Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 68:3 (Sep 2025)
Article: Sobriety And Speech In Greco-Roman Moralists And The Jewish Wisdom Tradition With Reference To 1 Timothy 5:23
Author: Garrett S. Craig

JETS 68:3 (September 2025) p. 525

Sobriety And Speech In Greco-Roman Moralists And The Jewish Wisdom Tradition With Reference To 1 Timothy 5:23

Garrett S. Craig

Garrett S. Craig is a Ph.D. candidate at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2825 Lexington Rd., Louisville, KY 40280. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: Although the instruction in 1 Timothy 5:23 (“No longer drink only water but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach”) is straightforward, its relevance to the immediate context continues to puzzle scholars. This article explores the reasons behind Timothy’s caution toward wine, arguing that his reluctance is shaped by the ethical tradition that warned against combining wine with speech. After surveying and critiquing the dominant interpretations of 1 Timothy 5:23, the article supports its thesis by establishing the ethical motif linking wine and speech found in the Greco-Roman moral philosophy and the Jewish wisdom tradition. Building on these cultural contexts, the article examines how the themes of wine, insobriety, and speech are interwoven throughout the Pastoral Epistles. The article then offers an exegesis of 1 Timothy 5:17–25, demonstrating the connection between Timothy’s role in verbally rebuking others and the specific instruction found in 1 Timothy 5:23.

Key words: 1 Timothy 5:23, wine, drunkenness, speech ethics, rebuke, correction, Pastoral Epistles, Greco-Roman moralist, Jewish wisdom

Paul’s1 counsel to Timothy––“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Tim 5:23

JETS 68:3 (September 2025) p. 526

ESV)—has long puzzled scholars.2 While the instruction itself is straightforward, its relevance to the immediate context remains a mystery. Key questions raised by this verse are: What situation precipitated the instruction? And why does Timothy seem reluctant to drink wine in the first place?

Several scholars interpret Timothy’s abstinence as a form of misguided religious zeal, while others suggest it reflects his reaction to the drunkenness of the opponents. One angle yet to be fully explored is the association between drunkenness and reckless speech in both Greco-Roman moral philosophy and the Jewish wisdom tradition.