Dining halls in Jerusalem during the second century b.c. smelled heavily of roasted meat and strong wine. Wealthy merchants reclined on woven cushions and debated the value of their hoarded gold. Sleep evaded the rich men who spent long nights worrying about their fortunes. Constant anxiety over accumulating wealth ruined their physical health. The physical toll of chasing riches left them with hollow eyes and exhausted bodies.
These exhausted bodies belonged to a Judean elite adapting to Greek symposium culture around 180 b.c. Records from the Seleucid Empire confirm that local leaders often attended elaborate banquets to secure political favor. Aristocrats ate from imported plates and drank from heavy silver cups. A typical dining room spanned roughly 20 feet by 30 feet and featured ornate floor mosaics. Greek customs dictated strict rules for reclining, eating, and drinking during these extended feasts.
At the center of these feasts sat low dining tables bearing massive bowls of undiluted wine. A guest faced immediate social ruin if he reached for food before his host or drank until he vomited. Observant attendees watched the lavish spread and recognized the physical danger resting on the platters. They knew that moderate consumption preserved a man's reputation and his internal organs. The smartest diners kept their hands still and remembered a sharp rule about restraint.
The man who controls his appetite rules the banquet, while the man who lets gold and wine rule his stomach digs his own grave.
Digging that grave required very little effort when rich meals flowed endlessly from the kitchens. A single night of excess stripped a local official of his dignity and left him exposed to his political rivals. Men who lost their senses to alcohol often woke up in alleys with empty pockets and ruined alliances. The pursuit of wealth brought them to the feast, but a failure of discipline left them with nothing at all.