This post is a continuation from yesterday's post (read it here). Yesterday we looked at God's view of alcohol consumption. Today we take a look at the wine of the Bible.
“The strength of natural wines is limited by two factors. The percentage of alcohol will be half of the percentage of the sugar in the juice. And if the alcoholic content is much above 10 or 11 percent, the yeast cells are killed and fermentation ceases. Probably ancient wines were 7–10 per cent.”[1]
Wines today range anywhere from 8-20%, depending upon which type you examine.[2] Obviously, that’s a significant jump in alcohol content over the “natural” wine. Likewise, we also have “distilled” liquors today, which can (in the case of something like absinthe) be up to 90% alcohol.[3] Harris continues by writing that in order to avoid drunkenness, the mingling of wine with water was practiced. This would help avoid the “sin of drunkenness.” Indeed, the diluting of wine with water was a common practice not only of the Jews, but of the Greeks and Romans as well. [4]
The second thing you need to understand is that not every mention of wine in the Bible refers to an intoxicating beverage. There are two words that are predominately used in the Bible. The Hebrew word yayin is used 141 times in the Old Testament. It’s Greek counterpart, oinos, is used at least 32 times in the New Testament. Both words are not exclusive to the alcoholic beverage, but can also be used in reference to fresh grape juice which would not be alcoholic.
For example, in Nehemiah 13:15 and Isaiah 16:10 we read of people treading out the winepresses, and what they were treading out (grape juice) was already considered to be wine. Obviously if it is fresh and unfermented it’s not intoxicating.
Along the same lines, there are quotes from writers such as Cato the Elder, Pliny the Elder, and Columella, and others from a similar time period (which extends from the 3rd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.), concerning the process of preserving grape juice as well as preserving the grapes themselves. One simply had to squeeze the preserved grapes to get the “fresh” juice.
One other option that appears to have been frequently used is the process of boiling a wine down into what might be known as vino cotto (Italian), nardenk (Syriac), or dibis (Arabic). Basically, it was grape juice syrup or concentrate. Grape juice would be boiled down to 1/3 to 1/4 its original volume. This (non-alcoholic) syrup could then be reconstituted with water to provide “fresh” grape juice “from concentrate.”[5]
The conclusion in light of all of this evidence is this: There was sufficient means available during the time of the writing of the Bible for a person to avoid consuming alcohol. To think that since they didn’t have refrigerators to preserve food or Welch’s grape juice that the only thing they could serve was alcoholic wine is insulting to the resourcefulness of those people. They were not as primitive as some would like you to think. They knew the effects of alcohol, and if they didn’t want to be drunk, took proper precautions.
Obviously, if this is the case then many of the arguments (and rationalizations) put forth today by those in favor of drinking hold no merit. For the sake of discussion, though, tomorrow I will briefly address a few of the most commonly used.
-Daniel
[1] Harris, R. L. (1999). 864 יַיִן. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (376). Chicago: Moody Press.
[4] See this page for more information: http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/bible/Doctrines/Holiness/Drugs%20&%20Alcohol/Wine-Drinking%20in%20New%20Testament%20Times.htm
[5] For more information on this, read WINE IN THE BIBLE: A BIBLICAL STUDY ON THE USE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, Chapter 4, THE PRESERVATION OF GRAPE JUICE by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/wine_in_the_bible/3.html
Another home run, brother! Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wes! Be sure to share!
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