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Wine in the Bible – Fermented Wine
Though the ancients of biblical times were able to preserve and enjoy wine in an unfermented, nonalcoholic state, wine was also produced for the purpose of fermentation. What were some of its purpose?
First, the water of Palestine could be dangerous to drink; in fact, many in our day still suffer and die from dysentery after drinking unsafe water in third world countries. An effective method of killing the bacteria in water during ancient times was to mix it with alcoholic wine. The alcohol would then kill the pathogens in the water rendering it safe to drink. This appears to be the reason behind Paul’s admonition to Timothy to take a “little” wine for his stomach’s rather than drinking water exclusively (1 Tim 5:23). Even in these cases, however, the wine was greatly diluted (http://www.4truth.net/fourtruthpb.aspx?pageid=8589951962).
Second, alcoholic wine was used as an antiseptic to clean wounds. We find the Good Samaritan applying this kind of wine to the wound of the injured man in Luke 10:34. It would not be inconceivable for a person to keep alcoholic wine in his possession for emergencies such as this much like how we carry with us a first-aid kit when we travel.
Third, alcoholic wine was used to ease the suffering of a dying man. Prov 31:6 – “Give strong drink to him who is perishing…” In the absence of our modern day morphine and other opiates, strong drink would serve the same purpose. The Roman soldiers attempted to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh in order to dull Jesus’ pain, though He would not take it (Mark 15:23).
Fourth, alcoholic wine would be drunk as a standard beverage, though heavily diluted with water. The ratio of water to wine varied likely due to the strength of the wine in question. Homer’s Odyssey mentions a ratio of 20 to 1. Pliny, a first century historian, refers to a mixture of 8 to 1 (Natural History). Athenaeus (AD 200) in “The Learned Banquet” cites ratios of 3 to 1, 4 to 1, 2 to 1, and 5 to 2. He mentions 3 to 2 as being “strong”. Mnesthus of Athens stated, “Mix it half and half, and you get madness; unmixed, bodily collapse.” The 2nd century writer Plutarch said, “We call a mixture ‘wine,’ although the larger of the components is water.” Both the Greeks and Romans referred to the drinking of unmixed wine as intemperate and something only Barbarians would do (Will Durant, Caesar and Christ, p. 71). Clement of Alexandria (late 2nd cent.) said, “It is best for the wine to be mixed with as much water as possible…” (Instructor II, ii, 23.3-24.1). Hippolytus (A.D. 215) and Cyprian (A.D. 250) mention the same practice.
How strong was strong in ancient times? Roman Falernian grape juice would get as high as 15% ABV, but the sugar of Palestinian grape juice would only ferment up to 4% ABV naturally. For it to exceed 4%, additional yeast in the form of dates, figs, beans, pears, pomegranates, wormwood, myrrh, etc. would have to be added. Yet once it reached 10% ABV, the alcohol would kill any additional yeast and halt additional fermentation. Only with the invention of distillation in the 13th century could alcoholic content be increased due to the addition of ethyl alcohol.
Here’s the point: ancient Roman morals, generally speaking, were exceptionally wicked. Yet when using alcoholic wine as a beverage, their standards of diluting it compared to our modern day distilled alcoholic beverages reveal that everything from our modern day beer to liquor
would be considered strong drink. And with so many warnings against strong drink in scripture, Christians would be wise to avoid them altogether. And if we are not willing to do so, we must be ready to concede that the standards of sobriety for ancient pagans were much more stringent than that which the bible demands.
