Wine and Beer in the Daily Life and Religion of the Ancient Orientals, j -yi 



for man, whenever he drink it moderately. What is life for him 

 who is without wine, since it is destined from the beginning 

 for joy! Joy of heart and jubilation and life of pleasure is 

 wine, which is drunk at the right time and for satiation." 

 "Wine and aroma clarify" [(Y'y S^T^) C]"^lnpp "^SH'^l'l ^l^"]- 

 But the use of wine may become also dangerous. Sir. 34, 29: 

 "Headache and shame and ignominy is wine, which is drunk 

 in quarrel and anger. Wine often brings the fool to ruination, 

 it diminishes the strength and multiplies the wounds." Sir. 

 34, 25: "The must has killed many." "Man is known by 

 three things: by his (wine)-cup, by his purse and by his 



anger," (yin:n; io^'Dai iCDn ioiD^ isd oixn Q^nm ntrjistija 

 C|1D1 nip). "When the wine goes in, the secret goes out/' 

 (-iio SS-; }'<:]_ 0:53, var., 'the sense', T\Vin\ Tanchumah, Shem). 

 He who sings Bible-verses in the tavern has no part in the 

 eternal blessed life (Sanh, loi a); 



The Hebrews seem to have practised a good deal of 

 luxury at the banquets of the rich and at the royal court. 

 Solomon, we are told, had golden drinking vessels ^ Jere- 

 miah speaks of "chalices" filled with wine, {"\'^^_ S'1^5b^ Q''5>?3 

 triobl), with which were given drinking cups, probably in order 

 to take out the wine with them from the chalice, as was the 

 fashion in Assyria. This indicates that the wine was served 

 in large chalices, similar to those in Assyria. In the time of 

 the prophet Amos wine was drunk also from flat dishes, or 

 flat bowls 2. These flat wine-bowls, it seems, were an object 

 of bitter reproach of the prophet, since they let the spirit of 

 wine evaporate quickly and thus necessitated faster drinking, 

 which led so much more readily to debauchery. 



The public inns of Palestine, we may conjecture from 

 the story of Rahab, had the same evil reputation as those of 

 Babylonia. Rahab, the innkeeper was at the same time a har- 

 lot^. The public inns were attended by singing-girls, who 

 played some kind of musical instruments. Cf Sir. 9, 4: "Do 

 not have intercourse with a cither-player in order that thou 

 art not caught in her snares." 



rrr^nipbn iDbn p n^^ncn bx nrw^ a[y] 



i) I Kings 10, 21. 2] Amos 6, 6 "pi '^p.'i'Ta. 3) Joshua 2, i. 



