wine in the bible: a biblical study on the use of alcoholic beverages

171 Pages·2009·0.6 MB·English

WINE IN THE BIBLE: A BIBLICAL STUDY ON
THE USE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
APREVIEWOF WINE IN THE BIBLE
Samuele Bacchiocchi,Ph.D.,Andrews University
A commentIoftenhearwhenmeeting readersofmy
booksindifferentpartsofthe world,goessomething like
this:"Ienjoyed immenselyyourbookon...,butImust
confessthatIhaven’tfinished reading ityet." Reading only
a portionofa bookoftenmeansmissing whatcould be the
mostimportantpartofits contentand failing to gaina
complete picture ofthe subjectpresented.
Clicktoreturntooverview
Partlyoutofconsiderationtoward those readerswhose
Fiveoftheninechapters canbe
busylifestyle makesitdifficultto read a bookthrough
accessedby clickingtheirtitles
systematicallyto the end,and partlyoutofa desire to give
below:
atthe outsetanoverviewofthe issuesdiscussed,I
decided to trysomething new.Instead ofgiving a summary
APreview ofWine in the
ofthis bookatthe end bywayofconclusion,Iam
Bible
presenting a previewofitscontentatthe beginning.The
conceptofa previewishardlynew.The underlying
The Meaning ofWine
assumptionisthatifa personlikesthe preview,he orshe
willbe motivated to purchase the product.Applied to this
The Preservation of
study,itismyhope thatanintroductorypreviewwill
Grape Juice
accomplishtwo objectives:(1)provide anoverviewofthe
variousissuesexamined and conclusionsreached;(2)
Jesus and Wine stimulate readersto read the whole bookto gaina fuller
understanding ofthe manyissuesdiscussed.
Wine in the Apostolic
Church Thisbookaddressesfroma Biblicalperspective the most
prevailing,costlyand destructive habitofoursociety,the
drinking ofalcoholicbeverages.
ALook atthe Drinking Problem.The studybeginsin
Chapter1 witha lookatthe drinking probleminAmerica
todayand ourChristianresponsibilitytoward it.The
drinking ofalcoholicbeveragesbyover100 million
Americansisrightlyregarded bysocialanalystsas
America’snumber-one publicenemy.This"beloved
enemy," asJackVanImpe callsit,1 claimsatleast
100,000 Americanlivesperyear,25 timesasmanyasall
100,000 Americanlivesperyear,25 timesasmanyasall
illegaldrugscombined.2
The economiccostto the Americansocietyofthe use of
alcoholisestimated bythe NationalInstitute onAlcohol
Abuse and Alcoholismat$117 billiona year.3 This
staggering figure includesthe costofpremature deaths,
reduced productionand specialtreatments.
The realhumancostofalcohol,however,transcendsany
statisticalestimate ofdeaths,disabilitiesordollarfigures.
A 1987 Gallup Pollindicatesthat1 in4 familiesare
troubled byalcohol.4 Thismeansthatmore than61 million
Americansare affected bysome alcohol-related problems
suchasretarded children,divorce,violence inthe home,
crime,sicknessand death.
AChristian Responsibility.Christianchurchesbear
considerable responsibilityforthe inestimable humanand
economiccostsofalcohol,because throughtheirbeliefs,
teachingsand preaching theyare able to influence the
moralvaluesand practicesofsociety,possiblymore than
doesanyotherinstitution.Forexample,inthe earlypartof
thiscenturyevangelicalchurchesplayed a majorrole in
influencing the passing ofthe EighteenthAmendmentto
the Constitutionofthe United StatesonJanuary16,1919,
outlawing the "manufacture,sale ortransportation" of
alcoholicbeverages.
Since the repealofProhibitionin1933,however,most
churcheshave abandoned theirstand fortotalabstinence,
encouragin" moderation" instead.Unfortunately,
moderationhasled over18 millionAmericansto become
immoderate drinkers,5 because alcoholisa habit-forming
narcoticwhichweakensone’scapacityforself-control.
The moderationistpositionrestsonthe beliefthat
Scripture condemnsthe immoderate use ofalcoholbut
approvesits moderate use.Thisbeliefisinturnbased on
the assumptionthatthe Bible knowsonlyoffermented
wine ("one wine theory")whichitconsidersasa divine
blessing to be enjoyed withmoderation.According to this
theory,anycondemnationofwine inthe Bible refersnotto
the kind ofwine,butto the amountconsumed.
MoralorMedicalIssue? Bymaintaining thatthe Bible
sanctionsthe moderate use ofalcoholicbeverages,
moderationistshave led people to believe thatdrinking
alcoholisnota moral buta medical issue.Itisnota
transgressionofa God-givenprinciple,buta habitwhich
canharmone’shealth,ifabused.The eliminationofany
sinfulconnotationfromthe use ofalcoholhashad an
enormousinfluence onthe drinking habitsofmillionsof
Christians.Ithasprovided Christianswithanalleged
Biblicaland moraljustificationfordrinking alcohol,thus
depriving themofa Biblicaland moralconvictionfor
abstaining fromintoxicating beverages.
Inviewofthe immense influence the moderationistview
has had onthe drinking habitsofmillionsofChristians,the
majorobjective ofthisstudyhasbeento examine its
fundamentalassumption,namely,thatthe Bible sanctions
a moderate use ofalcoholicbeverages.Since this
assumptionisdictated bythe beliefthatthe termsfor
"wine" inthe Bible alwaysmean"fermented wine," Ibegan
thisinvestigationbyascertaining the Biblicaland historical
usage ofsuchterms.
The Meaning of"Wine." The objective ofthe survey
conducted inChapter2 wasto ascertainifthe termsused
for"wine" inthe Bible denote exclusivelyfermented wine
orinclusivelyeitherfermented orunfermented wine.I
traced the usage ofthe word "wine" backward,from
English,to Latin,Greekand finallyto Hebrew.The survey
showsthatthe fourrelated words—wine inEnglish,vinum
inLatin,oinos inGreekand yayin inHebrew—have been
used historicallyto referto the juice ofthe grape,whether
fermented orunfermented.Thissignificantfinding
discreditsthe claimthatthe Bible knowsonlyfermented
wine,whichitapproveswhenused moderately.The truthof
the matteristhatthe Bible knowsbothfermented wine,
whichitdisapproves,and unfermented grape juice,which
itapproves.
"Wine" in BiblicalPerspective.Building onthe
conclusionsreached inChapter2,Iproceeded inChapter
3 to examine the reasonsforthe Biblicalapprovaland
disapprovalofwine.WhatIfound isthatthe positive
referencesto "wine" have to do withunfermented and
referencesto "wine" have to do withunfermented and
unintoxicating grape juice.Because ofitsnaturaland
nourishing properties,grape juice wasfittinglyused to
representthe divine blessing ofmaterialprosperity(Gen
27:28;49:10-11;Deut33:28),the blessing ofthe
messianicage (Joel2:18-19;Jer31:10-12;Amos9:13,
14),the free offerofGod’ssaving grace (Is55:1),the
wholesome joyGod offersto Hispeople (Ps104:14-15;
4:7),and the acknowledgmentofGod throughthe use of
grape juice astithe,offeringsand libations(Num18:12;
Deut14:23;Ex29:40;Lev23:13).
Onthe otherhand,the negative referencesto "wine" have
to do withfermented and intoxicating wine.Some ofthe
reasonsScripture condemnsthe use ofalcoholic
beveragesare thattheydistortthe perceptionofreality(Is
28:7;Prov23:33);theyimpairthe capacityto make
responsible decisions(Lev10:9-11);theyweakenmoral
sensitivitiesand inhibitions(Gen9:21;19:32;Hab 2:15;Is
5:11-12);theycause physicalsickness(Prov23:20-21;
Hos7:5;Is19:14;Ps60:3);and theydisqualifyforboth
civiland religiousservice (Prov31:4-5;Lev10:9-11;Ezek
44:23;1 Tim3:2-3;Titus1:7-8).
The Preservation ofWine.A majorobjectionagainstthe
viewthatScripture approvesthe use ofunfermented grape
juice isthe alleged impossibilityinBible timesof
preserving grape juice unfermented.Thus,Idevoted
Chapter4 to probing thispopularassumptionby
investigating the testimoniesofancientwritersregarding
the artofpreserving fruitsand winesingeneraland grape
juice inparticular.To mysurprise Idiscovered thatthe
ancientswere farmore knowledgeable inthe artof
preserving fruitsand winesthanisgenerallybelieved.
Contraryto popularopinion,the problemsthe ancients
encountered inpreserving fermented wine were asgreat
as,ifnotactuallygreaterthan,those faced inpreserving
unfermented grape juice.To preventfermented wine from
becoming acid,moldy,orfoul-smelling,vintnersused a
hostofpreservativessuchassalt,sea-water,liquid or
solid pitch,boiled-downmust,marble dust,lime,sulphur
fumesand crushed iris.
Incomparisonto preserving fermented wine,preserving
Incomparisonto preserving fermented wine,preserving
grape juice unfermented wasa relativelysimplerprocess.
Itwasaccomplished byboiling downthe juice to a syrup,
orbyseparating the fermentable pulp fromthe juice ofthe
grape bymeansoffiltration,orbyplacing the grape juice
insealed jarswhichwere immersed ina poolofcold
water,orbyfumigating the wine jarswithsulphurbefore
sealing them.The use ofsuchtechniquesclearlyindicates
thatthe meansofpreserving grape juice without
fermentationwere knownand used inthe ancientworld.
Thisconclusionisindirectlysupported bythe teachings
and example ofJesus.
Jesus and Wine.The nextlogicalstep wasto examine
the majorwine-related storiesorsayingsofJesussince
these are commonlyused to prove thatChristmade,
commended,used and even commanded the use of
alcoholicwine.InChapter5 Iwentinto considerable detail
to examine these claims.The conclusionofmyanalysisis
thattheyare devoid oftextual,contextualand historical
support.
The "good wine" Jesus made atCana (John2:10)was
"good" notbecause ofitshighalcoholiccontent,but
because itwasfresh,unfermented grape juice.Thisis
indicated byexternaland internalconsiderations.
Externally,contemporaryauthors,suchasPlinyand
Plutarch,attestthat"good wines" were those whichdid not
intoxicate,having had theiralcoholicpotencyremoved.
Internally,moralconsistencydemandsthatChristcould not
have miraculouslyproduced between120 to 160 gallons
ofintoxicating wine forthe use ofmen,womenand
childrengathered atthe Cana’swedding feast,without
becoming morallyresponsible forprolonging and
increasing theirintoxication.Scripturaland moral
consistencyrequiresthat"the good wine" produced by
Christwasfresh,unfermented grape juice.Thisis
supported bythe veryadjective used to describe it,namely
kalos,whichdenotesthatwhichismorallyexcellent,
instead ofagathos,whichmeanssimplygood.
The "newwine" Jesus commended throughthe parable of
the newwineskins(Luke 5:37-38;Mark2:22)was
unfermented must,eitherboiled orfiltered,because not
evennewwineskinscould withstand the pressure ofthe
evennewwineskinscould withstand the pressure ofthe
gasproduced byfermenting newwine.
The self-descriptionofJesusas"eating and
drinking" (Matt11:19;Luke 7:34)does notimplythatHe
used alcoholicwine,butratherthatHe freelyassociated
withpeople attheirmealsand elsewhere.The phrase
"eating and drinking" wasused idiomaticallyto describe
Christ’ssociallifestyle.
The "fruitofthe vine" Christcommanded to be used asa
memorialofHisredeeming blood (Matt26:28-29;Mark
14:24-25)wasnotfermented wine,whichinthe Scripture
representshumandepravityand divine indignation,but
pure unfermented grape juice,whichisa fitting emblemof
Christ’suntainted blood shed forthe remissionofoursins.
Thisconclusionwasestablished througha studyofthe
language ofthe LastSupper,the JewishPassoverwine,
the Passoverlawoffermentation,the consistencyofthe
symboland the survivalofthe use ofunfermented grape
juice atthe Lord’sSupper.Mosttelling isthe factthat
Josephuscallsthe freshlysqueezed grape juice "the fruit
ofthe vine." Thisestablishesunequivocallythatthe phrase
wasused to designate the sweet,unfermented juice ofthe
grape.The evidencessubmitted showsthatJesus
abstained fromallintoxicating substancesand gave no
sanctionto Hisfollowersforusing them.
Wine in the Apostolic Church.The waythe Apostolic
Churchunderstood,preached and practiced the teachings
ofJesusand ofthe Old Testamentregarding the use of
alcoholicbeveragesprovidesa mostvaluable verification
and clarificationasto whetherScripture teaches
moderationorabstinence.Inviewofthe fundamental
importance attached to the witnessofthe Apostolic
Church,mynextlogicalstep wasto examine inChapter6
the apostolicteachingsregarding the use ofwine in
particularand ofintoxicating substancesingeneral.
Thisinvestigationproved to be the mostrewarding.
Contraryto the prevailing perception,Ifound thatthe New
Testamentisamazinglyconsistentinitsteaching of
abstinence fromthe use ofalcoholicbeverages.The very
passagesoftenused to supportthe moderationistview,
underclose scrutinywere found to negate sucha view,
underclose scrutinywere found to negate sucha view,
teaching abstinence instead.Forexample,the ironyofthe
mockers’ charge thatonthe dayofPentecostthe apostles
were drunkongleukos,thatis,onthe grape juice which
apparentlywastheircommonbeverage (Acts2:13),
providesanindirectbutimportantproofoftheirabstmious
life-style and inferentiallyofthe life-style oftheirMaster.
There would have beenno pointinthe mockers'attributing
to unfermented grape juice the cause ofthe disciples'
strange actions,ifitwasnotcommonknowledge thatthe
apostlesabstained fromintoxicating wine.The intended
jibewasthatthe discipleswere suchnaíve simpletonsthey
gotdrunkongrape juice!
Similarly,Paul’sreference to drunkennessatthe
communiontable ofthe Corinthianchurch(1 Cor11:21)
offers no supportfora moderate use ofalcoholicwine,for
two reasons.First,whateverwasdone atCorinthwasa
departure fromthe instructionsPaulhad delivered to the
church(1 Cor11:23);thus,the Corinthians'conduct
constitutesa warning ratherthananexample forus.
Second,a studyofthe meaning ofthe verb methuo
("satiated")and ofthe implicationsofPaul’sadmonitions,
clearlysuggeststhatthe problematCorinthwas
indulgence ineating ratherthanintoxicationwithalcoholic
wine.
Ifound one ofthe mostpowerfulBiblicalindictments
againstintoxicating wine inEphesians5:18,where Paul
condemnswine asthe cause ofdebaucheryand shows
the irreconcilable contrastbetweenthe spiritofwine and
the HolySpiritofGod.To mygreatsurprise,however,I
found thatmostEnglishtranslationsand commentaries
have chosento translate orinterpretEphesians5:18 by
making "drunkenness" ratherthan"wine" the cause of
debauchery.Thiswassurprising to me because notonly
the Catholicand ProtestantItaliantranslations,withwhichI
ammostfamiliar,butalso numerousotherancientand
moderntranslations,alltranslate Paul’stextassaying that
inthe verynature ofwine isdebauchery.Itseemsthat
some Englishtranslatorshad sucha predilectionforwine
thattheydecided,to borrowthe wordsofErnestGordon,
to "save the face ofwine while condemning
drunkenness."6
The translators’ biastoward wine became mostevidentin
the studyofthe apostolicadmonitionsto abstinence,
expressed throughthe verb nepho and the adjective
nephalios.The firstmeaning ofthe verb is"to abstainfrom
wine" and ofthe adjective "abstinent,withoutwine." Yet
these wordshave beenconsistentlytranslated withtheir
secondarysense ofbeing "temperate,sober,steady,"
ratherthanbytheirprimarysense ofbeing "abstinent."
Suchbiased and inaccurate translationshave misled
manysincere Christiansinto believing thatthe Bible
teachesmoderationinthe use ofalcoholicbeverages,
ratherthanabstinence fromthem.
Itwasequallysurprising forme to discoverthatthe
fundamentalreasongivenbyPeterand Paulfortheircall
to a life ofmentalvigilance and physicalabstinence is
eschatological,namely,preparationto live inthe holy
presence ofChristatHissoonComing.Thisreasonhas
added significance forChristianslike the Seventh-day
Adventists,who acceptthe Biblicalteachingsonthe
Second Adventliterallyratherthanexistentially,thatis,as
a future realizationofourpresentexpectationsratherthan
a presentexperience ofthe future.To abstainfrom
intoxicating substancesrepresentsa tangible response to
God’sinvitationto make concrete preparationforthe
physicalreturnofChrist.The analysisofthe apostolic
teachingsregarding alcoholicbeveragespresented in
Chapter6,the longestinthe book,providesinmyviewthe
mostcompelling defense ofthe Biblicalprinciple of
abstinence fromintoxicating beverages.
Some Misunderstood Passages.To be fairto those
who find supportfortheirmoderationistpositionincertain
Biblicalpassages,Idevoted Chapter7 to anextensive
analysisoffive ofsuchpassages.The studyofeachtextin
the lightofitsimmediate and largercontext,the historical
customsofthe time and the overallteaching ofScripture,
has shownthatnone ofthemcontradictthe Biblical
imperative forabstinence.Onthe contrary,some ofthem
indirectlybutconclusivelysupportabstinence.
Proverbs31:6,forexample,suggestsinanironicalfashion
thatalcoholicbeveragesare onlysuited forkilling the
excruciating painofsomeone who isdying.Similarly,
excruciating painofsomeone who isdying.Similarly,
Hosea 4:11 providesno justificationfora moderate use of
alcoholicbeveragesfortwo reasons.First,because "wine
and newwine" are mentioned figuratively,as
representative ofthe good giftsGod had provided to the
childrenofIsrael,giftswhichtheyhad used foridolatrous
purposes.Second,evenif"wine and newwine" were
alcoholic,theyare condemned inthe textfortaking away
understanding,irrespective ofthe quantityused.
Ina differentyetequallyconvincing way,1 Timothy5:23
supportsthe principle ofabstinence intwo significant
ways.First,the advice,"No longerdrink onlywater,"
impliesthatTimothy,like the priestsand Nazirites,had
abstained untilthattime frombothfermented and
unfermented wines,presumablyinaccordance withthe
instructionsand example ofPaul.Second,the apostle
recommended to Timothyto use onlya little wine,notfor
the physicalpleasure ofthe belly,butforthe medicalneed
ofthe stomach.AncientwriterssuchasAristotle,
Athanaeus,and Plinyindicate thatunfermented wine was
knownand preferred to alcoholicwine formedical
purposes,because itdid nothave the side effectsofthe
latter.Inthe lightofthese testimoniesand ofthe other
Biblicalteachingsregarding wine,itisreasonable to
assume thatthe wine recommended byPaulformedical
use wasunfermented grape juice.
The conclusionofthiswhole studyonthe Biblicalteaching
regarding the use ofalcoholicbeveragescanbe
summarized inone sentence:Scripture isconsistentin
teaching moderationinthe use ofwholesome,
unfermented beveragesand abstinence fromthe use of
intoxicating fermented beverages.
Ellen White and Alcoholic Beverages.Inviewofthe
majorinfluence exerted byEllenG.While inthe adoption
ofthe Biblicalprinciple ofabstinence fromalcoholic
beveragesbythe Seventh-dayAdventistchurch,Ifeltit
appropriate to examine inChapter8 herunderstanding of
Christiantemperance ingeneraland ofabstinence in
particular.
The studyrevealsthatforEllenWhite the message of
temperance wasa fundamentalpartofthe gospeland of
temperance wasa fundamentalpartofthe gospeland of
the missionofthe Seventh-dayAdventistchurch.Sucha
message entailsteaching people moderationinthe use of
healthfulthingsand abstinence fromthe use ofharmful
thingssuchasalcoholicbeverages.
EllenWhite deeplybelieved thattotalabstinence isa
principle clearlytaughtinthe Scripture bywarningsand
examples.Disregard forthisprinciple representsa
violationofthe lawofGod.Obedience to thisprinciple,
throughChrist’senabling power,contributesto the
restorationofGod’smoralimage inus.Thisrestorationis
anessentialpartofourpreparationforChrist’sreturn.
EllenWhite discussesatgreatlengththe harmfuleffectsof
the use ofalcoholicbeveragesuponthe individual,the
home and societyatlarge.The illeffectsuponthe drinker
are mental,moraland physical.Asforthe home,the use of
alcoholicbeveragesoftendeprivesfamiliesoftheirbasic
necessities,and fostersviolence and the abuse of
children.Withreference to society,EllenWhite finds
alcoholconsumptionto be anincentive to crime,a major
cause ofaccidentsand ofpublic-healthproblems.The
theologicalconvictionsand practicalcounselsofEllen
White onthe use ofalcoholicbeveragesstand out,inmy
view,fortheirBiblicalconsistencyand theirpractical
relevance to ourtime.
Alcoholin America.To help the readerappreciate froma
socialand medicalperspective whythe Bible condemns
the use ofalcoholicbeverages,Ihave devoted Chapter9
to a briefsurveyofthe socialand medicalconsequences
ofalcoholconsumptioninAmericansociety.The survey
indicatesthatthe costofalcoholuse to the American
people isappallinglyhigh,notonlyineconomicterms
($117 billionperyear),butalso intermsofhumanpain,
misery,violence,child and spouse abuse,divorces,crime,
sicknessand death.Itisinconceivable to thinkthatatleast
100,000 humanlivesare losteveryyearinAmerica alone
because ofalcohol-related problems.
IfAmerica wantsto dealeffectivelywiththe tragedyof
alcohol,itmustdevelop anentirelynewculturalattitude
throughthe aggressive promotionofabstinence.
Christianscanplaya vitalrole inthisendeavor,ifthey