Wine :ind Beer in the Daily Lite and Religion o: the Ancient Orientals, l^c 



And disregard the rights of the suffering. 

 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, 

 Wine to him who is in bitter distress; 

 That, drinking he may forget his poverty. 

 And think of his misery no more". 



Motive and close of the admonition are equally interest- 

 ing. The Book of Proverbs takes a decidedly unfavorable 

 position to wine. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a braw- 

 ler" i; "he who loves wine and oil will not be rich" 2; "look 

 not on wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup"^; 

 "thou shalt not be with the wine-bibbers, with the gluttonous 

 eaters of flesh, for the drinker and the gormandizer shall 

 impoverish, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags"^. 

 "Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? Who hath contentions? who 

 hath ravino-? who hath wounds without cause? who hath red- 

 ness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that 

 go to try mixed wine"^ The opposition, however, from the 

 religious leaders, becomes weaker as the time passes on. The 

 establishment of the kingdom, which marked a real political 

 and material progress in the history of the Hebrews, but 

 making also higher claims regarding the mode of living, 

 undermined the ultra conservative position of the religious 

 leaders, and by the end of the seventh century the opposition 

 towards wine and other intoxicants had ceased. In post-exilic 

 times only the excessive use of alcoholic beverages is con- 

 demned*^. It is now considered as a distinct blessing of God, 

 when the vine-harvest showed a good crop and the wine- 

 cellars could be fully stored with wine. Sir. 30, 25: "I stood 

 in the blessing of the Lord, and like a gatherer I filled my 

 wine-press." According to Jastrow' "the later view of post- 

 exilic Judaism is reflected in the juxta-position of 'bread 

 and wine', as the accessory to the blessing formula in Gen. 



i) Prov. 20, I. 2) Prov. 21, 17. 3) Prov. 23, 31. 



4) Prov. 23, 20 21. 5) Prov. 23, 2930. 



6) In spite of all the bad experiences of Judah with wine, be does not 

 prohibit the use it, but only warns against its excessive use. (See Das Testa- 

 ment Judas, p. 471 ff. in Kautzsch, Die Apokryphen und Pseudepigrapken, 

 Vol. II), 



7) JAOS, Vol. XXXIII, p. 1S2. 



