When I started reading the Fathers of the Church, I was greatly surprised to see that they were not as I had imagined. They did not seem to toe the teetotaler’s line that had been drilled into my head from my earliest days in Church. Let’s examine these writings to see their true attitude.
Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus of Lyons gives us a sample of Early Church thinking on the subject in reference to Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.
That wine, which was produced by God in a vineyard, and which was first consumed, was good. None of those who drank of it found fault with it; and the Lord partook of it also. But that wine was better which the Word made from water, on the moment, and simply for the use of those who had been called to the marriage. For although the Lord had the power to supply wine to those feasting, independently of any created substance, and to fill with food those who were hungry, He did not adopt this course; but, taking the loaves which the earth had produced, and giving thanks, and on the other occasion making water wine, He satisfied those who were reclining [at table], and gave drink to those who had been invited to the marriage; showing that the God who made the earth, and commanded it to bring forth fruit, who established the waters, and brought forth the fountains, was He who in these last times bestowed upon mankind, by His Son, the blessing of food and the favour of drink: the Incomprehensible [acting thus] by means of the comprehensible, and the Invisible by the visible; since there is none beyond Him, but He exists in the bosom of the Father. [ANF 1: 427; ch. XI; par. 5]
The little word “favour” in this passage tells us what wine was regarded as by the Fathers.
St. Clement of Alexandria in The Instructor speaks plainly about whether he considers wine as a sin or not.
“It is good, then, neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine,” [Romans 14:21] as both he [Paul] and the Pythagoreans acknowledge. For this is rather characteristic of a beast; and the fumes arising from them being dense, darken the soul. If one partakes of them, he does not sin. Only let him partake temperately, not dependent on them, nor gaping after fine fare. [ANF 2: 240; bk. II; ch. I]
Later in the same work, St. Clement has a whole chapter entitled On Drinking.
“Use a little wine,” says the apostle to Timothy, who drank water, “for thy stomach’s sake;” most properly applying its aid as a strengthening tonic suitable to a sickly body enfeebled with watery humours; and specifying “a little,” lest the remedy should, on account of its quantity, unobserved, create the necessity of other treatment….
I therefore admire those who have adopted an austere life, and who are fond of water, the medicine of temperance, and flee as far as possible from wine, shunning it as they would the danger of fire. It is proper, therefore, that boys and girls should keep as much as possible away from this medicine. For it is not right to pour into the burning season of life the hottest of all liquids—wine—adding, as it were, fire to fire. For hence wild impulses and burning lusts and fiery habits are kindled; and young men inflamed from within become prone to the indulgence of vicious propensities; so that signs of injury appear in their body, the members of lust coming to maturity sooner than they ought….
And, besides, it suits divine studies not to be heavy with wine. “For unmixed wine is far from compelling a man to be wise, much less temperate,” according to the comic poet. But towards evening, about supper-time, wine may be used, when we are no longer engaged in more serious readings. Then also the air becomes colder than it is during the day; so that the failing natural warmth requires to be nourished by the introduction of heat. But even then it must only be a little wine that is to be used; for we must not go on to intemperate potations. Those who are already advanced in life may partake more cheerfully of the draught, to warm by the harmless medicine of the vine the chill of age, which the decay of time has produced. For old men’s passions are not, for the most part, stirred to such agitation as to drive them to the shipwreck of drunkenness. For being moored by reason and time, as by anchors, they stand with greater ease the storm of passions which rushes down from intemperance. They also may be permitted to indulge in pleasantry at feasts. But to them also let the limit of their potations be the point up to which they keep their reason unwavering, their memory active, and their body unmoved and unshaken by wine. [ANF 2: 242-3; bk. II; ch. II]
Commodianus in The Instructions of Commodianus gives this pithy piece of advice.
Be sparing of abundance of wine, lest by means of it thou shouldest go wrong. [ANF 4: 215; ch. LXIII]
Had he meant to say “Don’t drink any wine,” he could have done so. Rather, he says it should be taken moderately.
The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles gives the following instruction to members of the clergy.
We say this, not they are not to drink at all, otherwise it would be to the reproach of what God has made for cheerfulness, but that they be not disordered with wine. For the Scripture does not say, Do not drink wine; but what says it? “Drink not wine to drunkenness;” and again, “Thorns spring up in the hand of the drunkard.” Nor do we say this only to those of the clergy, but also to every lay Christian, upon whom the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is called. For to them also it is said, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath uneasiness? who hath babbling? who hath red eyes? who hath wounds without cause? Do not these things belong to those that tarry long at the wine, and that go to seek where drinking meetings are?” [ANF 7: 498; ch. XLIV]
According to this passage, it would actually be a reproach to God to refuse to drink what He has provided for our cheerfulness. While this sentiment may not be universal, it does convey the fact that the drinking of alcoholic beverage was accepted among the Early Church Fathers.
In explicating Ephesians 5:18, St. John Chrysostom in his Commentary and Homilies on Ephesians makes the following observation.
For indeed intemperance in this renders men passionate and violent, and hot-headed, and irritable and savage. Wine has been given us for cheerfulness, not for drunkenness. Whereas now it appears to be an unmanly and contemptible thing for a man not to get drunk. And what sort of hope then is there of salvation? What? contemptible, tell me, not to get drunk, where to get drunk ought of all things in the world to be most contemptible? For it is of all things right for even a private individual to keep himself far from drunkenness…. “Wine maketh glad the heart of man”, says the Psalmist. How then does wine produce drunkenness? For it cannot be that one and the same thing should work opposite effects. Drunkenness then surely does not arise from wine, but from intemperance. Wine is bestowed upon us for no other purpose than for bodily health; but this purpose also is thwarted by immoderate use. But hear moreover what our blessed Apostle writes and says to Timothy, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake, and thine often infirmities.” [ANF 1-13: 138; homily XIX]
On a final point, we need to respond to those who insist that the wine of the Bible (and one would surmise of the Early Church Fathers) is non-alcoholic grape juice. We will allow St. Cyprian to field that query as he so ably does in his epistle Cæcilius, on the Sacrament of the Cup of the Lord.
Since, then, neither the apostle himself nor an angel from heaven can preach or teach any otherwise than Christ has once taught and His apostles have announced, I wonder very much whence has originated this practice, that, contrary to evangelical and apostolical discipline, water is offered in some places in the Lord’s cup, which water by itself cannot express the blood of Christ. The Holy Spirit also is not silent in the Psalms on the sacrament of this thing, when He makes mention of the Lord’s cup, and says, “Thy inebriating cup, how excellent it is!” Now the cup which inebriates is assuredly mingled with wine, for water cannot inebriate anybody. And the cup of the Lord in such wise inebriates, as Noe also was intoxicated drinking wine, in Genesis. [ANF 5: 361; sect. 11]
Did they use real wine? Well, if not, they drank grape juice that could make you drunk—drunk just like Noah when he lay in his tent exposed.
