This article continues our recent series on alcohol. Please take note of the bulletin from two weeks ago as we continue this study. Recently, someone argued that it was impossible to keep grape juice from fermenting in Biblical times, hence everyone always drank alcohol. God’s  people were commanded to drink the fruit of the vine. If fermentation was truly inevitable, then this would be a valid conclusion.

But is that true? Not only was it possible to prevent fermentation, there are historical records of it being done. Please read the following article written by Ryan Hasty, a preacher of the gospel.

Wine in the Bible – how fermentation was prevented

Wine in the Bible is spoken of as a blessing in its unfermented state and as an intoxicant in its fermented state. Many do not realize that those living in Biblical days were able to keep their wine from fermenting and in fact did so regularly. How did they accomplish this in an age without refrigerators? There were 3 primary methods.

First, they boiled their wine down to thick syrup. Boiling grape juice causes the water to evaporate leaving behind a concentrate with such a high level of sugar that fermentation was impossible. Syrup in this state could be preserved for year. Whenever they wanted to drink this unfermented wine, they would mix a small amount of this syrup with water much like we do with Kool-Aid. Different ratios were used depending on the type of grape, the age of the syrup, the temperature of the water, and even the season.

Proverbs 9:1-5, “Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars; she has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table; she has set out he maidens, she calls from the tops of the height of the city; ‘Whoever is naïve, let him turn in here!’ To him who lacks understanding she says, ‘Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed.”

The above verses refer to the mixing of wine as “wisdom” whereas Proverbs 20:1 refers to a person intoxicated by wine as not being wise. The contrast is clear. Boiling grape juice to prevent fermenting and then mixing with water to enjoy as a beverage is incumbent of wisdom and was a blessing from God.

Aristotle – “The wine of Arcadia was so thick that it was necessary to scape it from the skin bottles in which it was contained and to dissolve the scrapings in water.”

Horace – “There is no wine sweeter to drink than that of Lesbos, it was like nectar…and would not produce intoxication.”

Second, those living in Biblical times had developed methods to filter wine and remove its strength. While pressing out the grape, they would use a bag called a “sacco” that captured the fermentable substances, allowed the juice from the pulp to flow through, and then collected it in a vase below the bag. Several historians mention this method as being in use during Biblical times as well as the fact that one of the primary reasons they did this is because unfermented wine tastes better.

Pliny The Young – “The most useful wine has all its force of strength broken by the filter.”

Plutarch – “Wine is rendered feeble in strength when it is frequently filtered. The strength or spirit thus being excluded, the wine neither inflames the brain nor infests the mind and passions, and is much more pleasant to drink.

This is the testimony of two non-Christians Gentiles confirming that filtration causes wine to taste better because its strength has been

removed. But they are merely confirming what we already know. Beverages like grape juice begin fermenting when they are going bad, not when they are getting better. Alcoholic beverages are an “acquired taste” purely for the effects produced in the body by the alcohol and not because it tastes good.

Third, they were able to refrigerate and seal wine. Grape juice kept at 45 degrees or less cannot ferment. If it is kept cool long enough, the yeast settles at the bottom and the juice can be skimmed off the top where it can never ferment even if warmed. We know from archeology that they stored this kind of wine in caves, under water, and in the ground where it was cooler. So even without refrigerators, they still had the means to keep wine cool. They also kept their containers air tight by corking the bottle and then sealing it with pitch. The Jews also poured olive oil on top to seal the juice from the air. In the 1960’s, a sunken ship was discovered at the bottom of the Mediterranean that had containers of wine dating back to the Roman Empire. The containers were sealed so well that water from the sea had not penetrated them.

With multiple ways of preventing fermentation, this is further proof that wine of Biblical times was not necessarily alcoholic but could easily be preserved and enjoyed as a refreshing alternative to water and a blessing from God that provided joy and not intoxication.

______________________________________

I cannot not add anything to brother Hasty’s main argument, but I will mention something that I shared in a sermon a couple of weeks ago. A fourth way to prevent fermentation is by dehydrating grapes. Many of us like to eat raisins. These are simply grapes that have been dehydrated. Brethren in many places today who lack access to grape juice often take raisins and rehydrate them by putting them in water. Then they take the grapes and mash them to produce grape juice for the Lord’s Supper.

From this short study, we can see clearly that the fermentation of wine was preventable even during Biblical times.

Chuck 

In John the second chapter, we find the story where Jesus went to a wedding in Cana of Galilee. We know that with any wedding there is going to be planning. For some reason, the master of the event (verse 9) found himself in an awkward situation – they ran out of wine (verse 3). Mary came right out and said “They have no wine.”

Jesus performed a miracle and turned the water into wine. There were six water pots that each held twenty to thirty gallons. It is safe to say that Jesus easily made between 120-160 gallons of wine (verse 6). Did the guests, including our Lord, have even more alcoholic wine to drink now after having already consumed all the alcoholic wine that was available earlier?

I have made the statement on more than one occasion that if anyone thinks Jesus made alcoholic beverages at the wedding feast, they do not know Jesus. By this I mean that they do not know what He taught concerning intoxicating, alcoholic wine. Jesus did not warn people about the abuse of wine, He spoke about drinking it. Christ, speaking through the Holy Spirit to Peter, discussed the three levels of transgression relating to drinking. First was drunkenness, then revelries (i.e. the life of the party) and finally drinking parties (I Pet. 4:3). If there was truly so much alcoholic wine at the wedding feast, would it not fit the description of a drinking party?

Some would argue that the word “wine” in the Bible always refers to fermented grape juice. If this is true, then the Bible is not just permitting us to consume alcohol but encouraging us to consume in moderation. This could not be any further from the truth. The John 2 text should be sufficient to settle that dispute, but we shall consider some other facts.

If all grape juice was fermented, how could the elders in a local church logically be forbidden to drink any wine (I Tim. 3:3)? Would this not mean that they could not partake of the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:23-26)? [Questions about deacons will be dealt with in the second article (I Tim. 3:8)]. The verses regarding elders lead to a logical conclusion that wine in the Bible can be fermented or non-fermented.

A passage that does deal clearly with fermented wine is Proverbs 23. Look what is stated by inspiration of God: “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at last it bits like a serpent, and stings like a viper,” (verses 29-32). This is obviously a warning to those who are interested in alcoholic wine. The message is clear – do not even look at it! If our Savior made close to 150 gallons, it clearly must have been non-alcoholic.

Getting back to the New Testament, some contend that Christians drank fermented wine based upon I Corinthians 11:21. The text speaks about the abuse of the Lord’s Supper and how they turned it into a feast. Some would eat ahead of others while others were hungry and still others were drunk. Then Paul tells them to eat and drink at home (verse 22). The word “drunk” here means “to be filled.” The word can be used to describe one who is intoxicated, but this is not the only use. In context, Paul was contrasting those who had much to eat and drink with those who had little. Lord willing, next week I will devote another article to this subject.

Chuck