Scriptural Distinctions of Wines.
(Continued from last Issue.) “WHEN the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants which drew the water knew), the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” John 2:9, 10. a. If the wine referred to above was of an intoxicating nature, then the brewer and the distiller have, as they claim, a sufficient apology for their nefarious business; for in manufacturing alcohol with which to poison their fellow-men, ruin their constitutions, squander their property, and render their children homeless and their wives widows—in all this work of evil they are only imitating the example of their divine Master! Such a position is too unreasonable to be tenable; for the work of rum savors more of a Satanic than of a divine origin. No; it is impossible for any one but the veriest infidel to regard it consistent for the Saviour of mankind to lend his influence, his example, in favor of a practice which even human wisdom can see is an unmitigated curse to the race. b. But how was this miracle wrought? It was simply by a shortening of the natural process by which wine is produced. The grape-vine sucks up water through its rootlets, and by a slow and mysterious process continuing through several months finally converts it into wine in its clusters of luscious fruit. Man obtains it by simply pressing it from the grapes. Christ, by his infinite wisdom, by his knowledge of the intricate processes carried on by the plant, for he made the grape-vine, performed the same work in a moment. The product was the same as though it had been produced in the ordinary way. Is the product of the vine, new wine, fresh grape juice, fermented or intoxicating? No; it is unfermented and wholesome. The grape-vine cannot produce alcohol. The Creator has not formed it in any plant. In simply shortening the natural process of wine-making, then, Christ produced not fermented but unfermented wine. c. Again, the governor of the feast pronounced the wine produced by Christ the best, saying, “Thou hast kept the good wine until now.” If we can ascertain which kind of wine was considered best among the Jews, we shall be able to settle this question with absolute certainty. An appeal to recognized authority will do this. Says Dr. Jacobus, “Those were considered the best wines which were least strong.” Prof. M. Stuart says that the ancients regarded unfermented wine “as of a higher flavor and finer quality than fermented wine.” Kitto says of wine which has been preserved from fermentation by boiling, “Such was esteemed [by the Jews] the richest and the best wine.” There can be no doubt, in view of such testimony, that the wine which Christ made, and which the governor of the feast pronounced the best, was the unfermented kind, which was commonly considered the best among the Jews. Lastly, Dr. Isaacs, an eminent Jewish rabbi, bears the following testimony: “The Jews do not, in their feasts for sacred purposes, including the marriage feast, ever use any kind of fermented drinks.” Was the wine used by Christ and his disciples at the passover supper, just before the crucifixion, fermented or unfermented? This is an interesting question; for all Christendom have for hundreds of years acted upon the supposition that the wine employed was fermented, and have used this kind of wine in the sacrament. If we can ascertain with certainty the character of the wine employed by the Jews in the passover feast, we shall be able to settle this question satisfactorily. Can we do so? The following facts seem to make the matter sufficiently clear:— a. The process of fermentation is one of putrefaction or decay. The ancients understood this, and were also acquainted with the fact that fermentation is occasioned by leaven or ferment. b. Not only leavened or fermented bread was forbidden during the passover, but all fermented things. Says Kitto, “All fermented substances were prohibited during the paschal feast of the Jews, and during the succeeding seven days.” Hence, the passover was called the “feast of the unleavened,” the word bread being not found in the original. c. If the body of Christ was necessarily represented by bread which was absolutely free from ferment or leaven, surely his blood—“which is the life”—should be represented by wine equally free from putrefactive elements. In view of the above facts we are certainly justified in the belief that the communion wine used by our Lord was wholly free from alcohol.