipad'' ("Dumuzid the Shepherd"), he was believed to be the provider of milk,<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /> which was a rare, seasonal commodity in ancient [[Sumer]] due to the fact that it could not easily be stored without [[Food spoilage|spoiling]].<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /> Under this same title, Dumuzid was thought to have been the fifth [[antediluvian]] king of the Sumerian city-state of [[Bad-tibira]].<ref name="BlackGreen" /> In the Sumerian poem ''[[Inanna]] Prefers the Farmer'', Dumuzid competes with the farmer [[Enkimdu]] for the affection of the goddess Inanna and ultimately wins her favor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kramer |first=Samuel Noah |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/ |title=Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.: Revised Edition |date=1961 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=0-8122-1047-6 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=101 |author-link=Samuel Noah Kramer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wolkstein |first1=Diane |title=Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer |last2=Kramer |first2=Samuel Noah |publisher=Harper&Row Publishers |year=1983 |isbn=0-06-090854-8 |location=New York City, New York |pages=30β49}}</ref> Ancient Near Eastern peoples associated Dumuzid with the springtime, when the land was fertile and abundant,<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /><ref name="Ackerman">{{Cite book |last=Ackerman |first=Susan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=38aX_-PqViIC&q=mourning+over+the+death+of+Tammuz&pg=PA116 |title=Gender and Difference in Ancient Israel |date=2006 |publisher=Fortress Press |isbn=9780800623937 |editor-last=Day |editor-first=Peggy Lynne |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |page=116 |orig-year=1989}}</ref> but, during the summer months, when the land was dry and barren, it was thought that Dumuzid had "died".<ref name="Jacobsen2008" /><ref name="Ackerman" /> Metaphorically, the term "shepherd" is used for [[God]], especially in the [[Judeo-Christian]] tradition (e.g. [[Psalm 23]], Ezekiel 34), and in Christianity especially for [[Jesus]], who called himself the [[Good Shepherd]].<ref name=":0">[[Gospel of John]] 10:11</ref> The Ancient [[Israelites]] were a [[Herder|pastoral]] people and there were many shepherds among them. It may also be worth noting that many biblical figures were shepherds, among them the patriarchs [[Abraham]] and [[Jacob]], the [[Israelites#Biblical narrative|twelve tribes]], the prophet [[Moses]], [[King David]], and the [[Old Testament]] [[prophet]] [[Amos (prophet)|Amos]], who was a shepherd in the rugged area around [[Tekoa (Biblical)|Tekoa]].<ref>[[Book of Amos]] 1:1</ref> In the [[New Testament]], angels [[Annunciation to the shepherds|announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: Luke 2:8-20 - New International Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A8-20&version=NIV |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en}}</ref> The same metaphor is also applied to [[priest]]s, with [[Roman Catholic]], [[Church of Sweden]] and other [[Lutheran]], and [[Anglican Communion|Anglican]] [[bishop]]s having the shepherd's [[crosier|crook]] among their insignia (see also ''[[Lycidas]]''). In both cases, the implication is that the faithful are the "flock" who have to be tended. This is in part inspired by Jesus's injunctions to Peter, "Feed my sheep", which is the source of the pastoral image in ''Lycidas''. The term "[[Pastor]]", originally the [[Latin]] word for "shepherd", is now used solely to denote the clergy of most Christian denominations.{{cn|date=September 2018}} {{nowrap|The Good Shepherd}} is one of the thrusts of Biblical scripture. This illustration encompasses many ideas, including God's care for his people. The tendency of humans to put themselves into danger's way and their inability to guide and take care of themselves apart from the direct power and leading of God is also reinforced with the metaphor of sheep in need of a shepherd.{{cn|date=September 2018}} According to [[Muhammad]], the Prophet of [[Islam]], every messenger of God had the occupation of being a shepherd at one point in their lives, as he himself was as a young man. Narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah: We were with [[Allah]]'s Apostle picking the fruits of the [[Salvadora persica|Arak tree]]s, and Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) said, "Pick the black fruit, for it is the best." The companions asked, "Were you a shepherd?" He replied, "There was no prophet who was not a shepherd." ([[Sahih Bukhari]], Chapter 'Prophets', Volume 4, Book 55, [[Hadith]] 618) This includes Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all other prophets according to Islam. Also, 'shepherd' used as a metaphor of leadership and responsibilities that comes with it. A hadith narrated from Ibn Umar says that Muhammad says, "All of you are shepherds and every one of you is responsible for his herd. A leader is a shepherd, a man is the shepherd over his family, and a woman is the shepherd over her husband's house and his children. So all of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hadith |url=https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/5819 |access-date=2021-12-09 |website=Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths |language=en |quote=All of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd. A leader is a shepherd, a man is the shepherd over his family and a woman is the shepherd over her husband's house and his children. So all of you are shepherds, and every one of you is responsible for his herd}}</ref> [[Sikhism]] also has many mentions of shepherd tales. There are many relevant quotations, such as "We are the cattle, God almighty is our shepherd."{{cn|date=September 2018}} This concept has also been used frequently by critics of organized religion to present an unflattering portrayal.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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