BAPTISM - COTYTTO (MORE)

BAPTISM - COTYTTO (a.k.a. Cotys)

(Greek: βαπτ… - Κοτυ[τ]τώ / Κότυς)

(More On This Subject)

Harpers’ Latin Dictionary, Lewis / Short, 1879, p. 221, “Baptae”:

P. 477, “Cŏtytto | Cŏtyttia”:

Online:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?layout.reflang=la;layout.refdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059;layout.reflookup=Baptae;layout.refcit=;doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3D%234918, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, “Baptae”:

Baptae , ārum, m., = Baptai [perh. so called from dyeing their hair;

I. v. Meineke, Com. Fragm. I. p. 119], priests of the Thracian, afterwards Athenian, goddess Cotytto, whose festival was celebrated in a very lewd manner, Juv. 2, 92 Schol.; cf. Cotytto.Bottom of Form

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?layout.reflang=greek;layout.refembed=2;layout.refwordcount=1;layout.refdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059;layout.reflookup=%2Aba%2Fptai;layout.refcit=entry%3DBaptae;doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2319318, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, “baptês”:

baptês , ou, ho,

A. dipper, bather: in pl. of those who celebrated the mysteries of Cotytto; title of play by Eupolis, cf. Luc.Ind.27, Sch. Juv.2.91.

In Classical Greek, what does baptism mean? It means dipping in, sprinkling, dyeing, etc. with water / liquid. Now, what does it represent? It represents the most drastic opposite of sex-only-in-marriage, in the entire Classical Greek mythological symbology. There’s no better symbology God could have used to bypass Medieval church corruption. And, it wholly has a strong homo- / bi-sexual theme.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3D%2311435, Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, “Cŏtytto”:

Cŏtytto , ūs, f., = Kotuttô,

I. the goddess of lewdness, who was originally worshipped in Thrace, later in Athens also, Juv. 2, 92. --Cŏtyttia , ōrum, n., = Kotuttia, her festival, Hor. Epod. 17, 56; Verg. Cat. 5, 19.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0060%3Aentry%3D%233694, Charlton T. Lewis, An Elementary Latin Dictionary, “Cotyttia”:

Cotyttia ōrum, n, Kotuttia, the festival of Cotytto (goddess of lewdness), H.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aid%3Dcotytto, Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), “Cotytto”:

Cotytto

or Cotys (Kotuttô or Kotus). A goddess worshipped by the Thracians, and apparently identical with the Phrygian Cybelé. Her worship was introduced at Athens and Corinth, where it was celebrated, in private, with great indecency and licentiousness. See Juv. ii. 92; and the article Cotyttia.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.04.0062&query=id%3dcotyttia#id,cotyttia, Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898) [same text in book: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, by Sir William Smith, 1859], “Cotyttia”:

Cotyttia

or Cottytes (Kotuttia, Kottutes). A festival which was originally celebrated by the Edonians of Thrace, in honour of a goddess called Cotys or Cotytto ( Strab.x. 470). It was held at night, and, according to Strabo, resembled the festivals of the Cabeiri (q.v.) and the Phrygian Cybelé. But the worship of Cotys, together with the festival of the Cotyttia, was adopted by several Greek States, chiefly those which were induced by their commercial interest to maintain friendly relations with Thrace. The priests of the goddess were formerly supposed to have borne the name of baptae; but Buttmann has shown that this opinion is probably groundless. Her festivals were notorious among the ancients for the dissolute manner and the debaucheries with which they were celebrated (Suidas, s. v. Kotus; Hor. Epod.xvii. 56; Theocr. vi. 40). Another festival of the same name was celebrated in Sicily ( Proverb.), [p. 422] where boughs hung with cakes and fruit were carried about, which any person had a right to pluck off if he chose; but we have no mention that this festival was polluted with any of the licentious practices which disgraced those of Thrace and Greece, unless we refer the allusion made by Theocritus to the Cotyttia, to the Sicilian festival. Cf. Buttmann's essay, “Ueber die Kotyttia und die Baptae,” in his Mythologus, vol. ii. p. 159.

(Some opposition there.)

http://books.google.com/books?id=184sAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA330&lpg=PA330&dq=cyclopedia+of+biblical,+theological,+and+ecclesiastical+cotys&source=bl&ots=h6ALJSTRxq&sig=mF4uZ5NSJLefedswWgVKCwEIVrA&hl=en&ei=prhQTeKvE8GC8gaW8pS1Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false (click on “Plain text”), Cyclopedia of Biblical, theological, and ecclesiastical literature ..., Volume 1, by John McClintock, James Strong, p. 330, “Baptæ” (with correction of OCR errors):

Baptæ (from βάπτω, to wash}, a name formerly applied to the priests of the Thracian goddess Cotys, or Cotytto, and was derived from a practice in their festivals of washing in tepid water. Buttmann, however, in his Mythologus denies that the name Baptæ; was applied to the priests referred to. See COTYS.

Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities, Peck, 1965, p. 195, “Baptae”:

Pp. 421-422, “Cotyttia or Cottytes”:

Who’s Buttmann?

I think we can conclude that the attributes of Cotytto is something that modern day Christians don’t want to admit to.

(The Cotyttia part above can also be seen at http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-dgra/0374.html. Incidentally, the Baptae article above was also eliminated from the website book [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-dgra/0203.html])

P. 525, “Dionysus”:

(Can also be see at http://www.ancientlibrary.com/seyffert/0195.html)

A Latin-English and English-Latin Dictionary, For The Use Of Schools, Charles Anthon, Part I: Latin-English, 1880, p. 116, “BAPTÆ”:

P. 227, “CŎTYTTIA | CŎTYTTO”:

“The goddess of lewdness.”

This might give you an idea how many different god attributes there were:

Random House Word Menu, 1992, p. 840, “Gods and Divinities”:

P. 841:

And the one characteristic to promiscuous sex isn’t listed.

http://orion.math.iastate.edu/burkardt/wordplay/pentagram.html, Pentagrams: Five Letter Words:

kotys - a Thracian goddes worshipped in wild orgies …

orgia - an orgy

orgic - pertaining to an orgy

http://books.google.com/books?id=pbcUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22A+Dictionary+of+Classical+Antiquities%22+By+Oskar+Seyffert#PPA166,M1, A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: Mythology, Religion, Literature & Art –Google Books Result, by Oskar Seyffert, Henry Nettleship, John Edwin Sandys, 1895, p. 166, “Cotys”:

http://books.google.com/books?id=_3QSAAAAIAAJ&pg=PT513&lpg=PT513&dq=bapta+goddess&source=web&ots=1dJjt7XHdC&sig=djcDkc-rK1JoamxxY-u9cIAAIk0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPT513,M1, Universal Technological Dictionary or Familiar Explanation of the Terms used in All Arts and Sciences, containing Definitions Drawn from the Original Writers –Google Books Result, by George Crabb, 1823, Vol. 1, (no page numbers), “COTY’TTIA”:

http://www.answers.com/meretricious, “meretricious”:

Attracting attention in a vulgar manner … Of or relating to prostitutes or prostitution: meretricious relationships.

A Greek-English Lexicon with a Revised Supplement (unabridged), Liddell & Scott, Oxford, 1996 (first edition 1843), p. 305, “βάπτης”:

A Greek-English Lexicon (unabridged), Liddell & Scott, Oxford, 1871, p. 283, “βάπτης”:

http://www.amazinginfoonhomosexuals.com/appendix2.htm, The Sexual Behavior of Homosexuals: A Brief Glossary of Homosexual Terminology:

Comment: Gay slang is not a modern phenomenon. In the 18th century, the molly subculture of London used gay slang, which was a modification of thieves’ speak and slang used by prostitutes. (6) Gay slang was also a part of homosexual subcultures in 16th century Italy and 17th century Portugal, Spain, and France. In the 1730s, Dutch homosexuals talked to each other in what they called op zijn janmeisjes, i.e., “John girlish.” (7) Much earlier, the transgendered priests of the Goddess Cotytto had an “obscene lingo” of their own.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1973, Vol. 6, p. 630, “Cotys”:

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia, 1993, Vol. 3, p. 673, “Cotys” (I used same text by another author elsewhere):

Online:

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9026543 (Encyclopædia Britannica Online), “Cotys: Thracian goddess also called Cotytto”:

Thracian goddess worshipped with orgiastic rites, especially at night. Her worship was apparently adopted publicly in Corinth (c. 425 bc) and in Dorian Sicily and perhaps privately in Athens about the same time; it then included a baptismal ceremony. Later relief sculptures from Thrace showed her as a huntress-goddess similar to Artemis, but in literature she was instead compared with the Oriental-Greek-Roman Cybele (Great Mother of the Gods).

A Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language, 1796, Supplement: A Concise Account of the Heathen Deities, “Bap’ta”:

http://books.google.com/books?id=4EYoAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Historical+and+Miscellaneous+Questions+By+Richmal+Mangnall#PPA317,M1, Historical and Miscellaneous Questions for the Use of Young People –Google Books Result, by Richmal Mangnall / Julia Lawrence, 1869, p. 317, “Mythology”:

http://www.archive.org/stream/eccentric00wegurich/eccentric00wegurich_djvu.txt, Full text of “The eccentric” (book), by George Weguelin, 1829, “Song XV”:

The god of Music seemed to have given universal

satisfaction, and was received again into royal favour

with tumultuous acclamations. Next to him arose Pria-

pus, the obscene god of Debauchery ; who at first sight

appeared a gay, handsome, young fellow ; but upon a

closer inspection, his visage bore evident marks of age;

being haggard, wrinkled, carbuncled, and flabby ; which

had been hid under a thick mask of paint, contracted

and accumulated from a long course of dissipation. He

(p. 59)

was accompanied by two dissolute companions after his

own heart — Lubentia, the goddess of Pleasure, and

Bapta, the goddess of Shame; when — having paid his

respects with much form and ceremony, and in a roving

manner glanced his eyes on the ladies — in an effemi-

nate voice he spoke as follows : —

" Most lewd and voluptuous gods, at my en-

trance into the grand universe, I thought it most

prudent to assume the name, character, and garb of

pleasure, by way of taking off that odious and scurri-

lous epithet and stigma so frequently attached to my

honorable profession, which mankind vulgarly call de-

bauchery

(I don’t know if this “Bapta” relates to Cotytto; but, if it’s doesn’t, it’s something more.)

http://www.arapacana.com/Glossary/Co.htm#_ftn148, The Alphabetary Heraldic: Genealogical Glossary: Glossemata Genealogicæ:

Cotytto : [Phrygian] the Phrygian deity variously worshipped, sometimes by male androphiles(male love), and sometimes by female gynecophiles(female love).[148] … [148] Grahn 1990: 130.

http://www.theoi.com/Thrakios/Kotys.html, KOTYS:

Greek Name

Transliteration

Latin Spelling

Translation

KotuV
Kotutw Kottutw

Kotys
Kotytô, Kottytô

Cotys
Cotyto, Cottyto

(non-Greek)

KOTYS (or Cotys) was a Thrakian goddess worshipped in the wilds with Bacchic-like orgies. She was similar to, if not the same as, the goddess Bendis.

…

ENCYCLOPEDIA

COTYS or COTYTTO (Kotus or Kotuttô), a Thracian divinity, whose festival, the Cotyttia (Dict. of Ant. s. v.), resembled that of the Phrygian Cybele, and was celebrated on hills with riotous proceedings. In later times her worship was introduced at Athens and Corinth, and was connected, like that of Dionysus, with licentious frivolity. Her worship appears to have spread even as far as Italy and Sicily. Those who celebrated her festival were called baptai, from the purifications which were originally connected with the solemnity. (Strab. x. p. 470; Hesych. Suid. s. vv. Kotus Diasôtês; Horat. Epod. xvii. 56; Juven. ii. 92; Virg. Catal. v. 19.)

–Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

…

Strabo, Geography 10. 3. 16 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Also resembling these rites [the sacred rites of Rhea & Dionysos] are the Kotytian and the Bendideian rites practiced among the Thrakians, among whom the Orphic rites had their beginning.

http://www.theoi.com/Thrakios/Kotys.html, Kotys:

Greek Name:

KotuV
Kottutw

Transliteration /
Latin Spellings:

Kotys / Cotys
Kottytô / Cottyto

Translation:

(non-Greek)

KOTYS was a goddess of Thrake worshipped with Bakkhic-like revelry. She was similar to, if not the same as Bendis …

"Also resembling these rites [the sacred rites of Rhea & Dionysos] are the Kotytian and the Bendideian rites practiced among the Thrakians, among whom the Orphic rites had their beginning. Now the Kotys who is worshipped among the Edonians, and also the instruments used in her rites, are mentioned by Aeskhylos; for he says, 'O adorable Kotys among the Edonians, and ye who hold mountain-ranging instruments;' and he mentions immediately afterwards the attendants of Dionysos: 'one, holding in his hands the bombyces, toilsome work of the turner's chisel, fills full the fingered melody, the call that brings on frenzy, while another causes to resound the bronze-bound cotylae' and again, 'stringed instruments raise their shrill cry, and frightful mimickers from some place unseen bellow like bulls, and the semblance of drums, as of subterranean thunder, rolls along, a terrifying sound;' for these rites resemble the Phrygian rites, and it is at least not unlikely that, just as the Phrygians themselves were colonists from Thrake, so also their sacred rites were borrowed from there. Also when they identify Dionysos and the Edonian Lykourgos, they hint at the homogeneity of their sacred rites." - Strabo, Geography 10.3.16 …

Sources:

Strabo, Geography - Greek Geography C1st BC - C1st AD

Pausanias, Guide to Greece - Greek Geography C2nd AD

Suidas - Byzantine Lexicographer C10th AD

Other references not currently quoted here: Hesychius 'Kotys'; Horace Epodes 17.56; Juvenal 2.92

http://www.piney.com/MuBkgCor.html, Corinth's Musical Worship and Speaking in Tongues - Pagan Background:

The double flute and the cotylae. The flute case which we have emphasized always had the "Judas bag" attaced. The bronze cotylae was like the "familiar spirit" of the Witch of Endor or the "empty wineskin" used to mask the voice and pretend that it was the gods speaking. … Also resembling these rites are the Cotytian and the Bendideian rites practiced among the Thracians, among whom the Orphic rites had their beginning. Now the Cotys who is worshipped among the Edonians, and also the instruments used in her rites, are mentioned by Aeschylus; for he says, O adorable Cotys among the Edonians, and ye who hold mountain-ranging instruments; And he mentions immediately afterwards the attendants of Dionysus: one, holding in his hands the bombyces (reed flute), toilsome work of the turner's chisel, fills full the fingered melody, the call that brings on frenzy, while another causes to resound the bronze-bound cotylae. (cupped cymbals or vases) "and again, stringed instruments raise their shrill cry, and frightful mimickers from some place unseen bellow like bulls, and the semblance of drums, as of subterranean thunder, rolls along, a terrifying sound.

The "gods" and their worshipers were all MALE PROSTITUTES.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198:book=10:chapter=3:section=1, Strabo, Geography, “10.3.15-16” (book 10, chapter 3):

[15] They invented names appropriate to the flute, and to the noises made by castanets, cymbals, and drums, and to their acclamations and shouts of "ev-ah," and stampings of the feet; and they also invented some of the names by which to designate the ministers, choral dancers, and attendants upon the sacred rites, I mean "Cabeiri" and "Corybantes" and "Pans" and "Satyri" and "Tityri," and they called the god "Bacchus," and Rhea "Cybele" or "Cybebe" or "Dindymene" according to the places where she was worshipped. Sabazius also belongs to the Phrygian group and in a way is the child of the Mother, since he too transmitted the rites of Dionysus

[16] Also resembling these rites are the Cotytian and the Bendideian rites practiced among the Thracians, among whom the Orphic rites had their beginning. Now the Cotys who is worshipped among the Edonians, and also the instruments used in her rites, are mentioned by Aeschylus; for he says, O adorable Cotys among the Edonians, and ye who hold mountain-ranging instruments; and he mentions immediately afterwards the attendants of Dionysus: one, holding in his hands the bombyces, toilsome work of the turner's chisel, fills full the fingered melody, the call that brings on frenzy, while another causes to resound the bronze-bound cotylae and again, stringed instruments raise their shrill cry, and frightful mimickers from some place unseen bellow like bulls, and the semblance of drums, as of subterranean thunder, rolls along, a terrifying sound; for these rites resemble the Phrygian rites, and it is at least not unlikely that, just as the Phrygians themselves were colonists from Thrace, so also their sacred rites were borrowed from there. Also when they identify Dionysus and the Edonian Lycurgus, they hint at the homogeneity of their sacred rites.

Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Symbols, Attributes & Associations, Bell, 1982, p. 62, “Debauchery”:

P. 95, “Frivolity”:

P. 362, “Guide to Persona” (index to above):

The New Century Dictionary of the English Language, 1933, Vol. 2, p. 2506, “Cotys”:

Regarding “Thrace”:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11264c.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia), Oracle:

An enormous history lies behind the oracles of "classical" times. Thus at Delphi the stratification of cults~shows us, undermost, the prehistoric, chthonian worship of the pre-Achaeans: Gaia (followed by, or identical with, "Themis"?) and the impersonal nymphs are the earliest tenants of the famous chasm and the spring Kassotis. Dionysos, from orgiast Thrace, or, as was then held, from the mystic East, invaded the shrine, importing, or at least accentuating, elements of enthusiasm and religious delirium; for the immense development and Orphic reformation of his cult, in the seventh century, can but have modified, not introduced, his worship.

Bibliotheca Eliotae (Latin-English dictionary), Sir Thomas Elyot, 1548 (“M. D. XLVIII”), no page numbers, “Baph-”:

Translated from Elizabethan English:

Baphia, a dyehouse.

Baphicus, -a, -um, pertaining to dyeing.

“Bapt-”:

Translated from Elizabethan English:

Baptae, men dyed or colored, which used to be at sacrifice, as it were women (effeminate/gay).

Baptae, were certain comedies, wherein were reproved things dishonest and abominable.

Baptes, a green stone, of the color of a frog.

Baptismus ….

Baptisterium, a bath or vessel to wash the body in, a dyeing fat, or a font.

Baptizo, -aui, -are, to baptize, to dip.

Sexual morals back then (opposers of Cotytto) appear to be the same as they are today (or, the 1950s).

Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et Anglicanae (Dictionary Language Latin and English), Thomas Thomas, 1587, no page numbers, “Cotyledon”:

In text:

Cotyledon … An hearbe called the name(?) of Venus. Cotyledones item in mulieribus appellantur ora vasorum in vterum de sinentia, per quae sanguinis redundantia singulis mensibus. ex omni corpore in vterum derivatur, & per quae semen alimentii ad se attrahit.

Translated from Elizabethan English & Latin:

Cotyledon … An herb called the name(?) of Venus. Cotyledones likewise are called in the women the mouths of the vessels into the womb about allowing, through which/who of the blood the overflow to the one months. He/she/it is draw offed out of all by the body into the womb, & through which/who the seed of the food about attracts himself.

“Cotyttia”:

In text:

Cotyttia, orum, * Sacra erant nocturna, quae Athaenis fiebant a Baptis in honorem: Cotyttus impudentiae deae

Translated from Latin:

Cotyttia, orum,* Their sacred rites were at night, which / who Athenians be made / become by / from Baptis into honor: Cotyttus shamelessness / unchaste goddess.

“Baptæ”:

http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ian/saa99/baptae.html, EMEDD Citations for "Baptae"; Ian Lancashire, University of Toronto; for the Shakespeare Association of America, San Francisco 1999:

1. Baptæ. (Latin entry by Thomas Cooper 1565, fol. N5v)

Baptæ. Certayne comedies.

2. Baptae (Latin entry by Thomas Thomas 1587)

Baptae, * Certaine comedies.

Dictionary of Word Origins, Shipley, 1964, p. 40, “baptize”:

P. 21, “anacampserote”:

http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/OM/MS-S.txt (University of Tennessee), Secespita "The Sacrificial Knife" A Roman Book of Blood Sacrifice:

Cotytto

Cotytto was the goddess of debauchery, and her priests were the Baptae. She was worshiped in Greece and Sicily, and is perhaps a manifestation of Proserpine or Ceres.

Chambers’s [sic] Encyclopaedia, 1973, Vol. 15: Indexes and Maps, p. 442, “Baptism”:

Vol. 4, p. 188, “COTYTO or Cotys”:

Well, see, they’re trying to sugarcoat it.

In monolingual Ancient Greek:

http://www.magenta.gr/en/en_demos.htm, Ancient-Modern & Modern-Ancient Greek dictionary, (free 15-minute demo download [anc_setup_en.exe 2-16-04]), “βάπται” (key-in “bapt”):

http://babelfish.altavista.com/ (phrase translations), Greek-English, (the above text via copy-paste):

“View” is “goddess” in the correct pertinent sense.

http://mcs.ca/vitalspark/314gdes00.html, Nature/Goddess Spirituality: Goddess Worship:

Cotys was another fertility goddess with rites celebrated by the Baptai.

http://www.eskimo.com/~elladan/gods/description.html, Table of Gods, “Kotys”:

Kotys

Thrace

A goddess whose worship spread throughout Greece & Italy

A Smaller Latin-English Dictionary, William Smith, 1879, p. 629, “Proper Names | Cŏtytto”:

Collins Latin Gem Dictionary, Kidd, 1957, p. 83 (Latin-English), “Coty´tti/a”:

An American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1856, p. 1304, “PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF GREEK AND LATIN PROPER NAMES”:

P. 1307:

http://www.tribwatch.com/idun.htm, The Golden Apples of Idun:

"Cottus was the name of the ancestors of the Cottians, who worshiped the orgiastic Catytto, a worship originating in Thrace." This "Catytto" (also "Cotytto") was the goddess Cotys/Kotys, of an immoral Thracian peoples, no doubt the Getae.

http://www.geocities.com/satanicreds/sirius.html, Sirius, “Greek”:

Cottus was the name of the ancestors of the Cottians, who worshiped the orgiastic Catytto, a worship originating in Thrace. These tribes are described as hundred handed and their priestesses were organized in colleges of fifty.

Christian:

http://catholiconline.com/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2751, Catholic Online Saints, “St. Cottidus, Eugene, & Companions”:

St. Cottidus, Eugene, & Companions

Feastday: September 6

unknown (year/century)

Cappadocian martyr. Cottidus is described as a deacon. Nothing else other than his martyrdom is known.

http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0906.htm, Saints O’the Day, “September 6”:

Cottidus, Eugene and Companions MM (RM)

Date unknown. Saint Cottidus, a deacon, and some companions were martyred in Cappadocia, however little is known about them because their acta have been lost (Benedictines).

Only one was “commanded” by Christ:

The New Testament of the New American Bible: Saint Joseph Edition, 1986, “Doctrinal New Testament Index” p. 453, “Sacraments”:

That last one was actually “commanded” by Christ to not do (Mt 19:10-12).

Hey, I ran into Jesus in my dreams the other night. I said, “Hey, Jesus! Guess what? I’ve just got done writing all about Your Baptism association with the goddess of debauchery.” Thinking I would receive a heartfelt compliment, instead he interjected and stated, “No, no, NO! My Greek word for Baptism was NOT supposed to be compared with those promiscuous Greek priests of Cotytto! I didn’t mean for my one and only instructional sacrament for mankind to be associated with that extreme orgiastic religion. I just goofed using the Baptism theme, like when John McCain stated he goofed the time he cancelled his appearance on the Letterman show. The purpose of Baptism was solely for those who wish to have a religious cop-out, so they can continue to sin and hurt others, and have a guaranteed ticket into Heaven. You see, as long as they do the Baptism as their principal initiation into Christianity, they’re saved no matter how much havoc and innocent destruction they cause in God’s world. If you wish to follow me, you have to change your warped thinking, and follow what’s good and what ‘fits’ with my many other Goldenrule teachings.”

Baptism for the forgiveness of sins:

Well, if people aren’t going to use this for an artificial salvation cop-out, they’re going to use something else. Therefore, it’s better to place Baptism at the top so as to better retain the name through the centuries. Many Scriptures counter all cop-outs by telling that one still must not sin to be forgiven. All (Old Testament, pagan sacrafice, etc.) “sins” that don’t hurt “innocent” people are all automatically forgiven.

Lemprière’s dictionaries:

Bibliotheca Classica; or, A Classical Dictionary, containing A full Account of all the Proper Names, Lemprière, 1788, (no page numbers), “Baptae”:

Translated from Elizabethan English:

Baptae, the priests of Cotytto, the goddess of lasciviousness and debauchery at Athens. Her festivals were celebrated in the night, and so infamous and obscene was the behavior of the priests that they disgusted even Cotytto herself, though the goddess of obscenity. The name is derived from βαπτειν to wash, because the priests bathed themselves in the most effeminate (womanish) manner. Jev. 2, v. 91.

Basically the same:

Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, 1898, p. 102, “Baptæ”:

The line about “bath[ing] themselves in the most effeminate manner” is taken out below:

Lemprière’s Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors, 1984, p. 102, “Baptae”:

Online:

http://books.google.com/books?id=oK89AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=%22Lempri%C3%A8re's+Classical+Dictionary+of+Proper+Names%22+%22bantius&source=web&ots=lkAaVQcgZK&sig=ZZ0ScKoVsizh851zdm_5Uc0woxI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result, Lemprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large: With a Chronological Table –Google Books Result, Published by Routledge, 1984, p. 102, “Baptae”:

Bibliotheca Classica; or, A Classical Dictionary, containing A full Account of all the Proper Names, Lemprière, 1788, (no page numbers), “Cotytto”:

Translated from Elizabethan English:

Cotytto, the goddess of all debauchery. Her festivals called Cotyttia were celebrated by the Athenians, Corinthians, Thracians, etc. during the night. Her priests were called Baptae, and nothing but debauchery and wantonness prevailed at the celebration. A festival of the same name was observed in Sicily, where the votaries of the goddess carried about boughs hung with cakes and fruit, which it was lawful for any person to pluck off. It was a capital punishment to reveal (or revile) whatever was seen or done at these sacred festivals. It cost Eupolis his life for an unseasonable reflection upon them. The goddess Cotytto is supposed to be the same as Proserpine (see my Casa Celimontana [Basilica of St. John and St. Paul] writing). Horat. epod 17, v. 58 – Juv. 2, v. 91.

Basically the same:

Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, 1898, p. 175, “Cotytto”:

(No difference between these two)

Lemprière’s Classical Dictionary of Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors, 1984, p. 177, “Cotytto”:

Online:

http://books.google.com/books?id=88g9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=%22Lempri%C3%A8re's+Classical+Dictionary+of+Proper+Names%22+%22cotylius&source=web&ots=qmBmDG7nJx&sig=yDa5UxmrYmfxuSQuHSa4UCDTIKc&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA177,M1, Lemprière's Classical Dictionary of Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors: With a Chronological Table –Google Books Result, Published by Routledge, 1949, p. 177, “Cotytto”:

Brief:

Lempriere’s Classical Dictionary, 1853, p. 85, “Baptæ”:

P. 131, “Cotytto”:

Mysteries:

http://beepbeepitsme.blogspot.com/2007/03/water-water-everywhere-nor-any-drop-to.html (formally http://beepbeepitsme.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html), “Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink”:

The words "baptize" and "baptism" are of Greek origin. They simply mean to wash or to immerse. (Greek: baptizo, wash or immerse) The word itself takes on a religious context when it is used to describe a ritual, which is specific to the given religion.

…

The mystery religions of that period often included ablution rites of either immersion or a washing of the body for the purposes of purification or initiation.

…

7. The ancient Greeks had various religious rites, which involved the use of water. These religions were what are described as the "Eleusinian mysteries" as they occurred in, or were originated in Eleusis. "Thus were men initiated into the mysteries of Eleusis, and he who initiated them was called "Hydranus, the Waterer'" Tertullian says that thus men were initiated into the mysteries of Isis and Mithra; and Apuleius describes purification by water as part of the ceremonial of the Isiac initiation. Those initiated into the mysteries of the Goddess Cotytto were called Baptes, from the ceremony of Baptism, which was part of the initiation; and Eupoles, rival of Aristophanes, wrote a comedy called The Baptes, ridiculing them. That was in the time of Socrates." The Reverend Mr. Reeves. The Eleusinian Mysteries

a. The mystery followers were bound by an oath to keep the mysteries secret.

…

b. The Greater mysteries included baptism in the sea, three days of fasting, and the completion of the mysterious central rite.

…

c. The mystery religions often included ablution rites of either immersion or a washing of the body for the purposes of purification or initiation.

It makes sense that washing before an orgy would become a standard.

…

13. And of course there is perhaps the best known religious water ritual, that of Christian baptism.

…

We know of an ablution in the ritual of Eleusis; the laurel-wreath oration of Demosthenes speaks of purificatory ablutions in the mystery of Sabazius; the cult of Attis had its taurobolium, and the mystery of Isis knew a sanctifying baptismal bath, as did the mysteries of Dionysus and of Mithras.

…

Yeah right... And the person who invented the first wheel, didn't have an influence on the latest Mercedes Benz.

“Religious Water Rituals Etc” YouTube (frames):

http://www.royalrosamondpress.com/main.html (4-5-02), The Colossus of Rhodes, “Were Art Thou (novel), The Phar Ros of Mari?”:

The Don, or Donnus worshipped Cotys, the Thracian Goddess who employed mystagogues called ‘Baptists’. They were the Hemero-baptists, a mysterious Hebrew sect regarded as a branch of the Pythagorean Essenes, who worshipped Jehovah in his Sun-god form, Helios. Were the Essenes the spiritual representatives of the Selucid, Greeks who lay claim to the High Priesthood through the ‘Seed of David’ that Absalom carried into the Balkan peninsula?

Was the Wooden Horse of Troy, Woden’s horse, Demeter, whose worship the Trojans accepted, her warrior priests revealing themselves as servants of the Norse Zeus? Was Bathsheba “daughter of the oath” a Viking princess, and Baptist, who took an Oath to Cotys. Was she a High Priestess of Thrace, and while in the water, Baptizing, David came upon her, and had to have her? Was David in Thrace, or at Qunram? Was he at Troy? “Is David amoungst the Phillistines?”

http://essenes.net/sethiangnosis.html, Sethian Gnosticism: A Literary History:

Gnostic Sethianism must have originated among the numerous baptismal sects that populated Syria and Palestine, especially along the Jordan valley, in the period 200 B.C.E. 300 C.E.: the Essenes/Dead Sea sect, the pre-Christian Nasareans of Epiphanius, John the Baptist and his followers, the Jewish-Christian Nazorenes, the Ebionites, Pauline and Johannine Christians, Naasenes, Valentinians/Marcosians, Elkasaites, Sabeans, Dositheans, Masbotheans, Gorothenians, Hemero-baptists, Mandeans, and the groups behind the Odes of Solomon, Acts of Thomas, Pseudo-Clementines, Justin's Baruch, etc. (cf. Thomas, Le mouvement baptiste en Palestine et Syrie 150 av. J.-C. -300 ap. J.-C. [Gembloux: J. Duculot, 1935]).

The Encyclopedia of Religion, Eliade, Vol. 2, 1987, pp. 59-60, “Baptism | Pre-Christian Religions”:

http://www.chuckiii.com/Reports/Miscellaneous/baptism.shtml, baptism:

Baptism of the dead can also be found in the Mandaeans and a similar rite on the Orphic Tablets. In Israel and in the area around Jordan the baptism ritual took shape through submersion into water.

As location and belief held tradition and spiritual rituals, different groups arose, and baptismal traditions began to take shape. From the Greek practices of baptism followers of the goddess Cotyto, became known baptai, (“the baptized ones”). Also following Greek period came the Pagan world and their traditions. The Pagan world used the waters of the Ganges in India, the Euphrates in Babylonia, and the Nile in Egypt for their sacred baths. This group, also know as the Hellenistic mystery cult, believed that divine water possessed a real power of transformation. The genostic with baptism “knows why he has come into existence while others don’t know why or whence they are born” (Corpus Hermeticum 1:4.4). Other Egyptian cults also saw the idea of regeneration through water. The bath of the cult of Isie was most likely intended to represent symbolically the initiate’s death to the life of this world. . In the Attis, and Mithra cults, and also in the Cult of Cybele, a baptism in the form of a blood bath from a bull was practiced. In this practice they believed that they received a new birth in Eternity (renatus in acternum).

http://home.talkcity.com/ReflectionsRd/llewbran/greek/lib5.html (4-11-02), SoulSearcher’s Index of Greek Mythological Characters from Cassandra to Cyrene:

Cotyto: There are four, they are:

1)Greek goddess of debauchery, none might reveal what happened at or during her festivals on pain of death.

2)A name for the father of Asia.

3)A son of Manes by Callirrhoe.

4)A king of Thrace.

Oxford Latin Dictionary, Glare, 1982, p. 225, “Baptae”:

P. 453, “Cotyt…”:

“liberi” means “licentious.”

P. 1268, “orgia” (orgies):

SparkCharts: Greek and Roman Mythology, 2002, “INTRODUCTION”:

Dionysus / Bacchus / Orpheus connection:

http://www.bookberner.com/mythology/dionysos.html, Dionysos/Bacchus:

This is a story well described in Euripides' Bacchantes. His worship, primarily orgiastic and honored by women, known as the Bacchae, extended to Lemnos, Thasos, and Naxos, which is where it is said he found the lovely Ariane, who was left behind by Theseus. Because of her rescue, her homeland of Crete also became a place of his worship. His influence also made it to Asia Minor, where festivals known as Kottytia, which were practiced much the same way as the others were.

Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition, 2000, Vol. 1, p. 216, “Baptism”:

http://arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Kotys, Art History Online Reference and Guide, “Kotys”:

Kotys

Strabo described the Kotytian sacred rite having the same Thracian and Phrygian element as that of Bacchic revelry.

You know, Bacchus came out of Thrace, Orpheus came out of Thrace, now the Baptae came out of Thrace. Boy, I think that ancient Thrace is the area of the world that Christ wants to direct some attention.

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~orpheus/harrison.htm, Orpheus, Jane Ellen Harrison (Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion, Cambridge, 1903), “Orpheus as Magical Musician”:

Strabo (7) too is explicit on this point. In the passage already quoted, on the strange musical instruments used in the orgies of Dionysos, he says: 'Similar to these (i.e. the rites of Dionysos) are the Kotyttia and Bendideia practised among the Thracians, and with them also Orphic rites had their beginning.' … 7: Strabo, x. 3 § 722.

Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Hastings, Vol. 12, Latest impression 1980, p. 327: 2nd column, “Thrace”:

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, 1897, Vol. V, p. 4152, “orgiastic”:

The Greek Myths, Graves, Vol. 1, p. 32, “The Olympian Creation Myth”:

The Greek Myths, Graves, Vol. 1, p. 107, “Dionysus’s Nature and Deeds”:

http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Thyone.html, Thyone:

THYONE was the GODDESS of the inspired frenzy of the Bacchic orgy, the religious ecstasy experiences by the female devotees. She was the apotheosed mother of the wine-god Dionysos.

http://www.tribwatch.com/hermes.htm, The Goats of Hermes Were Not Goats:

But Atti(s) is also said to be the eponym of Attica, where the capital city is Athens, the location of the Cecrops portion of the dragon bloodline (from which Zeus came forth), and behold that along with the orgies introduced at Athens by Dionysus (Pan's pal), which were the rites of the Kabeiri cult, there were also orgiastic rites introduced in the same city by the mythical Cotys. And this Cotys introduced them from...you guessed it, Thrace! There was even a female goddess of Thrace named "Cotys/Kotys." Therefore, because Cotys was of Thrace, he surely depicted the Getae. Yet Cotys was also associated with Lydia, as was Manes...as was Hermes.

The Female Congress; or, the Temple of Cotytto: a mock heroic poem, in four cantos, London, 1779, Preface, pp. viii-ix:

When Rome fell, it was predominantly Christian.

Canto the first, p. 11:

Canto the second, p. 13:

Again, the “kiss of peace” was ordered in the New Testament (Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thes. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14), and was very popular among the Early Christians. Because of its obvious sexual content, it was later halted.

Canto the second, p. 18:

Canto the second, p. 21:

Canto the third, p. 29:

Bendis:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/6366/G.html#thracian, Goddesses, “Thracian”:

Bendis: She was depicted holding a twig, which was said to grant passage to the underworld. Her name means "to bind" and is said to indicate her supervision of marriage. Yet her orgastic rituals seem quite contrary to the usual idea of marriage. Later, her religion was somewhat tamed, with torch races and processions substituting for other more amorous rites.

http://www.wikisearch.net/search.cgi?query=cult&start=40, cult, “Bendis”:

The "Phrygian rites" Strabo mentioned referred to the cult of Cybele that was also welcomed to Athens ... 5th century. The Athenians may have been blending the cult of Bendis with the equally Dionysiac Thracian revels of Kotys, mentioned by Aeschylus.

http://www.theoi.com/BC.htm, Greek Mythology: Encyclopedia B-C: A Guide to Greek Gods, Spirits & Monsters:

Bendis The Thracian goddess of hunting and the moon who was worshipped with wild orgies. …

Cotys (Kotys) A wild Bacchic goddess of Thrace.

Sabazius:

Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Hastings, latest impression 1981, Vol. II, p. 374, “Baptism (Ethnic)”:

http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Sabazius/id/137492, Sabazius:

Sabazius (Greek) [from sabo a god of health; or sevas reverential awe] A Phrygian or Thracian deity whose worship was connected with that of the Great Mother, Cybele, and of Attis. He was associated with the chthonian deities and his emblem was a serpent. Regularly conducted Mysteries were held, probably similar in nature to the Dionysian Mysteries because the ancient Greeks connected Sabazius with Dionysos, even giving the name to Bacchus (or Dionysos). "Sabasia was a periodical festival with mysteries enacted in honour of some gods, a variant on the Mithraic Mysteries. The whole evolution of the races was performed in them" (SD 2:419n). The Sabazia were revived in Rome during the 2nd century, practiced under the name Sacra Savadia. The deity also became associated with the Jewish Sabaoth (Tseba'oth) for Plutarch states that the Jews worshiped Dionysos, and that the day of the Jewish Sabbath was, in his opinion, a festival of Sabazius (Symposium. 4:6).

http://www.winterscapes.com/dionysus/otherdio.htm, The Other Dionysos, “Sabazius”:

Sabazius is the Phrygian/Thracian wine god, usually connected to Dionysos. Phrygia was in Asia Minor, where the goddess Kybele originated, and his rites may have been similar to hers.

Bapto (Greek: βάπτω) – the etymology of Baptism (MORE):

The Analytical Greek Lexicon, Zondervan Publishing House, 1973 printing, p. 65, “βαπτ…”:

(next column):

New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries, 1998, p. 1515, “βαπτ…”:

The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the New Testament, Zodhiates, 1993, p. 309, “907”:

P. 312, “908”:

Pp. 321-322, “911”:

The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, Zodhiates, AMG Publishers, 1991, “Lexical Aids to the New Testament,” p. 1697, “908. Báptisma”:

Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary, 2002, p. 63, “βαπτ…”:

A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, Bullinger, 1908 (republished 1999), p. 80, “BAPTIZE | βαπτίζω”:

A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect, Cunliffe, 1963, p. 68, “βάπτω”:

Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, 1958, Vol 1, p. 106, “Baptism”:

New Americanized Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1902, “Baptism”:

Especially the ones who actually called themselves “Bapt….”

New Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam Webster, 1974, p. 88, “baptize”:

http://remnantprophecy.sdaglobal.org/Library/Bible%20Reference/Family%20Bible%20Studies.pdf, Family Bible Studies - 1: What the Bible says about God’s Special Book- the WORD of God!, “What Example Did Jesus Set For His Church at the River Jordan?” | “2 – Sprinkling or Immersion, Which?”:

The word "baptize," n the Greek, means "to immerse," "to dip under." The word "baptize" is from the Greek word, baptize, which comes from the root bapto, signifying "to immerse," "to dip," "to cover with fluid," "to plunge," etc., as material is dipped into a vat of dye, as the blacksmith plunges hot metal into a tank of water. The meaning is definitely not "sprinkle" or "pour."

http://www.forthright.net/square_one/what_is_baptism_part_one.htm (Forthright Magazine), What Is Baptism? (Part One):

The basic Greek word for the variants of "baptism" is "bapto" and it means "to dip or immerse." Yet there is no shortage of debate about whether baptism should be immersion, sprinkling or pouring. I will seek to define baptism in the next few articles. … The Theological Dictionary of The New Testament in its nine volume study of New Testament words defines "bapto" as "to dip in or under" (p. 1:529). William Mounce defines "bapto" as "to dip or immerse" (p. 112). William Thayer defines it as "to immerse" (p. 95). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines it as "to dip in or under" (p. 1:410). Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich define it as "to dip or dip in" (p. 132). Dozens more could be cited, but this will suffice for now.

http://www.kingshouse.org/baptism.htm, Can water save us?, “Meaning”:

The writer is describing the attire on the princes' heads in which the cloth was "dyed," using the word baptai to mean dip or immerse in color. It is clear that the meaning of the New Testament word baptism means total immersion, not pouring or sprinkling. We will see later that the idea of pouring or sprinkling cannot be an adequate method for the sacrament of baptism.

(Dyeing oneself with colors better tells others that you practice the baptism ritual.)

http://www.innvista.com/culture/literature/classic/e.htm, E:

Eupoles (446-c.412 BCE)

Astrateutoi (Shirkers) [Comedy drama]
Autolycus [Comedy drama]
Baptai [Comedy drama]
Cities [Comedy drama]
Demes [Comedy drama]
Friends [Comedy drama]
Girl of Naxos, The [Comedy drama]
Goats [Comedy drama]
Golden Race, The [Comedy drama]
Helots [Comedy drama]
Hermaphrodites [Comedy drama]
Hubristodikai (Scoff-laws) [Comedy drama]
Kolakes [Comedy drama]
Maricas [Comedy drama]
People of Prospalta [Comedy drama]
Referee [Comedy drama]
Taxiarchoi [Comedy drama]

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 3, 1910, p. 364, “BAPTISM”:

New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. 2, p. 54, “Baptism (In The Bible)”:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm#II (Catholic Encyclopedia), Baptism, “II. Etymology”:

The word Baptism is derived from the Greek word, bapto, or baptizo, to wash or to immerse.

http://esperanto-panorama.net/vortaro/eo-en-x.htm, Presentation (dictionary):

baptejo           baptistery

bapti             baptize, christen

baptisto          baptist

bapto             baptism, christening

baptonomo         Christian name

baptopatro        godfather

An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, Vol. I, 1828 (reprinted 1970), no page numbers:

Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions, 1999, p. 110, “Baptism”:

Christian Baptism:

http://www.american-pictures.com/genealogy/descent/Herodias.Salome.htm, Herodias and Salome:

But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded [it] to be given [her]. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison."

Herodias bring the head of John the Baptist

I’m sure there have been many more sacrifices for this word.

The World Book Encyclopedia, B: Vol. 2, 1987, pp. 70-71, “Baptism”:

Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary, 1993, p. 52, “baptism”:

The Story of Christianity: 2,000 Years of Faith, Price and Collins, Tyndale, 1999, Glossary:

God sure knew how to get ‘em to do it.

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1999, p. 106, “baptism”:

Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language: Modern Desk Edition, 1979, p. 39, “baptism”:

A Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language, 1796, p. 27, “Baptism”:

The Random House Dictionary: Concise Edition (paperback), 1980, p. 67, “baptism”:

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language: College Edition, 1968, p. 107, “baptism”:

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (Unabridged), 1987, p. 165, “baptism”:

http://www.answers.com/baptism, “Baptism”:

1. A religious sacrament marked by the symbolic use of water and resulting in admission of the recipient into the community of Christians.

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9013230, “Baptism”:

a sacrament of admission to the Christian Church. The forms and rituals of the various churches vary, but Baptism almost invariably involves the use of water and the Trinitarian invocation, “I baptize you: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The candidate may be wholly or partly immersed in water, the water may be poured over the head, or a few drops…

Bumper Sticker:

Jesus’ opposition:

I believe that the Catholic Church is aware of Cotytto and the Greek Baptae, but don’t want you to know about it:

New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. 2, p. 62, “Baptism (Theology of)”:

They don’t mention Cotytto or the Greek Baptae in their entire encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists, 1958, Vol 1, pp. 106-107, “Baptism”:

Especially when you have John “the Baptist” actually using the name. That’s like saying Sarah the Playboy bunny. People will think she has something to do with porn. Burger King. – People are going the think it’s “Burger King,” not Taco Bell. Do I really have to explain this? Yes, I do.

Expository Dictionary of Bible Words, Richards, Zondervan, 1991, pp. 100-101, “BAPTISM | Baptism in Greek and Jewish religions”:

P. 102, “Water baptism in the church”:

P. 104, “Summary”:

http://www.eblaforum.org/library/misc/amc.html, Ancient Mystery Cults: A summary of Walter Burkert's Ancient Mystery Cults (1987), “Chapter 4: The Extraordinary Experience”:

Similarly, although widely claimed, there is little evidence for baptism in the mysteries, though there is purification rituals with water in almost all cults [contradiction there]. Unfortunately, we do not know the nature or activities of the Baptai of the Thracian goddess Kotyto in the 5th century B.C.E. One votive relief from Eleusis is often used to adduce baptism, but iconographic typology shows that the naked boy is merely the first person in a line advancing toward the goddess. Similarly water at Isis has been shown to be representative of the flooding of the Nile.

Some remarks by Tertullian about the lavacrum in Tertullian remain—one cannot deny that some features of Christian baptism bring to mind pagan mystery initiations. There are probably some direct borrowings taking place inasmuch as there are additions to what John the Baptist would have performed in the Jordan. However, connections and influences cannot justify complete reconstruction (likewise, the Jewish practice of annointment has hardly any equivalence in the mysteries).

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 1949, p. 238, “COTYS, COTYT(T)O”:

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Second Edition, 1970, p. 294, “COTYS, COTYT(T)O”:

Cites another source.

The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Third Edition, 1996, p. 405, “Cotys, Cotyto”:

I think they’re trying to work it down by adding “music and dance,” implying that an orgy is just “music and dance.” But, if I phone a dance club (esp. in the 1940s) and ask them when the orgy begins, they’re gonna thing something different. Baptae worship included “music and dance.” Notice that they removed “washing or dipping.”

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