Naenia (i.e., a dirge or lamentation, equivalent to the Greek θρῆνος) is the term used to describe the Roman funeral songs, uttered either by the relatives of the deceased or by hired persons. At Rome Naenia was personified and worshipped as a goddess, and even had a chapel, which, however, as in the case of all other gods in connection with the dead, was outside the walls of the city, near the porta Viminalis. As Naeniae are compared with lullabies, and as they seem to have been sung with a soft voice, as if a person was to be lulled to sleep, the object of this worship was probably to procure rest and peace for the departed in the lower world. See Augustine, De Civ. Dei, 6:9; Arnobius, Adv. Gent. 4:7; 7:32; Horace, Carm. 3:28, 16; Festus, pages 161, 163, ed. Mailer.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More