The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-06
MoNDAY,A APRIL 0, 1874.
Tho Wine Used at the Marriage
Eeasts

in his remarks at Washington Hall, OF
Friday evening last, took the same grount
recently taken by several preachers, sine
this temperance excitement arose, thu
the wine supplied by Christ at the mar
risge feast In Cana ofGalilee was not fer
mented wine, but was simply q species o
grape juice. This Is q very novel, ant
certainly not very forcible view Of the
miracle performed on that occasion, and
we doubt whether It's adoption by clergy
men Is calculated to do good in the long
run. People can not help mistrusting
that II 10 an uncandid statement-put
forth juss now for eHect-and one not
warranted by the surroundings OF the
case. The same question was up re-
Gently In a ministerial meeting in New
York, when one Of the preachers asked,
who knows that Christ made intoxicat-
ing wineI" Some one present answered.
"Dr. Crosby" It seems that DR.. Crosby
had incurred. displeasure by his recent ut
terances on wine drinking. Another min.
lister asked, WHO knows what kind o.
wine II was that Christ msde| A
chorus Of voices responded, doctor
Crosby" Again the questioner asked
"Who says that Christ was a wine-bib'
Der" The same chorus again replied,
doctor Crosby" Yes" said the
speaker, doctor Crosby says that wine
Is not wine until It Is the fermented juice
Of the grape" This extract from the pro-
ceedings shows that excitement rather
than scholarship and reason ruled the dis.
custom. We read further long in the
proceedings That
"ProE Lewey, the Rabbi, who has been
converted 10 the Baptist ministry, was
invited TO give the Jewish Interpretation
Of the wine our Savior made. He was
sorry to hear Of Dr.. Crosby's words. The
doctor, he said, Is one Of the best Hebrew
scholars, and ought 10 be better informed
as to the Jewish customs. Every Friday
and Saturday evening and every holiday
In the Jewish synagogue there is service
in substitution Of q sacrifice in which wine
Is used. This wine is made from pound
Of raisins, chopped fine, and quart Of
cold water. It is lett 10 stand from Thurs.
day evening until Saturday, and il makes
the best wine Of all, and so long as l am
q minister Of the gospel l shall make II
and use II in my sacramento. | believe Il
is the wine that Christ made, and so do all
the Jews. When he went TO the feast in
Cana he found no wine, and when asked
TO make more wine, used the recipe given.
And the Governor complained that the
best wine was held for the last.
The explanatinn pleased the ministers
and they applauded. Dr.. Tone asked
whether the Jews at any marriage least
used fermented wine. Prot. Lewey said
they did not, and this seemed to please
those who dissented from DR.. Crosby's
views"
Prof. LEwRY may be q very learned
man, but we have no idea that be ex-
pressed the views of any considerable
number Of Jewish theologians in the
above exposition any more than he did
the views OF very many Gentiles Of recog.
nized scholarship The account Of the
feast in Cana Of Galilee is given in the
second chapter Of Luke, and as matter OF
interest at this time 10 the readers Of the
lNTELLIGENcER we will reproduce it, as
follows:
And the third day there was marriage In
Gaia OF Galtlee; and the mother Of Jesus was
there "''
. AID both Jesus was called, and his discl
pies. the marriage,
3 And .when they wanted wine, the mother of
Iesus sAith unto him, They have no wine,
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have
10 90 With thee: mine hour 10 not yet come.
HIS mother Faith unGO the servants, What
soeVeF ne saith unto you, do u.
AID there were Set there ELK WAter.pots Of
zone. alter the manner OF the purifying OF the
Jews. containing two or three atkinS apiece,
Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots
brim.
s Aud lie saIthunto them, Draw out now, and
bear uato lhe governor orlhe feast. And they
bar. II.
. " hen the ruler OF the feast h1d tasted the
water that was made vine, and knew not whence
II WAS. Dat tho servants which drew tho water
AnewJ the governor Of the least called the bride.
groom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the be
ginning doth set forth good vine; and when men
nave wei drunk, then that which 10 worte; but
thou has kept the good wine until now,
II This beginning Of miracles did JCsuS In
Cana OF Galilee, and manifested forth his Eosy;
and his disciples believed on him.
The above is the plain and familiar
story Of the marriage feast that all Of US
have read from our youth up, without
ever once suspccting that 1t would bear
the recent Interpretation given to It. We
always supposed that 1t was the very
best Of wine that Christ made on the &C.
caslon, 80 much so that it attracted at
tention on account Of is superior quality
Now however learned man tells US
that raisins were used-chopped up-and
water poured upon them. and that thus
wine was made, Just the same as other peo'
pie made 1t. What becomes OF the mir.
aculous element In the transformation il
such is the proper explanation: 1t is
certainly very much, II not wholly, ell
mated. No one ever said before that the
usual "recipe" was followed, and is that
not queer expression now for Chris.
tiAu minister to ust? According 10 Rabbi
Lewey, Christ made wine simply as he
himself has often made II, and the only
difference in the one case over the other
we infer was in the immedlateness with
which the wine was produced in the
FORMER case. This novel explanation II
generally accepted will hereafter give
the Sunday School children quite a
common! place idea Of the miracle in Cana