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. Therefore, Jesus continually uses weddings to show the new relationship available with the Father through the Son and Spirit, and we should celebrate that. 3 parts water to 1 part wine) so they would have had to drink a considerable amount in order to become intoxicated. Specifically, regarding Jesus drinking wine, what do we see in the Gospels? However, it is believed that the alcohol content in these wines was much lower than what we are used to today. It wasn't modern grape juice, which wasn't invented until the Methodist Rev. They typically diluted wine with large amounts of water before the wine was consumed. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, "Drink your wine with a merry heart." Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine "that makes glad the heart of men." I have e-mailed Dr. Daeschel asking for some expert explanation on this topic. The article goes on to argue that the most likely water to wine dilution rate of Jews in the New Testament period was 3:1, which was equivalent to a beverage that is only 3% alcoholic. Peters argument hinges on the new wine being of such a low alcoholic content that it was absolutely impossible for a man to get drunk in three hours. Quite frankly, I do not believe this piece of information and I think a scholar should give some documentation to support such a statement. Todays alcoholic content does not require anyone tarrying more than a few drinks to get drunk. He distinguishes between wine and strong drink. By Dr. Charles L. Quarles In a previous article, we examined the ancient practice of winemaking. In other words that word could be used interchangeably. Wine gladdens man's heart by God's design. Unfortunately, many Christians know little about the ancient Mediterranean world. In an exchange of e-mails he confirmed what I had thought all along: The closest thing I can find to this idea that wine can make bacteria-laden water safe to drink are studies clearly indicating that the consumption of wine with a meal can protect a person against certain kinds of food poisening - the alcohol and the acid in wine does kill bacteria in the stomach: Typically, discussion is offered on the meaning of certain Hebrew and Greek words. This is answered in the description the Lord gives on what it took to become drunk. This verse iterates the reason that God gave grapes: to make wine. 0.31-0.40 Loss of temperature regulation and loss of bladder control. If we think a wedding can take a long time in our modern times, the Jewish wedding of Jesus day included days of celebration, dancing, and drinking wine. Here are some terrific recommendations for deeper reading on the subject of wine in the Bible and the symbolism of wine in the Bible. Alcohol content of ancient wine. This bold claim is precisely the opposite of . 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. Exodus 29:40, With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, 7 and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. (c) In the New Testament there are additional verses pointing to the misuse of wine. Its about celebration and instituting a New Covenant. This dilution rate reduces the alcohol content of New Testament wine to 2.75 to 3.0 percent. Instead, people argue whether or not the Bible condemns all use of alcohol or whether it condones its use in moderation. The Spirit gives us what lasts forever. The notion of "unfermented wine" in the Bible, comes from American fundamentalist Christians and has no basis in reality. All Rights Reserved, The Lone Star State - Texas American Culture in the 1800's. Are You Actually a Christian Apatheist? 4 Ways the Parable of the Sower Encourages Spiritual Growth. Ancient wine was stored undiluted in large jars called amphorae. (fermented, boiled up, etc.). Home Num 6, Judges 13). We party in the kingdom because of Gods amazing things. and of having a high alcoholic content. www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9605/07/wine.digestion/ (1996) White, dry. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 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. Bible, wine is referred to as the "wine of life" (Leviticus 19:18), and it is also mentioned as a drink for the dead . Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History Your branches spread as far as the sea they reached as far as Jazer. At the same time, Paul uses oinos when he says, "Do not be drunk with wine" (Eph.5:18). In all of these instances, despite plenty of opportunities to do so, Jesus never condemns anyone for drinking alcohol or wine. 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. Too coarse and too sweet to be consumed, Israeli wine was looked on unfavorably until just a few decades ago. Second, those living in biblical times had developed methods to filter wine . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Wine in the bible is spoken of as a blessing in its unfermented state and as an intoxicant in its fermented state. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. For the past few years I have spent a week in Ecuador on a mission trip each summer with a local church. Hepatitis. The yeast added to ancient wines produced between 4-11% alcohol." (bing.com) 5:18). Virtually every scholar agrees that the alcohol content of wine during Biblical times was usually between 5-20%, which is enough to intoxicate. I want to point out one more problem I find with these various wine articles - the idea that the water was typically unsafe for drinking is another argument for diluting wine with water. who hath contentions? Some people may swear that he drank, while others may insist that he didnt. As a result, at the time of the Bible, red or amber wines were big, round, juicy, austere, and shaped like grapes. There are approximately 256 references to wine written in the contents of the Good Book. Anacreon called unmixed wine a Scythian draught. Scythians ranked with primitive cannibals as the most barbaric of peoples. who hath redness of eyes? If the wine was in fact wine and not grape juice, then it obviously had some sort of alcohol content. Third Century But we do know that vino in Christ's day was very . Many Christians have strong convictions about drinking alcohol, with a wide and varied spectrum in different traditions and denominations. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are viewed as particularly good, although Israel also produces several Merlots and other common varieties. Well water was common, the collection of rain water for drinking was common - the Bible has numerous examples of people drinking water. There are a few problems with this citation: first, the characters in Homer's narrative begin by drinking the wine unmixed, then (apparently to make it last longer) they begin diluting it with increasingly greater volumes of water until they reach 20:1. However, Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. The New Testament clearly prohibits drunkenness (Eph. * (*download the PDF version of this article for footnotes and references) Miles. 2007 15. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus drank wine (Matthew 15:11; Luke 7:33-35). Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs? When reading the word "wine" in the Bible, the word may simply refer to grape juice or intoxicating wine not exceeding ~10% . [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. The sugar of grape juice can only ferment to 3 or 4% alcohol with wild yeast airborne yeast. The scriptures leave no doubt about the alcoholic content in Bible wine. Editors Note: In a future article, we will compare New Testament wine to modern alcoholic beverages. Jaundice. Homer was the Star Trek of the ancient world! Interestingly, in several cases, Jesus uses wine to make a point about the new covenant and Gods work. Many do not realize that those living in biblical days were able to keep their wine from fermenting and in fact did so regularly. Unfermented grape juice spoils and becomes undrinkable without the alcohol content within just a very few days by he action of bacteria, especially in the warm climate conditions in the Near East. A website known as The Alcohol Content Database offers some of the following examples: (Taken from. In Part 2 I will show evidence of how the alcohol content in the ancient world was probably around the same as in modern wine, between 12-15%. Did Jesus drink wine? Depending on which side a person prefers to linger, innumerous references from the Bible can go in both directions. The testimony is virtually unanimous that their wine had an extremely low content of alcohol. The use of alcohol is an issue which finds a good amount of disagreement in the Church. Israel is a nation possessing a rich past. Several times in the first books of the Bible, wine and strong drink are prohibited to those who take a Nazarite vow (cf. 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. E-mail: abaker@churchhistory101.com. They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. (Prov 23:29-30). Kidney failure. Your email address will not be published. He describes the alcoholic content in wine stating that it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder, which strongly indicates alcoholic content. www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2005-12-04/ (2005) Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. To answer the question we posed earlier, was New Testament wine alcoholic? Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy. Jeremiah 48:32-33. Table Wine general. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Our primary desire should be to glorify God and love others as He loves us. [xiii . I'm not saying we should all like wine or drink it. In Christ, we are completely free. of Some denominations use wine in the celebration (eucharist) of Holy Communion, while others will only use unfermented grape juice. So on average, the wine in the Bible had an alcohol content of around 10%. #8. The strongest alcoholic beverage that was accessible to the New Testament authors and their original readers was natural wine that had an alcoholic content of 11-12 percent (before dilution). Although the ancient Egyptians were not known for elaborate myth cycles, the myth is known as The Destruction of Mankind was particularly popular during the New Kingdom. For wine to be non-Mevushal, which is the basic form of Kosher, the preparation of it must follow a regime of specific rules. It was equated with life. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. Invited to a wedding, Jesus shows up with his mother, Mary, and a few of his disciples in attendance. It took a special effort to get drunk in Bible times. Even ancient pagans considered drinking wine full strength to be a barbaric practice. 4-7%. Filed Under: "In the Bible, alcoholic wine is not like wine today. Paul testified that it was possible to get drunk with wine but it must be an excess of wine. D.F. That celebration is within the context of a story of hardship and pain and Gods faithfulness and deliverance and power (the event of Israel being freed from the slavery of Egypt). New Testament wine (by which I mean the wine ordinarily consumed in the New Testament world) was significantly different from many modern alcoholic beverages. He considered wine to be a creation of God. In fact, some passages of Scripture discuss alcohol in positive terms. Anyone who thinks "normal" wine could withstand this kind of dilution should take the best grape juice on the market and dilute it with 2 parts water. 7. [2] [3] [4] Additionally, the inhabitants of ancient Israel drank beer, and wines made from fruits other than grapes, and references to these appear in scripture. What we can say absolutely for sure is that wine, in general, in ancient times was of the fermented variety, including alcohol. It also documents that he approved of its moderate consumption (Matthew 15:11). However, the wine of the Biblical era was much weaker than the wine we know today. (d) Jesus would never do anything that would encourage sin and providing intoxicating wine would have encouraged drunkenness. Clearly, Noah or Lot did not get intoxicated on unfermented drink (Genesis 9:21, 19:32 - 35). The only reference offered by Stein is his personal experience in Greece. However, in truth, we will probably never know and, along these lines, we really shouldnt need to: when it comes down to it, a persons faith is based on much bigger things than their opinion of alcohol. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, "Drink your wine with a merry heart." Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine "that makes glad the heart of men." Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God's blessing. The scripture is consistent on this point. Did wine contain alcohol in biblical times? I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:21, For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 1 Peter 4: 3. We cant be drunk and live the life God has called us to, to make sound and wise decisions, to keep our wits about us in a dangerous and broken world. Wine was a staple in the ancient world. For more detailed information, please visit ourAffiliate Disclaimerpage. Some teach that what is referred to as wine in the Bible is actually grape juice that is unfermented. Proud member But it would have had a bit of alcohol, hence why Jesus critics could call him a drunk and get away with it. (1 Timothy 5:23 No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) John makes a big deal about the first ministerial miracle of Jesus. However, since Jesus was tempted yet sinless (1 Peter 2:22), he drank wine but never took it so far that he got drunk. Again, the miracles purpose isnt to make a point about drinking alcohol, one way or the other. The Bible And Alcohol, Biblical Studies Foundation. Not Jeff Zweerink. Poor concentration. There are indications of water that was poor, but many more examples of good drinking water. Lack of sound judgement. Ancient wine was massive, round, and juicy in size and shape. Every person is unique and must be free to have their own convictions regarding the matter. 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 . 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? Fact #3: In both testaments, the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness (e.g., Prov. . Answer (1 of 7): The alcoholic content of the wine is only half of the story. Therefore, we get several occasions where the drinking of alcohol is addressed. He has a podcast about the Kingdom of God called Kingdom Over Coffeeand is a published author withSay Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight. 11. Wine Strength During this Era. It also documents that he approved of its moderate consumption (Matthew 15:11). This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Stroke. Photo credit: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages. Whether you choose to imbibe or not, read scripture and reflect on the powerful significance of wine in the Bible. While not all the wine produced in Israel is Kosher, a good portion of it is. Traditionally, the fermentation process has been effected by yeast cells present in the grape skins, but special strains of cultured yeast are now often substituted for the natural agent. 1 Without the introduction of other sugars, etc. Not having access to all the modern groceries, the old ones savored all the commodities provided in the . For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Hence, the Scripture says, "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for the stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." (I Timothy 5:23). 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. We. High blood pressure. This again indicates a very low alcoholic content in the Jewish wine. Ancient cultures didnt have the technology or information to filter water. 8. Athenaus mentions several different dilution rates that he culled from ancient works. 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. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. As we navigate our attitude toward alcohol, we must remember that our freedom is important. And, the Good Samaritan used wine to cleanse the wound of the traveler. Please note that the description of drinking in Proverbs 23:29-35 is only of . It could also be that by the time they were drinking at 20:1 they were so drunk that they could not taste/notice the dilution (cf. 2) The second position is that THE WINE WAS INTOXICATING. Change). The Bible never speaks of any alcoholic drink stronger than the strongest naturally occurring alcohols. During the wines processing, only other Kosher products may be used: artificial preservatives and colors, and animal products may not be added. 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. It acknowledges the hardship and Gods ability to see us through to good things. Photo by Sven Wilhelm on Unsplash. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:34. 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. Steve, I can tell you did not read carefully. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 3:3, 8; 5:23; Titus 2:3). 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. People usually bring out bad wine at the weddings end. The strongest drink possible in biblical times was not a modern fortified wine with 14-20 percent alcohol content, much less bourbon or tequila at 40-50 percent alcohol content, but naturally fermented wine or beer with a maximum possible alcohol content of 10-11 percent. These point to the teachings of the Old Testament: But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, to drunkard or swindler. That Jesus drank wine ( Matthew 15:11 ) m not saying we should all like today! 3 or 4 % alcohol with wild yeast airborne yeast big deal about the first ministerial miracle of Jesus or. 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Each summer with a wide and varied spectrum in different traditions and denominations which wasn & # x27 m! For I am not seeking my own good but the good Samaritan used wine to make point! % alcohol. & quot ; ( bing.com ) 5:18 ) not having access to all the modern groceries, Lone. Titus 2:3 ) answer ( 1 of 7 ): the alcoholic content does not require anyone tarrying than.
alcohol content of wine in biblical times