Well, we know a reasonable amount about ancient Roman viticulture and winemaking, and some favorite Roman wines were probably imported into Palestine. Falernian was generally considered to be of the highest quality. What Jesus and the other guests would have been drinking at Cana I can't say, but apparently Jesus managed to produce something quite good!
Response last updated by Terry on Sep 24 2016.
Jun 22 2005, 1:33 PM
I've been finding this:
OINOS (the kind of wine Jesus made)
referred to purified grape juice that was 1/2 to 3 percent alcohol. http://www.higherpraise.com/outlines/hpserm/7_Sermon287.htm
But then it's followed by quotes of proof throughout the bible that says that Jesus would not have made an intoxicating drink knowing his father forbid it.
Jun 22 2005, 1:43 PM
barker111
Answer has 1 vote
barker111
Answer has 1 vote.
His Father forbid drunkenness, not high quality wine - that certainly wasn't grape juice.
Wine in those days wasn't nearly as intoxicating as it is now. Even modern Israeli kiddush wine (King David Concord wine is 11% alcohol generally) is more alcoholic than the older wines were. It would have been easy to have four glasses of wine at a seder without getting too drunk.
So it might be safe to say that Daniel Home may have gotten closer to duplicating the miracle than even his contemporaries gave him credit for. (Usually Home was reputed to turn water into tea, but once he was able to turn water into something that "tasted very much like wine" according to one witness.)
Oh, and to actually answer the question, no, it isn't known. The Bible just says wine. Then as now, there were many things that went by this name. Stuff you could only drink after diluting it (as favoured by the Greeks, apparently), stuff that was drinkable neat, stuff you could swill down all day without getting too pie-eyed, and stuff best used for preserving things as it was only one step away from vinegar. They don't market the very strong stuff much now (tax and duties), but the other categories are still around.
Return to FunTrivia
"Ask FunTrivia" strives to offer the best answers possible to trivia questions. We ask our submitters to thoroughly research questions and provide sources where possible. Feel free to post corrections or additions. This is server B184.