Did Jesus drink wine that did contain alcohol?

Answer 1

Yes. The alcohol in the wine meant it was safer than water when in a city. (Alcohol kills bacteria.)

As a Jew, it is inconcievable that Jesus never participated in a Passover Seder, which involves drinking several (4) glasses of wine while reciting many things, including the story of the passover. http://en.wikipedia.org...


"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking,and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."'" (Luke 7:33-34)


From http://www.biblestudy.org...
"A survey of the many reference materials available brings out many important points, as does the Bible itself. First of all, every source this author could locate (a representative collection of which is listed at the end of the article) agreed that the terms for "wine" in the original languages in most cases make obvious reference to fermented, and therefore alcoholic, grape juice."

"1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee.89 Jesus’ mother was there,90 2 and both Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” 4 Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.” 5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

More on wine in Jewish life: http://en.wikipedia.org...

"Almost all Jewish holidays, especially the Passover Seder where all present drink four cups of wine, on Purim for the festive meal, and on the Shabbat require obligatory blessings over filled cups of kosher wine that are then drunk. At Jewish marriages, circumcisions, and at Redemption of First-born ceremonies, the obligatory blessing of Borei Pri HaGafen ("Blessed are you O Lord, Who created the fruit of the vine") is almost always recited over kosher wine (or grape juice.)"

and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine

"Wine is also a very integral part of Jewish laws and traditions. The Kiddush, a blessing prior to eating on the Sabbath and other holidays, is required to be said over wine. On Pesach (Passover) during the seder it is also required to drink four cups of wine.[12] In American Jewish practice it is common to use a kosher wine made from Concord grapes, though the wine produced is not popular outside Jewish liturgical circles; it has become increasingly common to use higher-quality kosher wines (often grown and made in Israel) at the Passover table."

I have heard arguments that there is no specific mention of Him consuming wine. However, if you look at the Jewish holidays (especially the Passover Seder), the conclusion is inescapable. I've heard the argument that He made wine but didn't consume it Himself - presumably because consuming it was bad/sinful. If consuming alcohol was considered bad/sinful, they why on Earth would he have made it to begin with?

Alcohol in the Roman Empire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine

"The Roman Empire had an immense impact on the development of viticulture and oenology. Wine was an integral part of the Roman diet and wine making became a precise business.

As the Roman Empire expanded, wine production in the provinces grew to the point the provinces were competing with Roman wines. Virtually all of the major wine producing regions of Western Europe today were established by the Romans.

Wine making technology improved considerably during the time of the Roman Empire. Many grape varieties and cultivation were known. Barrels were developed for storing and shipping wine. Bottles were used for the first time. And the early developments of an appellation system formed as certain regions gained reputations for fine wine.

Once the Roman Empire fell around 500 CE, Europe went into a period known as the Dark Ages. This was a period of invasions and social turmoil. The only stable social structure was the Catholic Church. Through the Church, the grape growing and wine making technology was preserved during this period."


You have to deliberately do something to grape juice in order to keep it from fermenting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine :

"[Wine] was used in nearly all Protestant groups until Welch's created commercial grape juice in 1869 by applying pasteurization to grapes to stop the natural fermentation process."



Modern ideas about alcohol and sin are not applicable to the Middle East under the Roman Empire.

Answer 2

Yes he did.In moderation.All of the wine back then was alcohol because they had to store it and the only way they could was to ferment it. He even gave an illustration which proves this. He said that you can not put new wine into old wine skins or they will burst. Because the old wine skins were already stretched from the fermenting process from the prior year
The Psalms also say a little wine makes the heart rejoice

Answer 3

(The simple wines of antiquity were incomparably less deadly than the stupefying and ardent beverages of our western nations. The wines of antiquity were more like sirups; many of them were not intoxicant; many more intoxicant in a small degree; and all of them, as a rule, taken only when largely diluted with water. They contained, even undiluted, but 4 or 5 percent of alcohol.--Cannon Farrar.)

It has been disputed whether the Hebrew wine was fermented; but the impression produced on the mind by a general review of the above notices is that the Hebrew words indicating wine refer to fermented, intoxicating wine. The notices of fermentation are not very decisive. A certain amount of fermentation is implied in the distension of the leather bottles when new wine was placed in them, and which was liable to burst old bottles. It is very likely that new wine was preserved in the state of must by placing it in jars or bottles and then burying it in the earth. The mingling that we read of in conjunction with wine may have been designed either to increase or to diminish the strength of the wine, according as spices or water formed the ingredient that was added.

Answer 4

nope he didn't because it would have been the fresh stuff that they make and don't you need to put yeast or something in it to make it alcoholic.
'These people could definitely recognize that the wine which Jesus made was much better than what they had been served at first. This could not have been possible if they were already well on their way to becoming intoxicated! The fact is, neither the wine which they had at first, nor that which Christ made, was alcoholic.'

Read below website for more reasons

Answer 5

Yes, Jesus drank wine, and yes it contained alcohol. He was accused of being a drunkard.
I would imagine that it contained far more alcohol than the red wine I buy at the store.

Answer 6

Grapes are found in the northern hemisphere for only 6 weeks . 2 weeks in Aug and four in Sept. There are many mentions of wine in the bible ,but only one with a date , Passover , spring time. The only way to preserve grape juice is Wine. This from a long time winemaker.

Answer 7

Yes, but my understanding is that it did not contain as much alcohol as we have in our liquors today.

Drinking alcohol is not a bad thing, the Bibles says "don't be like a drunkard" meaning an alcoholic. We all know the pain alcoholic's put their families through, the Bible says to avoid that.

Answer 8

I'm sure, b/c I don't think it could really be wine unless there was alcohol in it.

And yes, those little thimbals of wine in church are real wine with alcohol in it - they are serving alcohol to underage persons and getting away with it.

Answer 9

Wine always contain alcohol.
of course yes.

Answer 10

As a rabbi, Jesus wouldn't have been quite the prig that many evangelicals like to pretend he was.