Appendix B: Patristic Sources — Collected Verbatim Quotations

This appendix collects the verbatim texts of the principal pre-Nicene sources on wine, in a form suitable for reference and further study. Each source is pinned to its author, work, section, translator, and (where fetched) source URL. The material here is what Chapter 3 draws on; the appendix reproduces it in fuller form for readers who want the primary sources without the chapter’s argumentative frame.

The pattern of the received pre-Nicene evidence is uniform (the minority water-streams are treated in Chapter 4.5 and Chapter 5). In these texts one sees, together, the eucharistic use of wine, the standard mixed-cup practice, the moderation-not-abstinence pastoral pattern, and the polemic against departures — one and the same practice, articulated in three cultural centers over two centuries.

1. Didache 9-10 (c. AD 50-110)

Trans. J. B. Lightfoot, from The Apostolic Fathers (1891). Source: earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-lightfoot.html.

9:1 But as touching the eucharistic thanksgiving give ye thanks thus. 9:2 First, as regards the cup: 9:3 We give Thee thanks, O our Father, for the holy vine of Thy son David, which Thou madest known unto us through Thy Son Jesus; 9:4 Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 9:5 Then as regards the broken bread: 9:6 We give Thee thanks, O our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou didst make known unto us through Thy Son Jesus; 9:7 Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 9:8 As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom; 9:9 for Thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. 9:10 But let no one eat or drink of this eucharistic thanksgiving, but they that have been baptized into the name of the Lord; 9:11 for concerning this also the Lord hath said: 9:12 Give not that which is holy to the dogs.

10:1 And after ye are satisfied thus give ye thanks: 10:2 We give Thee thanks, Holy Father, for Thy holy name, which Thou hast made to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which Thou hast made known unto us through Thy Son Jesus; 10:3 Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 10:4 Thou, Almighty Master, didst create all things for Thy name’s sake, and didst give food and drink unto men for enjoyment, that they might render thanks to Thee; 10:5 but didst bestow upon us spiritual food and drink and eternal life through Thy Son. 10:6 Before all things we give Thee thanks that Thou art powerful; 10:7 Thine is the glory for ever and ever. 10:8 Remember, Lord, Thy Church to deliver it from all evil and to perfect it in Thy love; 10:9 and gather it together from the four winds — even the Church which has been sanctified — into Thy kingdom which Thou hast prepared for it; 10:10 for Thine is the power and the glory for ever and ever. 10:11 May grace come and may this world pass away. 10:12 Hosanna to the God of David. 10:13 If any man is holy, let him come; 10:14 if any man is not, let him repent. Maran Atha. Amen. 10:15 But permit the prophets to offer thanksgiving as much as they desire.

2. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 107)

Trans. J. B. Lightfoot. Source: earlychristianwritings.com.

Ad Romanos 7:2-3

7:2 Let not envy have a home in you. Even though I myself, when I am with you, should beseech you, obey me not; but rather give credence to these things which I write to you. For I write to you in the midst of life, yet lusting after death. My lust hath been crucified, and there is no fire of material longing in me, but only water living and speaking in me, saying within me, Come to the Father. 7:3 I have no delight in the food of corruption or in the delights of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Christ who was of the seed of David; and for a draught I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible.

Ad Philadelphians 4

4:1 Be ye careful therefore to observe one eucharist (for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and one cup unto union in His blood; there is one altar, as there is one bishop, together with the presbytery and the deacons my fellow-servants), that whatsoever ye do, ye may do it after God.

Ad Smyrnaeans 6-8

6:1 Let no man be deceived. Even the heavenly beings and the glory of the angels and the rulers visible and invisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ, judgment awaiteth them also. He that receiveth let him receive. Let not office puff up any man; for faith and love are all in all, and nothing is preferred before them. 6:2 But mark ye those who hold strange doctrine touching the grace of Jesus Christ which came to us, how that they are contrary to the mind of God. They have no care for love, none for the widow, none for the orphan, none for the afflicted, none for the prisoner, none for the hungry or thirsty. They abstain from eucharist (thanksgiving) and prayer, because they allow not that the eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for our sins, and which the Father of His goodness raised up.

8:1 Shun divisions, as the beginning of evils. Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and to the deacons pay respect, as to God’s commandment. Let no man do aught of things pertaining to the Church apart from the bishop. Let that be held a valid eucharist which is under the bishop or one to whom he shall have committed it.

3. Justin Martyr, First Apology 65-67 (c. AD 155)

Trans. Marcus Dods and George Reith, from Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1. Source: ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.ii.lxv.html and adjacent.

Chapter 65 — Administration of the Sacraments

But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to γένοιτο [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.

Chapter 66 — Of the Eucharist

And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, “This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;” and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is My blood;” and gave it to them alone. Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.

Chapter 67 — Weekly Worship of the Christians

And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.

4. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies (c. AD 180)

Trans. Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, from Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1. Source: newadvent.org/fathers.

Book IV, ch. 17, §5

Again, giving directions to His disciples to offer to God the first-fruits of His own, created things — not as if He stood in need of them, but that they might be themselves neither unfruitful nor ungrateful — He took that created thing, bread, and gave thanks, and said, “This is My body.” And the cup likewise, which is part of that creation to which we belong, He confessed to be His blood, and taught the new oblation of the new covenant; which the Church receiving from the apostles, offers to God throughout all the world, to Him who gives us as the means of subsistence the first-fruits of His own gifts in the New Testament.

Book V, ch. 2, §3

When, therefore, the mingled cup and the manufactured bread receives the Word of God, and the Eucharist of the blood and the body of Christ is made, from which things the substance of our flesh is increased and supported, how can they affirm that the flesh is incapable of receiving the gift of God, which is life eternal, which flesh is nourished from the body and blood of the Lord, and is a member of Him? — even as the blessed Paul declares in his Epistle to the Ephesians, that “we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” He does not speak these words of some spiritual and invisible man, for a spirit has not bones nor flesh; but he refers to that dispensation by which the Lord became an actual man, consisting of flesh, and nerves, and bones — that flesh which is nourished by the cup which is His blood, and receives increase from the bread which is His body.

5. Cyprian of Carthage, Epistle 62 (to Caecilius) (c. AD 253)

Trans. Robert Ernest Wallis, from Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 5. Numbered Ep. 62 in ANF, Ep. 63 in Migne. Source: newadvent.org/fathers/050662.htm.

The letter is Cyprian’s polemic against the Aquarii — the North African bishops who had adopted the practice of using water alone in the eucharistic cup.

§2 — The thesis

Know then that I have been admonished that, in offering the cup, the tradition of the Lord must be observed, and that nothing must be done by us but what the Lord first did on our behalf, as that the cup which is offered in remembrance of Him should be offered mingled with wine. For when Christ says, “I am the true vine,” the blood of Christ is assuredly not water, but wine; neither can His blood by which we are redeemed and quickened appear to be in the cup, when in the cup there is no wine whereby the blood of Christ is shown forth, which is declared by the sacrament and testimony of all the Scriptures.

§9 — The institution argument

Nor is there need of very many arguments, dearest brother, to prove that baptism is always indicated by the appellation of water, and that thus we ought to understand it, since the Lord, when He came, manifested the truth of baptism and the cup in commanding that that faithful water, the water of life eternal, should be given to believers in baptism, but, teaching by the example of His own authority, that the cup should be mingled with a union of wine and water. For, taking the cup on the eve of His passion, He blessed it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Drink all of this; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many, for the remission of sins. I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day in which I shall drink new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.” In which portion we find that the cup which the Lord offered was mixed, and that that was wine which He called His blood. Whence it appears that the blood of Christ is not offered if there be no wine in the cup, nor the Lord’s sacrifice celebrated with a legitimate consecration unless our oblation and sacrifice respond to His passion.

§11 — The inebriating-cup argument

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 apostolic 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, “Your 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. But because the intoxication of the Lord’s cup and blood is not such as is the intoxication of the world’s wine, since the Holy Spirit said in the Psalm, “Your inebriating cup,” He added, “how excellent it is,” because doubtless the Lord’s cup so inebriates them that drink, that it makes them sober; that it restores their minds to spiritual wisdom; that each one recovers from that flavour of the world to the understanding of God.

§12 — The Cana reversal

But how perverse and how contrary it is, that although the Lord at the marriage made wine of water, we should make water of wine, when even the sacrament of that thing ought to admonish and instruct us rather to offer wine in the sacrifices of the Lord.

§13 — The union symbolism

For because Christ bore us all, in that He also bore our sins, we see that in the water is understood the people, but in the wine is showed the blood of Christ. But when the water is mingled in the cup with wine, the people is made one with Christ, and the assembly of believers is associated and conjoined with Him on whom it believes; which association and conjunction of water and wine is so mingled in the Lord’s cup, that that mixture cannot any more be separated.

§17 — The conclusion

As often, therefore, as we offer the cup in commemoration of the Lord and of His passion, let us do what it is known the Lord did. And let this conclusion be reached, dearest brother: if from among our predecessors any have either by ignorance or simplicity not observed and kept this which the Lord by His example and teaching has instructed us to do, he may, by the mercy of the Lord, have pardon granted to his simplicity. But we cannot be pardoned who are now admonished and instructed by the Lord to offer the cup of the Lord mingled with wine according to what the Lord offered, and to direct letters to our colleagues also about this, so that the evangelical law and the Lord’s tradition may be everywhere kept, and there be no departure from what Christ both taught and did.

6. Clement of Alexandria, Paedagogus II.2 (c. AD 198)

Trans. William Wilson, from Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 2. Source: newadvent.org/fathers/02092.htm.

Selected passages from Clement’s chapter On Drinking.

The Timothy pattern

“Use a little wine,” says the apostle to Timothy, who drank water, “for your 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.

Wine and water — the eucharistic frame

Afterwards the sacred vine produced the prophetic cluster. This was a sign to them, when trained from wandering to their rest; representing the great cluster the Word, bruised for us. For the blood of the grape — that is, the Word — desired to be mixed with water, as His blood is mingled with salvation.

Accordingly, as wine is blended with water, so is the Spirit with man. And the one, the mixture of wine and water, nourishes to faith; while the other, the Spirit, conducts to immortality. And the mixture of both — of the water and of the Word — is called Eucharist, renowned and glorious grace; and they who by faith partake of it are sanctified both in body and soul.

Youth — near-abstention

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.

The mature and the aged

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.

Both are works of God

It has therefore been well said, “A joy of the soul and heart was wine created from the beginning, when drunk in moderate sufficiency.” And it is best to mix the wine with as much water as possible, and not to have recourse to it as to water, and so get enervated to drunkenness, and not pour it in as water from love of wine. For both are works of God; and so the mixture of both, of water and of wine, conduces together to health, because life consists of what is necessary and of what is useful.

7. Tertullian, Apologeticus 39 (c. AD 197)

Trans. S. Thelwall, from Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3. Source: newadvent.org/fathers/0301.htm.

On the Christian love-feast (agape):

Our feast explains itself by its name. The Greeks call it agapè, i.e., affection. Whatever it costs, our outlay in the name of piety is gain, since with the good things of the feast we benefit the needy… If the object of our feast be good, in the light of that consider its further regulations. As it is an act of religious service, it permits no vileness or immodesty. The participants, before reclining, taste first of prayer to God. As much is eaten as satisfies the cravings of hunger; as much is drunk as befits the chaste. They say it is enough, as those who remember that even during the night they have to worship God; they talk as those who know that the Lord is one of their auditors. After manual ablution, and the bringing in of lights, each is asked to stand forth and sing, as he can, a hymn to God, either one from the holy Scriptures or one of his own composing — a proof of the measure of our drinking. As the feast commenced with prayer, so with prayer it is closed. We go from it, not like troops of mischief-doers, nor bands of vagabonds, nor to break out into licentious acts, but to have as much care of our modesty and chastity as if we had been at a school of virtue rather than a banquet.

8. John Chrysostom, Homily 4 on Acts (c. AD 400) — post-Nicene lexical anchor

Trans. J. Walker, J. Sheppard, and H. Browne (rev. Philip Schaff), from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers series 1, vol. 11. Source: newadvent.org/fathers/210104.htm. Chrysostom is post-Nicene but preserves the ancient lexical understanding of γλεῦκος (Acts 2:13).

They marvelled; “Because that every man heard them speak in his own language.” And they were amazed, it says, and marvelled, saying one to another, “Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans?” … And, they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, “What means this?” Others mocking said, “These men are full of new wine [γλεύκους μεμεστωμένοι εἰσίν].” O the excessive folly! O the excessive malignity! Why it was not even the season for that; for it was Pentecost. For this was what made it worse: that when those were confessing — men that were Jews, that were Romans, that were proselytes, yea perhaps that had crucified Him — yet these, after so great signs, say, “They are full of new wine!”

Chrysostom’s quoted words make the seasonality observation, and elsewhere in the homily he remarks that Peter “shows immediately by his very voice” that the apostles “are not drunken” — reading the scene as a drunkenness charge met by evident sobriety. The lexical force rests on Acts 2:15 itself: Peter answers the gleukos-accusation with a time-of-day argument, which no one does about juice.