we proceed to inquire, Was Jesus Christ a wine-bibber? And let us consider

II. THE CHARGE AND ITS AUTHORS.

1. What does the charge imply? It is all contained in the epithet "wine-bibber," which is so contemptuously applied to Christ. Webster defines the English term, "One who drinks much wine, a great drinker." Worcester defines, "One who drinks wine habitually or to excess, a tippler." The Greek term is olvonóτns. It is used only in this connection in the New Testament. The LXX used it to render the Hebrew (sovai-yayin,) literally, "soakers of wine." (Prov. xxiii, 20.) It is also found in classic Greek, (Anacreon 72; Luc. Asin. 48; and Polybius xx, 8, 2.) In the version of Wycliffe (1380) it is rendered "drynker of wyne" in Matthew, and in Luke "drynkynge wiyn." Tyndale (1534) renders "drynker of wyne" in both Gospels. Beza translates vini-potor, "drinker of wine," in Matthew, and both Beza and the Vulgate bibens vinum, "drinking wine," in Luke. In the Greek, as in the other tongues, "drinker" has an intensive force indicating the habitual repetition of the act. It gives emphasis to the habit rather than to the effect of the habit. The use of the connected term payos, accurately rendered "gluttonous," marks this sense. The charge of being an oivonóτηs did not necessarily imply that Jesus used wine for the purpose of stimulation rather than of nutrition, or that he drank stimulating wines to intoxication, although both may have been intended by the cavil. It does mean, however, that he used wine, whether intoxicating or not, customarily, and perhaps immoderately. And yet how much less such an accusation might imply than our nineteenth century conceptions of intemperance would suggest is indicated by a note of Dr. Gill on Deut. xxi, 20:* "According to the Mishna, a glutton and a drunkard is one that eats half a pound of flesh and drinks half a log of Italian wine-a quarter of a pint-which would be at this day reckoned very little by our grandsons of Bacchus, as Snickard observes, but in an age of severer discipline, in the tender candidates of temperance it was reckoned too much." And then he adds, "The Jews seem to refer to this when they charged Christ with being a glutton * Quoted in "Temperance Bible Commentary," p. 57.

and a wine-bibber." In substance the epithet was very nearly equivalent to our modern designation of "moderate drinker." 2. Who make anciently this charge? The only clue we have to an answer is given in Christ's own words: "They say, (Aéyovo,) Behold, a man gluttonous and a wine-bibber," etc. "They say " is always untrustworthy authority. Candid men never accept its evidence. It is usually false, and oftentimes foully calumnious. The truth in any given instance is ordinarily to be reached only through an absolute reversal of its testimony. Mr. Patmore, in writing of the gifted William Hazlitt says: "Precisely because he was the most original thinker of his day we heard him held up a mere waiter upon the intellectual wealth of his acquaintances-a mere sucker of the brains of Charles Lamb and Coleridge. Precisely because his face was pale and clear like marble, we saw him pointed out as the 'Pimpled Hazlitt.' Precisely because he never tasted any thing but water, we saw him held up as an habitual gin-drinker and sot." Hazlitt himself said : "If I had been a dram-drinker the world would have called me a milksop." It would, undoubtedly, have done the same with Jesus. But, it is said, it is Christ himself who makes us acquainted with this charge. "He tells us that his drinking wine brought on him a railing accusation of the men of his generation," says Dr. Moore.+ But this was not a confession of judgment on his part. On the contrary, his language very clearly implied that his drinking, whatever it was-for he did not say "drinking wine," as Dr. Moore affirms--furnished no ground for the charge of being a "wine-bibber." It is true he attempted no explicit denial of the allegation; but neither did he deny that John had a devil, (Matt. xi, 18,) or that he was himself also a glutton and a sensualist. For this last accusation was contained in the assertion that he was "a friend of publicans and sinners." But why did he make no denial of these charges? Simply because he knew none was called for. His enemies perfectly well understood that they were false. They knew that he was not a wine-bibber in any such sense as the word was intended to convey. But they were bent on destroying his influence as a moral teacher and religious reformer.

"My Friends and Acquaintances," London, 1854, vol. ii, p. 348.
"Presbyterian Review," Jan., 1881, p. 88.

They judged that they could do this most effectively by assailing his private character. So they fabricated and tried to fasten upon him the charge of reckless self-indulgence. But to all their calumnies he deigned only the simple answer, "Wisdom is justified by her children." (Matt. xi, 19.) My life and labors are my sufficient vindication. Those who know me need no denial from my lips; those who hate me would receive none.

*

The fact that his enemies put gluttony, and sensuality, and wine-bibbing on a par proves the estimation in which the latter habit was held. It was reckoned a disgrace in that day as it is in our own. And yet on the ground of these unscrupulous slanders we are asked to believe that Christ exposed himself to that disgrace. It would be just as reasonable to regard him as a blasphemer, because he was charged with that offense before the high court of Caiaphas. It is not improbable that he who came "to seek and to save that which was lost" sometimes found himself in the company of those who drank immoderately, and possibly to intoxication. But to argue from such a circumstance that he in like manner indulged would compel the further admission that he yielded to gluttony and sensuality. It is claimed, however, that "his example as a user of wine is expressly contrasted by himself with the example of his forerunner, John the Baptist, who, being a Nazarite, was an abstainer from wine." But this argument proves too much, if it proves any thing. If Jesus must have partaken of all kinds of wine, fermented and unfermented, because John abstained from all kinds, then, by parity of reasoning, he must have indulged in all the viands of Judea, since John ate only "locusts and wild honey." But the contrast in this case is neither universal nor specific, but general. John, as a Nazarite, was vowed to abstinence from all products of the vine, whether solid or liquid, "from the kernels even to the husk." (Num. vi, 1-4.) Jesus was not a Nazarite, and was under no such obligation. He was perfectly free to satisfy his natural wants with any of "the good creatures" which his Father in heaven had provided. And in fact we know that he did partake of "the fruit of the vine." (Matt. xxvi, 29, etc.) But that in any instance this was an intoxicating article is a wholly unwarranted and gratuitous assumption.

*Prof. Bumstead, "Bibliotheca Sacra," Jan., 1881, p. 86.

ART. IX.-SYNOPSIS OF THE QUARTERLIES AND OTHERS OF THE HIGHER PERIODICALS.

American Reviews.

AMERICAN CATHOLIC QUARTERLY REVIEW, October, 1881. (Philadelphia.)-1. Freemasonry; by Rev. Aug. J. Thebaud, S.J. 2. Some of the Aspects of the Work of English Converts; by Arthur F. Marshall, B.A. 3. The Spirit World; by Rev. J. F. X. Hoeffer, S.J. 4. Catholicity in Kentucky-Grace Newton Simpson; by B. J. Webb. 5. The Existence of God Demonstrated, (Third Article :)

by Rev. J. Ming, S.J. 6. The Revival of Manufactures in Ireland; by M F. Sullivan. 7. The Lesson of President Garfield's Assassination; by John G. Shea, LL.D. 8. An American Catholic Dramatist; by Eugene L. Didier. 9. The Impossibilities of Unbelief; by A. De G. 10. Right and Wrong: Their Relation to Man's Ultimate End; by James A. Cain. 11. Gladstone's Latest Blunder; by Geo. D. Wolff.

BAPTIST REVIEW, October, November, December, 1881. (Cincinnati.)-1. Is it Always Right to Obey the Dictates of Conscience? by J. M. Pendleton, D.D. 2. A Question of Good Conscience; by Prof. E. Adkins, D.D. 3. The Plymouth Brethren; by Henry M. King, D.D. 4. The Position of Women Among the Ancient Romans; by Jeremiah Chaplin, D.D. 5. Mediæval Latin Poetry; by J. S. Tunison, A.M. 6. An Address Prepared for the Semi-Centennial Celebration of Denison University, June, 1881; by E. Thresher, LL.D. BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, October, 1881. (Andover.)-1. A Chapter on Proverbs; by Rev. J. I. Mombert, D.D. 2. Is Salvation Possible without a Knowledge of the Gospel? by Lucius E. Smith. 3. Remarks upon the Languages of the Arabs and the Turks; by Prof. H. S. Osborn. 4. The Language of Isaiah xl-lxvi ; by Rev. William Henry Cobb. 5. What is Swedenborgianism? by Rev. James Reed. 6. A Sober View of Abstinence from Intoxicating Stimulants; by Rev. Daniel Merriman, D.D. 7. Theological Education.

LUTHERAN QUARTERLY, July, 1881. (Gettysburg.)-1. By-Ways in the Life of Luther; by John G. Morris, D.D., LL.D. 2. Of Civil Affairs; by Rev. L. E. Albert, D.D. 3. The Survival of the Feelings; by Rev. George F. Magoun, D.D. 4. The Liturgical Question; by Rev. F. W. Conrad, D.D. 5. The Lutheran Church in Dutchess County, N. Y.; by Rev. William Hull. 6. Private Confession and Absolution; by Rev. L. A. Fox, A.M. 7. Human Instrumentality in God's Work; by M. Valentine, D.D.

October.-1. Development and Direction of Lay Work; by Rev. John Leyburn, D.D. 2. Talmudic Notes on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans; by Prof. Franz Delitzsch, D.D. 3. The Church, Visible and Invisible; by Rev. H. C. Haithcox, 4. Visits to the Sick-Bed of Martin Luther; by John G. Morris, D.D., LL.D. 5. Jesus and Hillel: A Translation from Dr. Franz Delitzsch; by Rev. P. C. Croll, A.M. 6. Interpretation of Romans vii, 14-25; by Rev. John Tomlinson, A.M. 7. Essentials in the Teacher of Theology; by Rev. C. S. Albert, A.M. 8. Advance in Theology; by Prof. C. A. Stork, D.D.

NEW ENGLANDER, November, 1881. (New Haven.)—1. Personal Reminiscences of the Spanish Revolution; by Prof. W. I. Knapp. 2. The Church Organist; by Waldo S. Pratt. 3. Roswitha, the Nun of Gandersheim; by Miss Alice C. Osborne. 4. The Inductive Method in Theology; by Rev. James G. Roberts, D.D. 5. Democracy; by Henry Carter Adams. 6. Culture as a Substitute for Christianity; by Rev. Pres. William W. Patton, D.D. 7. The Life of Dr. Henry Boynton Smith; by Prof. Timothy Dwight. 8. Piety in the Middle Ages; by Rev. E. Woodward Brown.

January, 1882.-1. Old Times in Connecticut; by Rev. Leonard Bacon, D.D. 2. Democritus of Abdera: An Historical Study on the Beginnings of Greek Moral Philosophy; From the German of F. Kern, Gymnasial Director at Stettin; Translated by Rev. J. B. Chase. 3. The Sacrifices Demanded by Unbelief; FOURTH SERIES, VOL. XXXIV.—9

by Prof. R. B. Richardson. 4. The Alleged Infallibility of the Scriptures Practically Considered; by Rev. J. M. Whiton. 5. Fit Truths for Fit Times; by W. M. Barbour, D.D 6. Reconstruction in Theology; by Rev. Professor Lewis F. Stearns. 7. Christian Worship in its Theory and Practice; by Prof. Henry N. Day. 8. Professor Phelps' "Theory of Preaching;" by Geo. B. Stevens. NEW ENGLAND HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER, October, 1881. (Boston.) -1. Memoir of Ebenezer Alden, M.D.; by Rev. Increase N. Tarbox, D.D. 2. Letter of Mrs. Alice Daniels; Com. by William B. Trask, Esq. 3. The Family of Dummer; by Col. Joseph L. Chester, LL.D., D.C.L. 4. Early History of Brookfield; by Henry E. Waite, Esq. 5. Three Years on Board the Kearsarge; Com. by A. J. Lathrop, Esq. 6. Roger Garde; by Charles E. Banks, M.D. 7. Was Gov. Leverett a Knight? by Hon. Thomas C. Amory. 8. Longmeadow Families; by Willard S. Allen, A. M. 9. Building up Harvard Hall; by William B. Trask, Esq. 10. Robert Bronsdon and Descendants; by Robert H. Eddy, Esq. 11. Marriages in West Springfield; by Mr. Lyman H. Bagg. 12. The Ossipee Townships; by Charles T. Libby, Esq. 13. Thomas Hale, of Newbury, Mass.; his English Origin and Connections; by the Hon. Robert S. Hale, LL.D. 14. The Coffin Name and Armorial Bearings; by John C. J. Brown, Esq.

NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW, October, 1881. (New York.)—1. Some Dangerous Questions; by Senator John T. Morgan. 2. The Elements of Puritanism; by Prof. George P. Fisher. 3. The State and the Nation; by Senator George F. Edmunds. 4. The Idea of the University; by President Daniel C. Gilman. 5. Why Cornwallis was at Yorktown; by Sydney Howard Gay. 6. Shall Two States Rule the Union? by Thomas A. Hendricks. 7. The Ruins of Central America. Part IX.; by Désiré Charnay. 8. Washington as a Strategist; by Col. Henry B. Carrington.

November.-1. Presidential Inability; by Lyman Trumbull, Judge Thomas M. Cooley, Benjamin F. Butler, Prof. Theodore W. Dwight. 2. England's Hereditary Republic; by the Marquis of Blandford. 3. The Appointing Power; by Senator G. F. Hoar. 4. The Christian Religion. Part II.; by R. G. Ingersoll. December.-1. The Monroe Doctrine in 1881; by John A. Kasson. 2. The Death Penalty; by Rev. Dr. George B. Cheever, Samuel Hand, and Wendell Phillips. 3. The Gladstone Government and Ireland; by H. O. Arnold-Forster. 4. The Surgical Treatment of President Garfield; by Dr. William A. Hammond, Dr. John Ashurst, Jun., Dr. J. Marion Sims, and Dr. John T. Hodgen. 5. Reform in Federal Taxation; by David A. Wells.

PRESBYTERIAN REVIEW, October, 1881. (New York.)-1. Notes on the Revised New Testament; by Rev. Marvin R. Vincent, D.D. 2. The Proof of New Testament Miracle Compared with the Proof of the Miracle of the Roman Calendar; by Rev. Clement R. Vaughan, D.D. 3. Mediæval Jewish Theology; by Prof. Henry P. Smith. 4. The Biblical Blank; by Rev. R. M. Patterson, D.D. 5. Preaching and Modern Skepticism; by Rev. Pres. Henry Darling, D.D., LL.D. PRINCETON REVIEW, November, 1881. (New York.)-1. Consciousness and Personality; by Andrew P. Peabody, D.D., LL.D. 2. The Relations of Moral Philosophy to Speculation Concerning the Origin of Man; by Professor Henry Calderwood. 3. Sociology; by William G. Sumner. 4. The Origin and Development of Musical Scales; by Waldo S. Pratt. 5. Some Difficulties of Modern Materialism; by Professor Borden P. Bowne. 6. Illustrations of a Law of Evolution of Thought; by Joseph Le Conte, LL.D. 7. The Kantian Centennial; by President Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D.

UNIVERSALIST QUARTERLY, October, 1881. (Boston.)-1. Plato's Argument for Immortality; by Sumner Ellis, D.D. 2. The Nature of Christ; by G. T. Flanders, D.D. 3. Thoughts on the Parables; by Rev. W. S. Perkins. 4. Reminiscences of Early American Universalism-First Paper; by Rev. Anson Titus, Jr. 5. Resurrection-Its Nature and Development; by Rev. R. O. Williams. 6. The Revised Version of the New Testament-A Criticism; by Rev. O. D. Miller. 7. Religion vs. Modern Doubt-The Unknowable; by William Tucker, D.D.