Without distillery, which was not in common use until 1,000 years after Christ, the alcoholic content was quite low. It turns out that the assumption is really a presumption. Ancient People of Teotihuacan Drank Alcohol as Nutrient Booster 12. I have an explanation, but that will have to wait for "Wine in the Ancient World, Part II." Yet, it has so much power that the alcoholic will seek it again. I was offered various substances by friends throughout high school. And I definitely tried to stay away from the girls who did that stuff. Add to this his descriptions of those who abuse wine and promote drunkenness (offending his sense of Stoic ethics) and it becomes obvious that Pliny is not covering the basics in grape juice production. Gods Word clearly tells us that both drunkenness and gluttony are sinful. Anymore :: Wine in Grand Junction, When in Aspen? About 13,000 people are killed each year in the U.S.A. in alcohol-related accidents. 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. 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). He describes the alcoholic content in wine stating that it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder, which strongly indicates alcoholic content. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. I believe the Bible speaks of wine as a blessing, just like food is a blessing, but that does not mean that we are obligated to enjoy wine personally. Pliny does say that this Maronean wine is famous for "its strength and unconquerable body," and can be diluted 8:1 without losing its "bouquet, and [it] improves with age." How was this wine different? Second, ancient wine was normally diluted. (LogOut/ =). He joins us to discuss this topic and why it's not as far-fetched as it might sound. There are indications of water that was poor, but many more examples of good drinking water. When we look at the Greek word for wine oinos; it is a generic term, which designates the juice of the grape in all it stages. It also documents that he approved of its moderate consumption (Matthew 15:11). Plus, for people who have been drinking wine for a few days, their senses are a little dulled, and they cant as easily discern good wine. But we do know that vino in Christ's day was very . The typical wine sold today is in the range of 11.5 percent to 15 percent ABV, with the strongest wines having 17 percent to 23 percent ABV. Homer was the Star Trek of the ancient world! Around 10% of wine content was considered alcoholic in biblical times. Unfortunately, many Christians know little about the ancient Mediterranean world. Next, Jesus noted that his critics called him a glutton and a winebibber (another term for drunkard) because he came eating and drinking (Matthew 11:9, Luke 7:34). Jesus would have been raised in such a culture. (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. 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. 4-7%. The party was going to stop without that wine, at least culturally. What is mom guilt, and how is it different from real guilt? We will seek to determine if the approval of New Testament wine in moderation provides ethical justification for the consumption of significantly stronger alcoholic beverages today. In the ancient Egyptian religion, both wine and beer played varying roles. All rights reserved. It also documents that he approved of its moderate consumption (Matthew 15:11). A Class Exploring Ancient Wines Asks : The Salt The details of wine and winemaking practices in biblical times are debated among experts. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (Acts 2:13-15). Ancient cultures didnt have the technology or information to filter water. The Bible uses multiple words that are translated into the English word "wine". strong convictions about drinking alcohol. Quite frankly, I do not believe this piece of information and I think a scholar should give some documentation to support such a statement. E-mail: abaker@churchhistory101.com. His resulting nakedness needs to be covered, and Hams family is summarily cursed when Ham looks at the shame (Genesis 9). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High (Genesis 14:18). Many Christians have strong convictions about drinking alcohol, with a wide and varied spectrum in different traditions and denominations. But what about alcohol? The use of alcohol is an issue which finds a good amount of disagreement in the Church. Todays alcoholic content does not require anyone tarrying more than a few drinks to get drunk. Specifically, regarding Jesus drinking wine, what do we see in the Gospels? First Century It would taste, well, watered down. There were several ways in which the ancients could make water safe to drink. Photo credit: Getty Images/Prostock-Studio. Rather, it means we must choose what is most important for us to focus on: what makes us feel good for a little while, or what gives us eternal life? We never want to make alcohol (or anything, an idol) and always need to practice self-control. One of the great "woes" of God is for people to partake in the consumption of alcohol. Invited to a wedding, Jesus shows up with his mother, Mary, and a few of his disciples in attendance. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. For Jesus himself, we can look at two scriptures that indicate he also drank wine. 0.21-0.30 Slurred speech and lack of balance. In other words, equivalent to a modern low-alcohol beer. Being apathetic to the apathetic will cause more harm than good. During the wines processing, only other Kosher products may be used: artificial preservatives and colors, and animal products may not be added. The consecration of the Eucharist took place at a time where wine was a significant part of every feasts in the society. Psalm 104: 14-15 also gives the God inspired purpose and design of wine: to "gladden human hearts.". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. So what does it mean about the wine of the ancient world that it can be diluted to such an extent and still be "good?" Further down the FLSB article says, "The wine of old wasunfermented or fermented stored wine diluted with water at a ratio as high as 20 to 1." The ancient Israelites (as well as the rest of the Roman world) did not typically drink their wine straight. Its about celebration and instituting a New Covenant. Wine is also seen in conjunction with sacrifices. And now I understand the metaphor of the new wine. Israel is a nation possessing a rich past. Some people may swear that he drank, while others may insist that he didnt. 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. more, Written by Jennifer Jordan Biblical Response: Dr. Lackey is correct that this passage refers to alcoholic wine since all the passages in the Bible that refer to wine are referring to alcoholic wine. Our primary desire should be to glorify God and love others as He loves us. It was equated with life. * (*download the PDF version of this article for footnotes and references) R.A. Baker We keep But didnt Jesus keep the party going at a wedding with wine? 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." Because of this, he is known as a founder of Israels wine industry. No modern wine could withstand dilution with three parts water. Clearly wine today is not the same as wine in the Bible. Wine was also used as a drink offering in the temple service, just as we have seen that beer was used in the presentation of delayed tithe. Not having access to all the modern groceries, the old ones savored all the commodities provided in the . The wine was of such poor quality that when Arab tribes took over Israel in the Moslem Conquest of 636, putting a stop to local wine production for 1,200 years, disappointment didnt exactly ferment. Note how long it took. American Culture in the 1800's. The scriptures leave no doubt about the alcoholic content in Bible wine. Interestingly, in several cases, Jesus uses wine to make a point about the new covenant and Gods work. For example, Isaiah 16:10 says, "And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing . All Rights Reserved. Lack of sound judgement. Isaiah 5:22 "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.". 2) The second position is that THE WINE WAS INTOXICATING. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. There is but one conclusion. In the late 1800s, wine production began again in Israel. The first public miracle by Christ was turning water to wine (John 2:1 - 10). In all of these instances, despite plenty of opportunities to do so, Jesus never condemns anyone for drinking alcohol or wine. He eventually does, going into a storage area where there were large cisterns of water for washing, also culturally important for the cleanliness of the Old Covenant Law. Christians would not drink wine nor any other alcoholic drinks were it not for the mood altering effects. But the original Greek and Hebrew terms, as well as the English usage in the 1600's when the KJV was translated, did not always have that connotation. Today's readers reasonably conclude that the . There are hardly any people arguing on the premise that Jesus consumed large amounts of wine. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit . Again, the miracles purpose isnt to make a point about drinking alcohol. To answer the question we posed earlier, was New Testament wine alcoholic? In some states, a beverage with the weak alcohol content of New Testament wine is not even considered an alcoholic beverage. 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. The unstated assumption of this argument is that modern alcoholic beverages are very similar to biblical wine. We can see examples of this when we look at the Holy Supper: And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. The juice would be collected in a special treading floor that would lead to a collecting vat. This, in turn, removes some of the restrictions, keeping the wine Kosher no matter who handles it. They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. (Prov 23:29-30). We celebrate because we have been delivered by God, who loves us abundantly. Photo credit: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages. 11.0. Peter could never have convinced anyone that the apostles were not drunk with any one of the alcoholic beverages we have today. 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. Still, Jesus wouldnt have turned water into wine if it were an evil substance. The early Christians were not given to use wine to any extent. For more detailed information, please visit ourAffiliate Disclaimerpage. The first major issue which always comes up is that most of the wine (oinos) mentioned in the Bible was not fermented, or alcoholic. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Depending on which side a person prefers to linger, innumerous references from the Bible can go in both directions. Ironically, one popular abstentionist argues that the burden of proof should fall on those who claim that Biblical wine contained alcohol. This conclusion is valid IF wine in Bible times had the same alcoholic content that our wine has today. Although Federal law in the US classifies a beverage with 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume as an alcoholic beverage, state laws may differ. Small beer and faux wine in particular, were used for this purpose. High blood pressure. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. John 6:53-56, Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, Two pounds of wheat for a days wages, and six pounds of barley for a days wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine! 10. . 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. 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