Abstract
Background | As one of the most significant books, the Bible had a crucial impact on the development of philosophy, law, theology, and medicine. Its timeless and interdisciplinary reach has implications for addictology, too, as the Bible makes references to alcohol use and inebriety and its consequences.
Aim | The aim of this paper was to explore and describe the references made in the Bible to alcohol use, the occasions on which drinking is mentioned, and the consequences of drinking, including punishment, if any. Attitudes to alcohol use expressed in the Bible were also looked for.
Methodology | The written document analysis method was used. Using purposive quota sampling, Bible 21 was searched by means of basic key terms for words associated with alcohol use, which resulted in the determination of the "comprehensive universum" (Ferjenčík, 2010).
The relevant concepts were analysed in the context of the lines in which they appeared and the lines were then grouped into clusters. The lines were checked against the corresponding excerpts from "The Bible: A Czech Study Translation" (Bible: Český studijní překlad) and any inconsistencies in terms of translation or content were looked for.
The categorisation was followed by content analysis (cf. Miovský, 2006, pp. 98-103).
Our approach followed that reported by Plichtová (1996, pp. 311-313), in which individual procedures were divided into mutually interlinked phases. Results and conclusion | Alcoholic beverages, particularly wine and beer, were present in both the Old Testament and New Testament societies.
The Bible refers to alcohol from four main perspectives: it forbids alcohol use, finds it inappropriate to use, recommends the use of alcohol for medical and palliative purposes, and notes the consequences of drinking, including punishment for inebriety-related behaviour. The biblical texts prefer moderate alcohol consumption, with abstinence being the ideal option.