The Wine of the Bible, of Bible Lands, and of the Lord's Supper [pp. 564-595]

1871.] of Bible Lands, and of the Lord's Supper.
bread and wine. Finding the wine fermented, I asked him
how he could consistently use it or have it ill his house. He
replied, that as the vinous fermentation was completed, and
there was no tendency to the acetous, it did not come within the
prohibition of the law; and that if any wine was found at the beginning of the feast in danger of running into the acetous fermentation it was removed."-Bibliotheca Sacra, 1846, pp. 385-389.
Dr. C. V. A. Van Dyck, who has been for more than a quarter of a century in Syria, and is perhaps more familiar with the
Arabic language and literature, and more intimately acquainted
with the customs of the people, than any other foreigner, writes
to me as follows: "In reply to your question about wine for
communion there is not, and, as far as I can find out, never was
(in Syria) anything like what has been called unfermented
wine. The thing is not known in the East. Syrup is made
of the juice of the grape, and molasses, as you know, but nothing that is called wine is unfermented. They have no unfermented drinks but water of liquorice-root. Raisins are sometimes
soaked until they swell, and then eaten, and the water drunk,
but it is never called wine, or supposed to be related to wine.
"The native churches, Evangelical, Maronite, Greek, Coptic,
and American, all use fermented wine at the communion. They
have no other, and have no idea of any other.
"The Jews not only use fermented wine at their feasts, but use
it to great excess, especially at the feast of Purim (Esth. ix. 26 28), when, according to the Talmud, a man is bound to get
so drunk as not to know the difference between'Cursed is
Canaan' and' Blessed is Mordecai.' At the Passover only fer mnented wine is used. As I said before, there is no other, and
they have no idea of any other.
"From the above you can easily infer my judgment as to the
proper wine for the sacrament- the same as the blessed Sa viour used when He instituted the ordinance, namely, the juice
of the grape so fermented as to be capable of producing intoxi cation when taken in sufficient quantity. The wines of the
East differ in the percentage of alcohol which they contain, but
all the various kinds are used by the native churches and by
the Jews. They take that which chances to be at hand, just as
the Saviour took that which was at hand at the Passover."
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