What Would Jesus Drink?

The Last Supper is one of the most famous scenes from the Gospels. It is a story that has inspired the Eucharist, the central ritual of most Christian worship. But what sort of wine was available to Jesus in the early first century CE?

Bibliography:
McGovern, "Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture."

Carey Ellen Walsh, "The Fruit of the Vine: Viticulture in Ancient Israel."

Jo Ann Seely, “The Fruit of the Vine: Wine at Masada and in the New Testament,” Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 36, No. 3, (1996-97), 207-227.

Images:

[Strick-IX]

"Archaeologist of alcoholic beverages."
I now know what I want to do with my life.

[IkariLoona]

Today I learned that wine archaeology is a thing - a chance at sipping the oldest of wines must cause some envy here and there...

[RestingJudge]

Diluting the wine makes sense for the Roman's. In the middle ages small beer was the normal drink because, like you said, it was safer than the water. Small beer had about 1% alcohol. The confusion of why our ancestors drank so much comes from modern people being extremely accustomed to clean easily available water. This is the greatest luxury of the modern western world.

[jacobnicholas]

We all know the only fruits of the vine that passed through Jesus' lips was Welch's 100% Pure Concord Grape Juice

[mborok]

I remember reading that the Romans were shocked to find that the Germanic tribes drank their wine unmixed with water, and from that I concluded that all the other people they had come into contact with, including the Judeans, drank it diluted. Also, I’ve had retsina and it’s good. There’s just a hint of pine sap.

[e]

He’s always been drinking Guinness when I’ve seen him in the local.

[amadeusfuzz]

all this talk of wine makes me want a video on the Dionysian Mysteries cult!

[jeanettewaverly]

I’ve had Retsina. It’s not bad — like drinking a pine tree, lol.

[Giantcrabz]

Down votes are from teetotaller Southern Baptists

[ludovicoc]

What's barbaric is Evangelicals serving grape juice at the Lord's Supper.

[MBBurchette]

I imagine he had many opportunities to say, “hold my beer.”

[prakduongmongkol]

I just discovered this channel and now i am first to watch.

[valmarsiglia]

Archaeologist of ancient alcoholic beverages? Man, that sounds like a fun job!

[mikoparolanto]

Saving my wine for a special occasion during the pandemic. Took a shot of rum. Cheers to the cute host. :)

[MrKotBonifacy]

One doesn't have "to try to mix a bottle of Amaroni with tree resin" to get the idea, all you have to do is to get a ready-made Greek retsina wine. It's just as tasty and appealing (and palatable) as Chinese soft drink Sarsi (widely available in SE Asia, especially S'pore and Malaysia).
I have tried, or rather "tried to try" both of them, and while retsina seems to be kinda-sorta swallowable (unlike Sarsi), both of them are "definitely an acquired taste" - like, say, Lutefisk for instance... : )

[j.sethfrazer]

If you’ve had any experience with fundamentalist, evangelical culture, you would be fully aware of how that sect of Christianity acts like anything associated with alcohol is complete sin. They tend to equate merely drinking alcohol with drunkenness from alcohol. “Big no no.” This is partly why they’re quick to say Jesus drank watery grape juice that everyone called “wine” and was only using symbolic language in the institute of the Sacrament and therefore replace wine with grape juice: it gives them an excuse to point their fingers at the Christians that drink wine, which makes up the overwhelming MAJORITY of Christianity, over how “sinful” they are and how “drunken” they if glutting on and being filled with that fried chicken in the fellowship hall instead of the Spirit is any better in the eyes of the Lord (cf. Eph. 5:18).

To give a personal example. I am Lutheran. My girlfriend is Baptist. When we get married, she is dead set on making sure there is no open bar at the reception, or else her whole side of the family will be offended. Matter of fact, her mother has already said, “There will not be any alcohol, not at my daughter’s wedding.”

Bottom line is, I would rather be wrongly accused of being a drunkard, like Jesus (cf. Matt. 11:19), than rightly accused of being unbiblical. And that is EXACTLY what’s wrong with their position: COMPLETELY UNBIBLICAL AND NOT HISTORICALLY SOUND AT ALL, as this video rightly points out

[MaceGUK]

"What would Jesus drink?" Meanwhile just to the left of Andrew's face. . .

[robertstuckey]

I wonder what food a sweet, resin-y raisin wine pairs with? It might be my western palate but it sounds like the worlds worst dessert wine.

[mairenihernandez]

You know in the Dominican Republic we have a long history of putting spices, wood, leaves and other stuff In our rum and aging it. And it makes the rum smother and have a better taste. I thought that was interesting that I could relate to the video because of my culture

[suem]

Wondering if wine was really a concentrate and then diluted to taste? We have fruit juice syrup concentrates that we dilute.