No Monkey Business!

The article “Dinosaurs, past and present - Part 2” is almost ready. This article investigates perceptions held by ‘the country of the Jews’ regarding their ‘purity laws’ and ‘commandment-keeping’. In particular, the focus is on the Gentile worshipper. I have never contemplated how much the Jewish traditions rubbed off onto the New Testament primitive church. I thought the song, “Give Me That Old Time Religion” might be “good for Paul and Silas” but is it really “good enough for me?” Wait and see!

Going into the weekend, worldwide, Muslims on Friday gather in their mosques; Saturday, Jews congregate in their respective synagogues, while at the close of the weekend, church bells will announce Sunday.

Which brings me to this story of the invention of wine, for those who will answer the call of the ‘Bells”.

“Long ago, when Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden, Mother Eve was sorry to notice that Adam lacked enterprise and was quite content to potter about the garden and waste his time. She said to him one day: ‘Why do you remain in Paradise all the time? Why don’t you go out and see what lies in the world? If I were a big, strong man like you, I should be ashamed to sit about all day long. Have you no sense of adventure?

So Adam, in order to escape from Eve’s reproaches, left the Garden and wandered in the world outside, where he discovered a tree that was not in Eden. It was a vine. Small clusters of green grapes grew on it, and these Adam gathered and took home to show Eve. She ate them and said they were very good.

One day he went out to the vine and saw that its leaves drooped in the heat of a khamseen, while he was wondering where he could find water, a monkey passed by. Adam seized it and killed it, refreshing the vine with its blood. He went out again, and again the vine was wilting. This time a peacock passed by. Adam slew it and gave its blood to the vine. A third time he went, and still the vine was parched. A lion came along and, after some difficulty, Adam slew it and poured its blood upon the vine. On the fourth visit the vine, although considerably improved, was still suffering from the heat. As Adam was wondering what to to do about it, a wild pig came along, and this Adam killed and with its blood nourished the vine. And the heat passed and the vine thrived.

One day he went again and saw that the vine was covered with huge bunches of big, red grapes. He gathered some and ran to Eve with them. She cried, ‘O Adam, are you hurt? There is blood on you!’ But he said, ‘No, it is the juices of the vine, which I have watered with blood.’ Adam and Eve like the grapes so much that Eve kept them in a pot and they drank the juice. So wine was discovered.

Here is the moral of this Arab-story.

One drink of wine, and you act like a monkey; two drinks, and you strut like a peacock; three drinks, and you roar like a lion; and four drinks - you behave like a pig.”

So lets keep it moderately!
Until then.