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Why Did Paul Tell Timothy to Drink Wine?
In 1 Tim 5:23, Paul informs Timothy to, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” This verse has been used by some Christians to justify the recreational consumption of modern day alcoholic beverages.
It is obvious from the text that Timothy was suffering from a stomach ailment, though the nature of the ailment is not known. However, Paul appears to suggest that the water is the culprit for his illness. Since the days of Hippocrates, it has been known that the water of the ancient world contained harmful bacteria that could produce illness. When Paul writes this letter, Timothy is in Ephesus. Ephesus was an ancient, decaying city whose harbor was silting up and creating sewage problems that poisoned underground water supplies (Williams, Paul’s Metaphors, p. 101). It is very likely that this was the cause of Timothy’s stomach ailment.
Fermented wine of ancient, biblical times was often used as a remedy for such illnesses as the alcohol would prevent dysentery by destroying the bacteria and harmful pathogens of the water. This remedy was widely recognized by the Talmudists, Plutarch, Pliny, and as far back as the writings of Hippocrates himself (Fee, New International Biblical Commentary, p. 135). Therefore, Paul’s instruction to Timothy was in no way an endorsement of the recreational and social conception of alcoholic beverages, but advised purely for medicinal purposes.
This passage also reveals a lot about Timothy’s character. Regardless of the legitimacy of his need to consume fermented wine for medicinal purposes, it is reasonable to conclude that he had abstained from it for the sake of his own sobriety and personal influence. Such was not expedient as his personal service to Christ was far more important than the potential damage inflicted by misguided critics, hence the need for Paul’s exhortation.
This passage cannot provide support or comfort for those desiring to engage in the pleasurable consumption of modern day alcoholic beverages. First, imbibers rarely drink just a “little” as was Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Second, imbibers do not dilute their wine with water as was practiced in ancient times. Third, fermented wines, as drunk in ancient times, were nowhere near as potent as today’s distilled fortified wines.
