Response by Voy Wilks
6\ 18\91
WINE IN THE BIBLE
By Sameuel Bacchiocchi
First, Some Statements
Someone asked me to comment on Mr. Bacchiocchi's book, WINE IN THE BIBLE. I highly esteem Mr.
Bacchiocchi, so if in the "heat of battle" I should sound otherwise, please forgive me. I address this request especially to Dr. Bacchiocchi. I plan to send him a copy of this response.
I am biased against alcoholic beverages, especially against beer and whisky. For this reason the only
alcoholic beverage I have ever tasted is grape wine. I had never tasted this until testimony was presented
indicating fermented wine was the drink element used by the Savior in the Passover service. Even since
then, I have never "taken" more than a few sips at anyone time, and never on a regular basis. I appreciate
Brother Samuel’s comments on "take" a little wine.
My personal preference is for Scriptures to plainly state, "It is a sin to make, sell, or drink wine, liquor, or
strong drink." But Scriptures do not say this, nor do they teach it. This being true, the following considerations are presented, not in defense of a personal drinking habit, as noted above but, on the contrary, because of Scriptural evidence (and other) indicating the "taking" of a little wine and other alcoholic beverages is acceptable, even good in some cases, if done in moderation.
Bro. Bacchiocchi's report about the evils of drinking to excess are all too true. This does a great amount
of harm and injury every year, not just in the USA, but worldwide. The same can be said for television,
however. It too, does a great amount of evil in the earth, each and every day of the year. Murder, theft,
adultery, homosexuality, lying, and violence in general, are graphically portrayed and promoted in TV
programs. Should we ban television? No. Instead, television should be redirected as an educational tool.
All programs should be cleaned up.
Does our kind brother, Mr. Bacchiocchi, own and watch TV? The chances are very good that he does.
Most Americans do. It is possible, indeed very likely, that indiscriminate TV watching does more harm than
does misuse of alcoholic beverages in the USA. Everyone knows that misuse of alcoholic drink is harmful.
But television? Many people act as if TV is the world's greatest baby sitter; that no harm will come from
watching the violence portrayed on TV -in almost every home -in almost every living room.
Our rule of life should not be, "if it is POSSIBLE to misuse a product, then banned it." Many good things can be misused. Often, it is not the use, but the misuse, which is bad.
Now to the Bacchiocchi Book
In examining the book, Wine in the Bible, I have noted more than 150 items which (1) were not sound
reasoning, (2) were inconsistent, (3) were misrepresented, or (4) were misunderstood. Obviously, to deal
with every one of these points would take more time than I can allow. Also, we can be sure that no one is
so keenly interested in Voy's comments as to read so great a volume of material, should I venture to
respond to all these 150 + points. Therefore, I will hope to make a brief response to Brother B's book,
noticing only a few of the most glaring inconsistencies, etc.
His use of Scriptures is so unsound that he should never have written this book of more than 300 pages.
Instead, he should have written the following summary in one sentence only:
"Scriptures indicate that a moderate amount of alcoholic beverage is acceptable, but since Mrs. White and
I do not agree with this view, we urge all saints to shun all use of alcoholic beverages."
Now, please review the Scriptures as presented by Bro. B on the pages noted below.
Shekar
Pages 229 -234
"And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink [shekar], or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: thou shalt eat there before Yahweh ..." (Deut. 14:26).
Bro. B wrestles with this Scripture for some time and finally presents the view that shekar is really only
unfermented fruit juice. However:
Strong's Concordance reports: #7941; "shekar, an intoxicant, intensely alcoholic" (emphasis added).
Shekar seems to have been used in the Hebrew Scriptures 22 times. Once in the KJV it is translated -
"strong wine." Except for this one time, it is uniformly translated "[strong] drink." Young's Concordance
says, "sweet wine, meaning what satiates or intoxicates." Wine can be both sweet and strong.
Mr. E. W. Bullinger makes the following comment: "Shekar = strong drink (from shakar, to get drunk), a very intoxicating drink made from barley, honey, or dates" (Companion Bible, Appendix 27, Wine).
Shekar is often used in a bad connotation, as is pointed out by Mr. B Example: Pro. 20:1. Mr. B is willing
to accept shekar as "strong drink" in Pro. 20: 1 (when it is misused), but then wrestles mightily in trying to
create "grape juice" from the same word in Deut. 14:26. Brethren, let us be more consistent, please.
Methuo ( 1 Corinthians 11 )
Pages 182 -186
Mr. B, contrary to Scripture, tells us there is "no allusion to drunkenness" in the Passover service as
recorded in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. But what do the Scriptures say?
"For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is DRUNK" (1 Cor.
11 :21 RSV. "Drunken," KJV).
The Greek word methuo (meaning to be drunk, softened with drink), appears (only seven times) in the
following Scriptures:
Mt. 24:49 Eat and drink with the drunken [methuo].
John 2:10 Have well drunk [methuo].
Acts 2: 15 These are not drunken [methuo] as you suppose.
1 Cor. 11 :21 Another is drunken [methuo].
1 Thes. 5:7 That be drunken are drunken [methuo] in the night.
Rev. 17:2 Have been made drunk [methuo].
Rev. 17:6 The woman drunken with blood of the saints [methuo]. ~
As we see, there is only one example in which methuo may not refer to drunkenness -John 2:10. Of the
seven times methuo appears in the Greek N.T. six of those times it surely refers to drunkenness.
So, all efforts fall flat in trying to prove that methuo makes "no allusion to drunkenness."
Bro. B some where asked, "Suppose the brethren at Corinth were drunk (intoxicated) on wine. Is this a
good example for present day Saints to follow?" All can agree with him on this point. No. However, what
Brother B overlooked is that Paul, in his reprimand, did not ( did not) find fault with the "drink element" used in the Passover service at Corinth. He found fault with drunkenness, but not with the drink element.
Obviously, the drink used was fermented wine (fruit of the vine) capable of making drunk those who were -
indiscreet, and those who did not properly honor the Savior.
Above, we noted that Brother B failed to prove that methuo is no allusion to drunkenness. On the
contrary, Scriptures directly state that some were drunken (methuo). We see, however, that our dear
brother is perfectly willing to believe the Scripture which says that no drunkard (methusos) will inherit the kingdom ofYHWH (1 Cor. 6:9,10). Both these words are derived from the same root (methe). Constant
methuo (drunkenness) creates a methusos (a drunkard). This cannot happen by drinking grape juice. It
requires fermented wine such as was used at Corinth in the Passover service (or other alcoholic beverages).
Pages 187 -192
Eph.5:18
Again, it is disappointing to note how Bro. B handles Scriptures. Above when he spoke of "drunkenness"
(methuo) in 1 Cor. 11 :21 he hoped to make this "too much food" rather than "drunkenness."
Now that he is on another Scripture (Eph. 5:18), methusko, a word from the same root and almost identical, is willingly accepted as "drunkenness." Why the inconsistency? Is there a chance, perhaps, that Mr. B's conclusion
was reached long before he examined the Scriptures?
Now to the question about the grammar used in Eph. 5:18. Is it wine which is debauchery or is it
drunkenness? Since the fruit of the vine (fermented or unfermented) was given as a blessing to mankind
(Isa. 65:8; Mt. 26:26-29), it is obvious that debauchery is associated with drunkenness, not with the
blessings of the vine.
Fermentation of grape juice is a natural process, as Brother B notes (pages 72, 122, 125). If the sugar
content is great enough, all grape juice normally ferments and makes wine, unless something is done to
prevent this. It is the same natural process which causes sweet milk to turn to sour milk (clabber). This
is caused by spores in the air, and begins instantly, as soon as the fresh milk or the fresh juice strikes the
air. This is why dairymen cool their milk immediately, to prevent souring. The same is true of grape juice.
It immediately begins fermentation if measures are not taken to prevent this.
Bro. B relies on the structure of the sentence to carry his case against fermented wine. But let us examine
a few of the many other Scriptures in which the sentence structure is faulty, yet the message is easily
understood, just as it is in Eph. 5: 18.
o "... They came to life, and reigned with Messiah a 1,000 years. The rest of the dead did not come
to life until the 1,000 years were ended. This is the first resurrection" (Rev. 20:4, 5 RSV).
“THIS" (verse 5) would normally refer to "the rest of the dead," but contrary to the rules of grammar, it does
not. "This” refers to the resurrection mentioned in verse four, not the resurrection mentioned in verse five.
o "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down into the water, both Philip and
the eunuch; and he baptized him" (Acts 8:38).
According to the rules of grammar, the “he” who did the baptizing should have been the eunuch, since he
is the last mentioned person. We know, however, it was Philip who did the baptizing, because it was the
Eunuch who WANTED to be baptized.
o "And the children of Israel, which were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had
separated themselves from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek Yahweh Elohim of
Israel, did eat, and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days" (Ezra 6:21, 22).
The arrangement of the words indicate that it was "Yahweh Elohim of Israel who ate" the Passover, but this
is not the case. Instead, it was the children of Israel who ate the Passover (Verses 19, 20, 21). "Did eat"
refers to the "children of Israel" in the first part of verse 21. The RSV corrects this as follows:
The Passover "... was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from the exile ...”
The point is, we must not allow ourselves to destroy the INTENDED meaning of a Scripture simply because
the words are not arranged properly in the sentence, especially when the meaning is clear. This is true in
Eph. 5:18. The obvious message is NOT that "wine is debauchery," but that “drunkenness is
debauchery." Obviously, a bottle of wine setting on a shelf is not debauchery, but drunkenness certainly
is.
On page 188 Bro. B inadvertently admits this is true. He points out two contrasting conditions: "drunk with
wine" versus "filled with the spirit." In saying this, he clearly shows he understands it is drunkenness which
is debauchery, the opposite of being "filled with the spirit." Perhaps we should note the reading from several
versions, then pass on to other points.
o "Do not indulge in much wine -a thing in which excess is so easy -but drink deeply of G-d's Spirit"
(Eph. 5:18 Weymouth Version).
o "Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Good News
Bible).
o "Do not drug your self with wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit" (Jerusalem Bible).
o "Do not give way to drunkenness and the dissipation that goes with it, but let the Holy Spirit fill
you:..." (NEB). -
Pages 247- 255
1 Tim. 3:8
"Deacons likewise, must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine ...”
Gentry points out that no New Testament Scripture reads, "Drink no wine at all" (page 247). Bro. B will not
accept this, however. He wrestles mightily with various Scriptures which conclusively prove a "little wine"
is acceptable, such as 1 Tim. 3:8.
Throughout his book, Bro. B repeatedly stated, "Drinking wine is innately wrong in any amount." After
stating this a number of times, Bro. B then began presenting this, his own unscriptural statement, as if it is
Fact- as proof against Scriptures. His arguments can be summarized as follows: Since we have already
proved that drinking wine in any amount is sinful, then the Scripture before us (1 Tim. 3:8) must not be taken at face value. When we read that a deacon must not be "given to much wine," it really means, given to NO WINE at all. Brethren, Scriptures must never be misrepresented in this way.
On pages 253, 254 Bro. B tells us the deacons in the early assemblies went from house to house collecting
offerings etc. He gave no Scripture to support this statement, however. He continues by stating that 1
Tim. 3:8 was actually a prohibition against the deacons drinking grape juice while going house to house.
This was to safeguard their reputation, he says. Earlier Bro. B told us it is sinful to drink wine. Is it sinful
to drink grape juice also?
Preserving Fresh Grape Juice In Ancient Times
Pages 106- 128
Mr. B lists several methods, supposedly, for preserving grape juice -methods which insure it will remain
fresh, unfermented juice for one whole year. I am confident Bro. B believes these methods will actually
preserve fresh grape juice, but most of the processes mentioned are totally inadequate. The food will be
lost if these methods are followed. I am of the opinion that Mr. B has had little or no experience in food
preservation, nor in wine making. Experience would tell him that most of these methods are only false
reports.
The use of marble dust, resin, and large amounts of salt are recommended for keeping grape juice fresh
(page 111, 113). Let me ask: Are we supposed to use salt, marble dust, and resin in the Passover service?
Were these products in the Passover cup which the Savior drank from? To me, the pure, uncontaminated,
fermented wine is much more acceptable -much more representative of the Savior's blood.
There is also the recommendation that the fresh grape juice be boiled down to a thick syrup. Response: -
If the sugar content is great enough, it is true this will preserve the product, but once this is done it ceases
to be "fresh" grape juice. Did the Savior drink syrup from the Passover cup?
To dilute the syrup with water before drinking has also been recommended. Question: Did the Messiah give
thanks "for this cup of syrup diluted with water?" I mean no discourtesy by asking these foolish questions.
My purpose in doing so is to point out the extreme folly in following the unsound proposals mentioned
above.
As others have done before him, Mr. B refers us to another formula recommended by Cato and Columella
for preserving fresh grape juice for one whole year.
"... take from the vat some of the freshest possible must [grape juice] and put it in a new wine-jar; then daub it over and cover it carefully with pitch, that thus no water may be able to get in. Then sink the whole flagon in a pool of cold, fresh water so that no part of it is above the surface. Then after 40 days TAKE IT OUT OF THE WATER. The must will then keep sweet for as much as a year" (page 122). Cato's formula was the same, but required only 30 days in the water.
Friends, this will not work, nor would it work in Cato's day (100 B.C.E.). If the writings of these men have
been properly translated, .then we can be assured they were mistaken about preserving fresh grape juice.
These are false reports. Fresh grape juice cannot be kept by this process. I wish to challenge Mr. B (or
anyone) to test this for himself. As you see, it is very easy to make the test, so why not do so. If these men
were correct, it would be one of the easiest experiments ever performed. Again, why not do it, then report the results?
If this test is made, I can at this moment predict what will happen. Before the 30 days (Cato) or 40 days
(Columella) are expired, an explosion will take place and burst the wine jar (if the seal is strong enough to
hold), and the juice will be lost (dispersed into the water of the pond).
Another method recommended (page 124) for keeping grape juice fresh for a whole year is to place it in
jars, then submerge the jars in cold water. It is BELIEVED that grape juice will NOT ferment if kept chilled
at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Response: It is my belief that it WILL ferment, even at 40 degrees. Anyway,
where in Israel is there a pond, stream, or spring of water which is as cold as 40 degrees? Israel has a hot
climate, varying from about 80 degrees in the upper Galilee to as much as 120 degrees in the Jordan
Valley, and 115 degrees in the Negev.
I have never read a report about the coolness of Israel's water, but I feel safe in saying that no water in
Israel can be found which is cooler than 50 degrees except, perhaps, at the giant springs flowing from the
foot of Mount Hermon at the city of Banias, near Dan. Suppose this spring water is 40 degrees. Tell me:
Would all Israel press their grapes, then carry the juice to Banias for storage in this cold water? No. -
(1) If pressed out, the juice would have already begun to make wine before it could be delivered to
Banias.
(2) Too many miles, and too much time and labor would be involved in carrying the juice (or the
unpressed grapes) to Banias for storage. Later, when the juice was needed, this would require a
second trip to Banias to retrieve it.
(3) Why should Israel go to this trouble, when they could (and did) let nature take its course, and allow
the juice to ferment naturally, right in their homes? Making a quality wine which would keep for
many years without air tight seals, or special care.
Naturally, the waters of the Jordan River, being fed by snow melt from Mount Herman are, for a short
distance, quote cold. However, the hot climate of the Jordan Valley quickly raises the temperature of the
water as it flows south to the Dead Sea. Even the Sea of Galilee is 650 feet below sea level, so is very hot.
Our Colorado River of the West is fed by snow melt, yet water temperature at the bottom of Lake Powell
is, year round, about 50 degrees F.
The point is: Very few in Israel, if any at all, preserved fresh grape juice by cold water storage.
Of all the supposed methods named in the Wine Book for keeping grapes (but not grape juice) "fresh," only
one is likely to succeed; that is, store the grapes in honey. But this is not practical except for a few bunches
only. Why? Because the honey was much more valuable than was the juice which could, theoretically, be
extracted from the grapes months later. It is a safe estimate that honey was five (perhaps ten) times the
value of fresh grape juice. This would have been like spending $1.00 to preserve 10 cents worth of food.
But for a moment, let us suppose this method was indeed chosen in an effort to keep fresh grapes fresh -
for months. There is a problem. Months later, how could the grapes have been separated from the honey
when the time came to extract the juice? Please remember that we are trying to extract the pure, fresh juice of the grapes (months after the time of harvest), so it must not be contaminated with the honey. True, the grapes could be lifted out of the honey and washed, but as noted above, the honey is much more valuable than the small amount of juice which could have been pressed from the grapes.
Brethren let us face it. There was no practical way to preserve fresh grape juice until 1809 when the
Frenchman, Francis Appert, invented the process of "canning," explained as follows:
This consists of "... securing cooked foods in hermetically sealed vessels from which the atmospheric air
is driven off before sealing, and in killing by heat ...such germs or ferments as may remain within the vessel
either before or after it is sealed up. The process does not depend for its success on the perfect exclusion -
of air, but air sealed up with the food was immediately submitted to a temperature sufficiently high to kill
germs introduced with it and existing in the food itself' (Encyc. Brit.. 9th Edition, Vol. 9, Article: Canning,
page 727).
Two Wines: Fem1ented & Unfemented?
Page 54
Bro. B tells us, (# 1) there are two wines; fermented and unfermented; and (#2) only in the present generation has the term "wine" come to mean fermented juice only.
Mr. E. W. Bullinger, noted biblical scholar who lived three or four generations ago, made the following
comment: "... the modern expression, 'unfermented wine,' is a CONTRADICTION OF TERMS. If it is wine, it must be fermented. If it has not been fermented, it is not wine, but syrup" (Companion Bible, Appendix 27, Wine; Emphasis, his).
It is true that Scriptures sometimes refer to the fresh juice as "wine," even while it is still in the cluster (Isa.
16:10 yayin; 27:2, chemer; 65:8, tirosh). This is easily understood, however, when we realize that grape
juice could not be kept fresh. It had to be cooked down into a syrup, or else it would automatically
fermented and make wine. If nothing was done to prevent it, fermentation set in immediately, as soon as
the juice left the shuck. If nothing was done, fermentation was inevitable, so this is why the juice, even in
the cluster, was sometimes referred to as "wine."
There is no doubt. The drink element at the Last Supper was fermented wine. At that time there was no
way to preserve the fresh grape juice.
Final Statement
It is evident, I believe, that I am disappointed with Mr. Samuele Bacchiocchi's book, Wine In the Bible. In
closing, however, I wish to express my strong appreciation for Mr. Bacchiocchi's other books, From Sabbath to Sunday, and Anti-Judaism & the Origin of Sunday. These should be in every home and every public library in the nation; indeed, in every library on planet earth -as reference works. Thank you Dr.
Bacchiocchi, for these excellent books promoting the seventh day Sabbath as the true day of rest and
worship.
In the Master's service,
Voy Wilks
Institute of Judaic \ Christian Research, Inc.
P.O. Box 120366
Arlington, TX 76012
Mr.VoyWi1ks
Rt 2 Box 227
Cisco, Texas
76437
Dear Mr. Wilks
I am a volunteer trying to help UCR catch up on correspondence.
In response to your letter of 12/10/91, I am referring you to a small book, Explaining
Judaism to Jews and Christians by Rabbi Samuel M. Silver by ARCO Publishers, New York.
This book is a small, basic text, written in very understandable English and answers ques-
tions which you may have about the observance of Passover.
As to the temperature of the water from Banias, it is approximately 50/380 f. The Lake
Kennereth temperature is about. 90/850 f.
During the coldest water temperature probably would be 850 fat Sept.
I am enclosing some information regarding IJCR and some of the study materials we
have. If you have not yet begun to study TORAH in depth, you might consider this program.
At the present time Vendyl is terribly busy; perhaps later he will have time to answer your
questions in person and in more depth. I hope you understand Thank you for your interest and
inquiry.