Ancient wine was stored undiluted in large jars called amphorae. Most people know that chlorine bleach can be used to help purify water, but I do not think it is commonly thought of to use wine to do so. A plethora of examples (including Paul's injunction in Ephesians 5:18) could be gathered from ancient writers to show that intoxication was a concern and was not unusual in the ancient world. Although alcohol kills bacteria, its low concentration in these beverages would have had only a limited effect. I have an explanation, but that will have to wait for "Wine in the Ancient World, Part II." 1. Depending on which side a person prefers to linger, innumerous references from the Bible can go in both directions. Some hold strongly to total abstinence, while others see nothing wrong with a moderate use of alcohol. Second, ancient wine was normally diluted. 8. Valley, VintageTexas: Searching for Texas Terroir, Edgar Allan Poe: Wine and Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed, and Lot is left alone with his daughters, who have no children. |. It was just grape juice. the alcohol is limited in naturally fermented grapes. I was offered various substances by friends throughout high school. Fortunately for me, my church community was also loving and encouraging, and that combination helped me to be friends with others while rejecting some of their recreational activities. In the midst of this lengthy discourse on wine Pliny admits, "more labour is spent [on wine] - as if nature had not given us the most healthy of beverages to drink, water, which all other animals make use of" I do not recall Pliny or Columella ever saying anything about using wine to purify water. Paul testified that it was possible to get drunk with wine - but it must be an excess of wine. The new work of God needed a new covenant and couldnt work within the old (we can read Hebrews for a more detailed argument for that). Stamps, Teachout and Stein are correct when they offer data to show that wine was diluted with water, but to suggest Homer's 20:1 is ridiculous and to put forth Pliny's 8:1 as normal would also be wrong. He is amazed that it can withstand this kind of dilution. Water diluted it with sugar to make it more . Jesus and Wine. The Bible has 17 warnings against the abuse of wine and strong drink and 19 examples of its abuse. Slow reaction time. The implication is he drank before but wouldnt drink again until the kingdoms fulfillment. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1. That wine is not . Wine, along with grain and oil represented Gods covenant blessings promised to Israel for obedience. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Strong drink is full strength wine with an alcohol content of, at most, 12-15%. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 12. Biblical evidence shows a consistent reference, from cover to cover, that wine is an alcoholic beverage able to make a person drunk with its overuse. If we cant be in control and have authority over drinking alcohol, then we shouldnt. Astonishingly enough, wine that has even this low an alcoholic content is forbidden. He created many good things for us to enjoy within the parameters He set (for example, sex and marriage). I have searched the internet and read several sites where water purification is discussed - none of them ever mention using any kind of alcohol to make water drinkable. Ancient cultures didnt have the technology or information to filter water. How was this wine different? Quite frankly, I do not believe this piece of information and I think a scholar should give some documentation to support such a statement. We may assume, then, that all the poets from Homer downwards have no grasp of reality but merely give us superficial representation of any subject they treat. We never want to make alcohol (or anything, an idol) and always need to practice self-control. Ian Tattersall & Rob Desalle: "A Natural History of Wine", Yale University Press: New Haven, London, 2015. www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9605/07/wine.digestion/ (1996) I learned that avoiding certain things didnt keep me from having fun, probably the opposite, and kept me out of more trouble than I already got into. Like many items of debate, people often use passages in the Bible to move an argument in their direction, even when their chosen reference is laden with ambiguity. . The party is winding down, and maybe theyre trying to get people to go home. Rabbinic writing and literature frowned upon drinking undiluted wine: 2 Macc.15:39, which says It is harmful to drink wine alone, or again, to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious and enhances ones enjoyment.. (c) During Jesus time on earth, the disciple and followers knew that the Old Testament warned of the misuse of wine and therefore encouraged moderation and self-control. Stein does the same, "In other words, it is possible to become intoxicated from wine mixed with three parts water, but one's drinking would probably affect the bladder long before it affected the mindthere is a striking difference between the drinking of alcoholic beverages today and the drinking of wine in New Testament times." There are approximately 256 references to wine written in the contents of the Good Book. I'm not saying we should appreciate the abuse of alcohol. Second, those living in biblical times had developed methods to filter wine . There is ancient evidence that non-alcoholic drinks were still called "wine." In ancient times drinks were called "wine" that ranged anywhere from . And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, The old is better. (Luke 5:37-39). Certainly, it was fermented and had a modest alcohol content. Yes, wine was mixed with water. Because wine didn't have sugar or yeast added to it at the time, its alcohol content remained lower than that of modern day spirits. The Spirit gives us what lasts forever. Old wine would be that wine which has already had what fermentation it was going to gain. Does Approval of the Use of New Testament Wine Justify Use of Modern Alcoholic Beverages? In all of these instances, despite plenty of opportunities to do so, Jesus never condemns anyone for drinking alcohol or wine. [I had asked Dr. Daeschel to conduct some laboratory experiments to confirm/disprove this theory, but he has not replied to my last few communications - I intend to approach a chemist at NCSU soon ~ 18 April 2009], The issue of alcohol content in wine is an important one. They mixed it with water. He is not concerned about trying to keep grape juice from becoming wine. The issue of alcohol content in wine is an important one. Many Christian denominations prohibit or discourage the use of alcohol altogether, and those which don't proscribe its use caution against drunkenness. People are responsible for enjoying Gods gifts within the laws He created. Even ancient pagans considered drinking wine full strength to be a barbaric practice. You never risk getting drunk if you never drink. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. Animated speech. We are only given two options, neither of which is to drink alcoholic wine in any appreciable way. History also shows that fermented drinks were common in most ancient cultures for one simple reason: they couldnt trust the water. In the ancient Egyptian religion, both wine and beer played varying roles. We saw evidence that the wine ordinarily consumed [], Your email address will not be published. A constructive warning is expressed in Proverbs 20:1, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.". I have stopped the flow of wine. Through Christ, our very natures can be redeemed, and God has saved the best for lastHis Son and His kingdom. Although the principles of distillation were known in the ancient Orient, the distillation of liquor, a much younger art than the fermentation of beers and wines, is believed to date from the 11th century in Europe. 1 The Jews depended on the yeast and sugars in the grape itself to produce the alcohol. A website known as The Alcohol Content Database offers some of the following examples: (Taken from. =). The symbolism and use of wine in the Bible is significant, as you can see. During the wines processing, only other Kosher products may be used: artificial preservatives and colors, and animal products may not be added. Of the 23 times the word shekar appears in the Hebrew Bible, in all but two passages, it is combined with yayin, "wine," either as a word pair or in poetic parallelism. Some of the statistics from Mazak, who was one of my professors, are dubious at best. On this point there can be little argument; it is certain that people in the ancient world drank grape juice, and oinos was sometimes used to refer to fresh, non-alcoholic wine. However, It is not clear from the evidence how often mixing was done, how much water was used, or how strong the wine was before mixing. Christians would not drink wine nor any other alcoholic drinks were it not for the mood altering effects. WINE: MIXED OR FULL STRENGTH? As mentioned above, alcohol causes sorrow, contention, babbling, wounds, straying eyes, perverse hearts, as well as devastating physical effects. We know that Jesus Himself miraculously turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes. Anymore :: Wine in Grand Junction, When in Aspen? The Hebrew word most commonly used in the Old Testament clearly describes alcoholic wine and fresh grape juice. 7. We party differently than the world. Who hath woe? 14. Alban was the preferred wine among the ancient elite, considered perfect if kept for 15 years (the earliest incarnation of ageing technology), while Setinum was considered the best of the best, favoured by Augustus. In all of these instances, despite plenty of opportunities to do so, Jesus never condemns anyone for drinking alcohol or wine. Wine production on Israeli lands began thousands of years ago, perhaps even prior to the Biblical era. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mothers womb (Luke 1:15). The ratio of wine to water varied. However, many scholars believe that the wines of that era were probably around 14-16% alcohol by volume, which is slightly higher than the average wine today . (For other food symbolism in the Bible, see these posts: whoever is led astray by them is not wise. , Wine can represent love between neighbors and the good of, With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a. Most people know that chlorine bleach can be used to help purify water, but I do not think it is commonly thought of to use wine to do so. Going through flash pasteurization, the wine becomes heated, making it unfit for idolatrous worship. Britt Mooney (with his amazing wife, Becca) has lived as a missionary in Korea, traveled for missions to several countries, and now lives in Suwanee GA as a church planter that works bi-vocationally with Phoenix Roasters, a missional coffee company. Though there are several examples of passages in the Bible that involve Jesus drinking wine, with the most famous one likely being The Last Supper, the Bible also includes innumerable references to wine in general, wine drinking that does not necessarily involve Christ. This means that wine is not necessarily classified as strong drink. What is mom guilt, and how is it different from real guilt? The answer is we don't know the alcohol percentage for a typical ancient wine, but we do know it was strong enough to make people drunk. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. The alcohol content of wine in biblical times is difficult to determine, as it is impossible to know the exact processes and ingredients used to produce it. 8-14%. 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