Alabama Baptist Review of "Ancient Wine and the Bible"

Book Reviews
September 20, 2012
Ancient Wine and the Bible David R. Brumbelow. Carrollton, Ga.: Free Church Press, 2011. 305 pp. (Paperback).

The Middle East is a hot and dry climate. In ancient times, there wasn’t enough safe water to drink. They had no refrigeration. They had no choice but to drink wine.

Ever hear something like the above statement? Did you believe it? Many — maybe most — do, but according to David Brumbelow only parts of it are true: the Middle East is hot and dry, and there was no refrigeration. In this book Brumbelow challenges commonly accepted ideas about wine consumption in Bible times, stating flatly that much of it is untrue.

The author maintains the word “wine” in the Bible refers to both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drink, much like our use of “cider” today, consulting ancient primary documents by such writers as Pliny, Plutarch and Josephus to support his argument. He continues to cite ancient documents and modern-day scholars as he builds his case, offering convincing evidence for his position.

The book is well written and thorough. If you have questions (Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine? How could they keep grape juice from fermenting?), the author probably addresses them in the book.

-by Martine Bates Sharp Ed. D; Alabama Baptist, Book Reviews
Reprinted by permission.

-David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, October 1, AD 2012. 

Other Articles:
Ancient Wine and the Bible - the book
Book Review of "Alcohol Today" by R. L. Sumner
Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times
Deuteronomy 14:26 - Does it Commend Alcohol?
Wit And Wisdom Of My Dad (Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow, the book)
Other articles in lower right hand margin under Gulf Coast Pastor Articles (Labels).