28 Luti, Viticulture and Brewing. 



of the wild-growing vine {Vitis labrnsca Z.) was prepared 

 a wine called r"r:"bx, Greek olvdv^i], which seems to have 

 been used more generally for medical purposes V For ritual 

 purposes and days of festivities only Ya\"in was permitted to 

 be used- Yayin was zm old, unadultered grape-wine. The 

 custom of mixing the v^ines with water seems to have been first 

 introduced in the Graeco-Roraan times'-. It was considered 

 a deterioration of the precious and noble juice". So it was 

 considered also in Rabbinic times, whenever wine was mixed with 

 honey or spices ^. Honey-i^ine was not known to the ancient 

 Hebrews. Its foreign origin is shown by the nomenclature 

 o'lvouE/.i, V'C^ in the Talmud 5. Four parts of wine were 

 used to one part of honey. A second honey-wine, zinum 

 canditutn, yi"'!'"^ was a spiced wine, which received a certain 

 quantity- of frankincense rczb) and pepper ("j-briE}. The 

 XI'P"", also called "Tl'CiS. Greek tbJKvdiov, or (bjAvOirri- 

 was a bitter-tasting herb-wine. 



The \-ineyards of Engedi are mentioned in Cant. cant. I, I4. 

 Felix Fabri, writing about I480 1483 of our era'' gives us the 

 following account of the \-ineyards of Engedi. "Moreover upon 

 these mountains there once stood that exceeding famous vineyard 

 of Engedi, wherein grew balsam beyond all price. This vineyard 

 was planted in this place, Engedi, by King Solomon. The author 

 of the Speculum Historiale says, by the mouth of Josephus, 

 that the queen of Sheba, who came to Jerusalem, from the ends 

 of the earth to hearken to the wisdom of Solomon, as is told 

 in I. Kings 10, brought him many precious gifts, among which 

 was the root of the balsam, as being a gift beyond all price, 

 which root the king planted on the Mount of Engedi, and it 

 was grown in the vineyard there. This vineyard is mentioned 

 by Solomon in the Song of Songs, where he says: "My 

 beloved is like a cluster of camphire in the vineyards r>{ 

 Engedi'. This \-ineyard is now in Eg>-pt, and I shall tell 

 who it was who dug it up and transplanted it, and of the 



I The vitis lairruica L. is possibly mentioned in L=. 5, 2. 4 under die 

 name T!t2. 



2) II. Mace. 15. 39 31 Is. I. 22. 4 Maas. sbeoi 2. i. 



5 >L Shabb. 20 2. 6' Pal. Pil^r. T. S.. VoL IX, p. ido. 



