The Fruit of the Vine: Viticulture in Ancient Israel

by Carey Ellen Walsh

The practice of viticulture--from planting vines to drinking wine--in Israelite culture is the focus of Walsh's investigation. Viticulture, no less than drinking, marked the social sphere of Israelite practitioners, and so its details were often enlisted to describe social relations in the Hebrew Bible. These features of everyday life offer important clues for the reconstruction of Israelite social history, the literary constructions of the oral transmitters, authors, and redactors and for thematic and theological meanings attached to biblical representations of the vine and wine imagery.

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Caleb Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating work that studies the prominence of viticulture as not just an integral agricultural practice in ancient Israel, but how its main product, wine, functioned in the Israel's social life. Walsh's archaeological and scriptural knowledge is keen, giving great insights how viticulture operates theologically at the literary level, primarily in the OT, but with some insights into the NT. A discussion regarding the Nazirite vow would have given greater complexity to her argument, namely, that "viticulture, no less than drinking, marked the social sphere of Israelite practitioners, and so its details were often enlisted to describe social relations in the Hebrew Bible" (3), though this is a minor quibble. Her discussion on the social function of wine with regard to feasting is a highlight of this work. Though some may not be convinced by Walsh's argument, her conclusions leads towards the idea that wine was a necessary component of Israel's life because it signified that God himself was Israel's inheritance, and wine was one of the primary ways to signify that blessing towards his people. Surprisingly, even the archaeological data is not too dry, as Walsh integrates great social, political, and theological implications. A must read for anyone interested in the prominence of viticulture language and imagery in the Bible.

[Timothy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walsh gives an excellent overview of the evidence for widespread wine production and consumption in Iron Age Israel. She uncovers the process from constructing a vineyard, growing and harvesting grapes, making wine and consuming it. She demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the Biblical text and the archaeology. Her bibliography is also very helpful. Wine was an important part of daily life in Biblical Israel and we are richer in our understanding of the Bible by examining the evidence for it.