Vinegar At The Cross

[Guest Jon]

[color="#000080"]At another Christian site a question was asked, but not answered the way it would be here I believe.

What was the vinegar at the cross all about?
Torture from the Romans. Medicinal. Laced with a drug?

Any insights?

God Bless,
Jon[/color]

[CatherineM]

The version in John where they give him the sour wine on a hyssop is supposed to be a symbol of the Passover. The Israelites used hyssop to mark their doorways with blood (Exodus12:21-23).

[Luigi]

[quote name='Jon' post='1812663' date='Mar 20 2009, 10:51 PM'][color="#000080"]At another Christian site a question was asked, but not answered the way it would be here I believe.

What was the vinegar at the cross all about?
Torture from the Romans. Medicinal. Laced with a drug?

Any insights?

God Bless,
Jon[/color][/quote]

Vinegar = "sour wine"
in French, vin = "wine" + aigre = "sour"

In the old days, before Louis Pasteur discovered that bacteria are everywhere, grapes were crushed and fermented, the wine would be bottled, and sometimes when they opened the bottles after a few months, the wine had soured.

My guess is that some Roman was taking pity on Jesus by offering him something that would slake his thirst a little bit, but he could find only the cheap wine that had kind of started to go bad, the stuff that nobody else wanted.

Probably not torture, just cheap old everyday rotgut.

[StColette]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1812700' date='Mar 20 2009, 11:17 PM']The version in John where they give him the sour wine on a hyssop is supposed to be a symbol of the Passover. The Israelites used hyssop to mark their doorways with blood (Exodus12:21-23).[/quote]

Correct. It's another way that John pulls in the Passover Lamb motif.

[StColette]

Other examples of the Passover Lamb typology in John include the 6th hour on the day of Preparation is when Jesus stood before Pilate, the 6th hour on the Day of Preparation is when the Passover lambs would be slaughtered in the temple. Umm, Jesus is the Lamb of God. Oh and Jesus' bones remained unbroken just like the Passover lamb.

[Guest Jon]

Thank you,
On the other Christian site - finally it seemed the concensus sp? was that it was a pretty awful way the Romans added to the torture.

I'm thirsty, arghhh - a sponge of vinegar or sour wine ---pretty cruel.
Thanks,
Jon

[Veridicus]

I always thought it was John's way of reconciling Mark 14:25...not sure where I got that...but...hmm....I like what you guys said better.

[Thomist-in-Training]

I'm not sure, because it is the fulfilment of the prophecy about being given gall to drink (I don't know which prophecy... sadly) but I also read an argument somewhere a bit like the "rotgut" comment, except that it argued that Roman soldiers usually drank diluted vinegar when they were on campaign. Safer than plain water, kept longer than wine. In that way it would be a kind gesture--same thing they drank. Unfortunately I have no way to find out whether that is true.

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' post='1819777' date='Mar 29 2009, 05:52 PM']I'm not sure, because it is the fulfilment of the prophecy about being given gall to drink (I don't know which prophecy... sadly) but I also read an argument somewhere a bit like the "rotgut" comment, except that it argued that Roman soldiers usually drank diluted vinegar when they were on campaign. Safer than plain water, kept longer than wine. In that way it would be a kind gesture--same thing they drank. Unfortunately I have no way to find out whether that is true.[/quote]

Psalm 69:21 "They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

[Guest Jon]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1819795' date='Mar 29 2009, 06:11 PM']Psalm 69:21 "They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."[/quote]

Well, that really says it doesn't it.

Jon