Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants: Come Follow Me Lesson: March 24-30: Doctrine and Covenants 27-28
We are told in Doctrine and Covenants 27:2-4, “For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies; Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.”
That scripture is why we use water in our sacrament services today. But what is meant by “…you shall partake of none except it is made new among you…?” Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 5: 37-39, “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” According to Bible Hub, the Greek word for “wine” is οἶνον (oinon), which is translated only as “wine”. However, in the above scripture, the “new wine” would “burst the [old] bottles” if placed therein. Therefore, as the “wine” fermented and expanded, the expansion from the carbon-dioxide gas produced would burst any old leather bottle into which it was placed. A new leather “bottle” would stretch as the “wine” fermented. Furthermore, “No man also having drunk old wine…desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” From these verses it appears quite clear that “new wine” is what we now call grape juice, and “old wine” is what we now call “wine.” Therefore, the “new wine” referred to in Doctrine and Covenants 27:4 may be referring to grape juice.
Left alone, grape juice will ferment, the process by which yeast converts some of the sugar into alcohol, in about 1-2 weeks for primary fermentation, with an additional month or so for secondary fermentation.1 Primary fermentation is the initial, active phase of fermentation, during which time, yeast rapidly consumes sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is the gas that would expand and “burst” old leather “wine bottles”. Secondary fermentation is a slower, optional phase wherein the wine is aged in a fresh vessel to settle out the yeast and “improve clarity and flavor”. Wine making involves yeast; when grape juice is contaminated by bacteria, it may turn into vinegar because of the uncontrolled fermentation occurs, where the bacteria convert the alcohol into acetic acid.
To prevent grape juice from fermenting at all, both yeast and bacteria must be eliminated by heating, anti-microbial chemicals, or filtration. None of those options was available until 1869, when the American physician and dentist, Thomas Welch, a supporter of the temperance movement, produced a non-alcoholic wine, by pasteurizing the juice to be used for Methodist church sacrament services in his hometown of Vineland, New Jersey. Pasteurization had been recently discovered in 1862 by the French chemist Louis Pasteur. However, Welch’s fellow parishioners continued to prefer and use regular wine, so Thomas gave up his enterprise. However, his son, Charles Welch, also a dentist, eventually gave up his dental practice to promote grape juice. In 1893, he founded Welch’s Grape Juice Company at Westfield, New York.2
Therefore, in August 1830, when Doctrine and Covenants section 27 was given to Joseph Smith in Harmony, Pennsylvania, pasteurization of grape juice was not an option, and all grape juice fermented after a week or so. Therefore, only grape juice “made new among you” could be used for the sacrament — and that could only occur during harvest time in August through October.
Trent Dee Stephens, PhD
References
2. Iovino, Joe, Methodist History: Communion and Welch's Grape Juice; umc.org/en/content/communion-and-welchs-grape-juice
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