title
Jesus and psychedelics in ancient times | Brian Muraresku and Lex Fridman

description
Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYQh1ZNkC70 Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off - GiveWell: https://www.givewell.org/ and use code LEX to get donation matched up to $1k - NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives - Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit - MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off GUEST BIO: Brian Muraresku is the author of The Immortality Key. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 SOCIAL: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman - Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman

detail
{'title': 'Jesus and psychedelics in ancient times | Brian Muraresku and Lex Fridman', 'heatmap': [], 'summary': 'Explores the 12-year search for scientific data on psychedelic ritual use in ancient greece, rome, and early christianity, including the potential role of wine and beer, shedding light on their medicinal and ritualistic properties, and the essential role of wine in ancient greek religion and its influence on early christianity.', 'chapters': [{'end': 111.251, 'segs': [{'end': 32.905, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 2.984, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 4.585, 'text': 'but uh, your book, immortality, what?', 'start': 2.984, 'duration': 1.601}, {'end': 7.087, 'text': "what's the story and that you tell in this book?", 'start': 4.585, 'duration': 2.502}, {'end': 10.249, 'text': 'what do you, which part of human history are you studying?', 'start': 7.087, 'duration': 3.162}, {'end': 11.79, 'text': "right so that that's, that's the way to phrase it.", 'start': 10.249, 'duration': 1.541}, {'end': 20.876, 'text': "so it's, you know, it's my 12-year search for the hard scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelics and classical antiquity.", 'start': 11.79, 'duration': 9.086}, {'end': 25.404, 'text': "so we're talking about amongst the ancient greeks and romans and the paleo-Christians.", 'start': 20.876, 'duration': 4.528}, {'end': 30.325, 'text': "So the generations that would give birth to the largest religion the world's ever known.", 'start': 26.144, 'duration': 4.181}, {'end': 32.905, 'text': 'Christianity today was two and a half billion people.', 'start': 30.845, 'duration': 2.06}], 'summary': "The book 'immortality' explores the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity and its influence on christianity, with a focus on the ancient greeks, romans, and paleo-christians, impacting the world's largest religion with two and a half billion followers today.", 'duration': 29.921, 'max_score': 2.984, 'thumbnail': ''}, {'end': 88.574, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 40.687, 'weight': 1, 'content': [{'end': 48.888, 'text': 'The book that I follow was published in 1978, before I was born The Road to Eleusis, by Gordon Wasson, who we talked about already.', 'start': 40.687, 'duration': 8.201}, {'end': 53.389, 'text': 'Albert Hoffman, who famously discovers LSD or synthesizes it from ergot.', 'start': 48.888, 'duration': 4.501}, {'end': 64.393, 'text': 'Carl Ruck, who is still a professor of classics at Boston University, the only surviving member of that renegade trio and now 85 years old.', 'start': 54.229, 'duration': 10.164}, {'end': 66.114, 'text': 'This all predates us.', 'start': 64.492, 'duration': 1.622}, {'end': 72.517, 'text': 'But what was lacking in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, I think was some of this technology.', 'start': 67.375, 'duration': 5.142}, {'end': 74.799, 'text': 'and the hard scientific data.', 'start': 73.337, 'duration': 1.462}, {'end': 81.566, 'text': 'Now, for years and years, I went out to the archeobotanists and the archeochemists around the world, and I asked a very basic question.', 'start': 74.859, 'duration': 6.707}, {'end': 88.574, 'text': 'Is there any evidence for psychedelics in classical antiquity? And the answer would almost invariably come back, no.', 'start': 82.047, 'duration': 6.527}], 'summary': "The book 'the road to eleusis' was published in 1978, predating the lack of technology and scientific data in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, with the evidence for psychedelics in classical antiquity being almost invariably no.", 'duration': 47.887, 'max_score': 40.687, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk40687.jpg'}], 'start': 2.984, 'title': 'Psychedelic use in ancient history', 'summary': "Delves into a 12-year search for scientific data on the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity, aiming to uncover their potential involvement among the ancient greeks, romans, and paleochristians, potentially impacting the birth of christianity, with a focus on 'the road to eleusis' and the uncovering of two key pieces of data.", 'chapters': [{'end': 111.251, 'start': 2.984, 'title': 'Immortality: search for psychedelic use in ancient history', 'summary': "Delves into the 12-year search for hard scientific data on the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity, aiming to uncover their potential involvement among the ancient greeks, romans, and paleochristians, potentially impacting the birth of christianity, with a focus on the book 'the road to eleusis' and the eventual uncovering of two key pieces of data.", 'duration': 108.267, 'highlights': ['The chapter discusses a 12-year search for hard scientific data on the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity, aiming to uncover their potential involvement among the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Paleochristians, potentially impacting the birth of Christianity.', "The book 'The Road to Eleusis' by Gordon Wasson, Albert Hoffman's discovery of LSD, and the work of Carl Ruck are mentioned as key elements in the research.", "The author's persistent search for evidence for psychedelics in classical antiquity led to the eventual uncovering of two key pieces of data."]}], 'duration': 108.267, 'thumbnail': '', 'highlights': ['The chapter discusses a 12-year search for hard scientific data on the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity, aiming to uncover their potential involvement among the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Paleochristians, potentially impacting the birth of Christianity.', "The book 'The Road to Eleusis' by Gordon Wasson, Albert Hoffman's discovery of LSD, and the work of Carl Ruck are mentioned as key elements in the research.", "The author's persistent search for evidence for psychedelics in classical antiquity led to the eventual uncovering of two key pieces of data."]}, {'end': 474.315, 'segs': [{'end': 139.334, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 111.731, 'weight': 1, 'content': [{'end': 117.876, 'text': 'One data point shows the ritual use of a psychedelic beer.', 'start': 111.731, 'duration': 6.145}, {'end': 120.838, 'text': 'in classical antiquity in Iberia.', 'start': 118.877, 'duration': 1.961}, {'end': 130.287, 'text': 'what today is Spain and the other shows what looks like a kind of psychedelic wine just outside Pompeii from the first century AD, at the right place,', 'start': 120.838, 'duration': 9.449}, {'end': 134.171, 'text': 'at the right time when the earliest Christians were showing up in Italy.', 'start': 130.287, 'duration': 3.884}, {'end': 139.334, 'text': 'Again, these are early steps in the search for evidence in the space.', 'start': 135.432, 'duration': 3.902}], 'summary': 'Early evidence of psychedelic beer and wine use in ancient iberia and pompeii.', 'duration': 27.603, 'max_score': 111.731, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk111731.jpg'}, {'end': 256.603, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 236.133, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 247.179, 'text': 'And Dioscorides, And just one of his books talks about 56 detailed recipes for spiking wine with all kinds of things like salvia and hellebore,', 'start': 236.133, 'duration': 11.046}, {'end': 248.6, 'text': 'and frankincense and myrrh.', 'start': 247.179, 'duration': 1.421}, {'end': 256.603, 'text': 'these spice perfumes, but also more dangerous things like henbane and mandrake, which, he says in Greek, can be fatal with just one cupful.', 'start': 248.6, 'duration': 8.003}], 'summary': "Dioscorides' book contains 56 wine spiking recipes with various ingredients, including dangerous ones like henbane and mandrake.", 'duration': 20.47, 'max_score': 236.133, 'thumbnail': ''}, {'end': 309.038, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 281.09, 'weight': 5, 'content': [{'end': 286.779, 'text': 'But just a basic look at the literature supports what McGovern has been testing,', 'start': 281.09, 'duration': 5.689}, {'end': 291.012, 'text': 'which is the fact that wine was routinely mixed with different compounds.', 'start': 286.779, 'duration': 4.233}, {'end': 298.49, 'text': "It's fascinating, by the way, that language affects our conception of the tools we use to understand the world.", 'start': 291.826, 'duration': 6.664}, {'end': 309.038, 'text': "You can see wine, you can see psychedelics, if they're not called drugs.", 'start': 300.072, 'duration': 8.966}], 'summary': "Mcgovern's research shows wine mixed with compounds, highlighting language's impact on perception.", 'duration': 27.948, 'max_score': 281.09, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk281090.jpg'}, {'end': 397.868, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 370.195, 'weight': 3, 'content': [{'end': 376.818, 'text': 'And so the word oinos in ancient Greek does show up in the New Testament, but there was another word to describe wine,', 'start': 370.195, 'duration': 6.623}, {'end': 381.841, 'text': 'and it exists for like a thousand years before, during and after the life of Jesus.', 'start': 376.818, 'duration': 5.023}, {'end': 386.963, 'text': 'The word used for wine is pharmakon, which obviously gives us the word pharmacy.', 'start': 381.961, 'duration': 5.002}, {'end': 387.763, 'text': 'It means drug.', 'start': 386.983, 'duration': 0.78}, {'end': 393.206, 'text': 'So in Greek, a Greek speaker would actually use the word drug to refer to wine.', 'start': 388.303, 'duration': 4.903}, {'end': 397.868, 'text': 'Ruth Skodel, the classicist, talks about this as a ritualistic formula.', 'start': 393.646, 'duration': 4.222}], 'summary': "In ancient greek, the word for wine, 'pharmakon,' means drug, linking wine to pharmacy.", 'duration': 27.673, 'max_score': 370.195, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk370195.jpg'}], 'start': 111.731, 'title': 'The role of wine in antiquity', 'summary': 'Discusses the potential ritual use of psychedelic wine and beer in classical antiquity, including evidence of their use in iberia and pompeii, and explores the language used to understand wine in the greek-speaking world, shedding light on its medicinal and ritualistic properties, potentially altering our understanding of the role of language in shaping perceptions.', 'chapters': [{'end': 279.85, 'start': 111.731, 'title': 'Psychedelic wine in antiquity', 'summary': 'Discusses the potential ritual use of psychedelic wine and beer in classical antiquity, including evidence of their use in iberia and pompeii, and how it may have influenced the early christians and the life of jesus christ.', 'duration': 168.119, 'highlights': ["Dioscorides' literature from the first century AD contains 56 detailed recipes for spiking wine with various substances, including potentially psychedelic ingredients like salvia, hellebore, and black nightshade.", 'Ancient Greek literature from the first century AD, contemporaneous with the writing of the gospels, mentions the spiking of wine with various substances, suggesting a potential early use of psychedelic wine.', 'Evidence of the ritual use of psychedelic beer and wine has been found in classical antiquity in Iberia (modern-day Spain) and just outside Pompeii from the first century AD.']}, {'end': 474.315, 'start': 281.09, 'title': 'Language and wine in ancient greece', 'summary': "Explores the language used to understand wine in the greek-speaking world, revealing that the ancient greek word for wine, 'pharmakon', actually means drug, shedding light on the perception of wine as a compound beverage with medicinal and ritualistic properties, potentially altering our understanding of the role of language in shaping perceptions.", 'duration': 193.225, 'highlights': ["The word used for wine is pharmakon, which obviously gives us the word pharmacy. It means drug. The revelation that the ancient Greek word for wine, 'pharmakon', means drug, highlights the perception of wine as a compound beverage with medicinal properties.", "The chapter explores the language used to understand wine in the Greek-speaking world, revealing that the ancient Greek word for wine, 'pharmakon', actually means drug. The exploration of the language used to understand wine in the Greek-speaking world, and the revelation that the ancient Greek word for wine means drug, sheds light on the perception of wine as a compound beverage with medicinal properties.", 'Wine was routinely mixed with different compounds, and language affects our conception of the tools we use to understand the world. The observation that wine was routinely mixed with different compounds and the impact of language on shaping our understanding of the world demonstrates the influence of language on our perception of wine and other substances.']}], 'duration': 362.584, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk111731.jpg', 'highlights': ["Dioscorides' literature contains 56 detailed recipes for spiking wine with potentially psychedelic ingredients.", 'Evidence of ritual use of psychedelic beer and wine found in classical antiquity in Iberia and just outside Pompeii.', 'Ancient Greek literature mentions the spiking of wine with various substances, suggesting potential early use of psychedelic wine.', "The word for wine in ancient Greek, 'pharmakon', means drug, highlighting wine's medicinal properties.", "Exploration of language used to understand wine in the Greek-speaking world reveals 'pharmakon' means drug.", 'Observation that wine was routinely mixed with different compounds demonstrates the influence of language on our perception of wine.']}, {'end': 896.017, 'segs': [{'end': 501.907, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 474.435, 'weight': 1, 'content': [{'end': 478.076, 'text': "Is it more like space of ideas that's core to religion??", 'start': 474.435, 'duration': 3.641}, {'end': 481.056, 'text': 'No, I think the wine is absolutely essential.', 'start': 478.156, 'duration': 2.9}, {'end': 486.518, 'text': "And so, if it's impossible to understand paleo-Christianity in the absence of ancient Greek,", 'start': 481.336, 'duration': 5.182}, {'end': 491.499, 'text': "I think it's equally difficult in the absence of the sacred pharmacopoeia.", 'start': 486.518, 'duration': 4.981}, {'end': 495.622, 'text': 'Or wine itself, right? Just think about wine at the time.', 'start': 492.179, 'duration': 3.443}, {'end': 501.907, 'text': 'I think that the ancient Greek audience would have heard that in a very different way from us.', 'start': 496.282, 'duration': 5.625}], 'summary': 'Wine is essential in understanding paleo-christianity and ancient greek culture.', 'duration': 27.472, 'max_score': 474.435, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk474435.jpg'}, {'end': 576.809, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 537.56, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 542.023, 'text': 'And before Christianity, the blood of Dionysus is equated to his wine.', 'start': 537.56, 'duration': 4.463}, {'end': 549.029, 'text': 'The sacramental drinking of the wine was interpreted and classicists write about this, including Walter Burckhardt.', 'start': 542.404, 'duration': 6.625}, {'end': 554.092, 'text': 'it was interpreted as consuming the god himself in order to become one with the god.', 'start': 549.029, 'duration': 5.063}, {'end': 557.235, 'text': 'This is where we get the idea of enthusiasm, because the language matters.', 'start': 554.112, 'duration': 3.123}, {'end': 565.581, 'text': 'Enthusiasm to be filled with the spirit of the god, so that you became identified with Dionysus and acquired his divine powers.', 'start': 557.815, 'duration': 7.766}, {'end': 566.422, 'text': 'Now, how does that happen?', 'start': 565.661, 'duration': 0.761}, {'end': 574.948, 'text': "again, he's not the god of alcohol, he is the god of wine, but he's really the god of madness and delirium and frenzy,", 'start': 567.122, 'duration': 7.826}, {'end': 576.809, 'text': 'and his principal followers are women.', 'start': 574.948, 'duration': 1.861}], 'summary': "Pre-christianity, dionysus' wine symbolized consuming the god for divine powers and enthusiasm, associated with madness and followed by women.", 'duration': 39.249, 'max_score': 537.56, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk537560.jpg'}, {'end': 810.483, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 784.978, 'weight': 5, 'content': [{'end': 792.828, 'text': "The most obvious example is the wedding at Cana, right? That only occurs in John's Gospel, the famous transformation of water into wine.", 'start': 784.978, 'duration': 7.85}, {'end': 799.595, 'text': 'Now again, to any Greek speaker of the first century, they would have known about the Greek district of Elis on the Peloponnese.', 'start': 793.168, 'duration': 6.427}, {'end': 810.483, 'text': 'And in Elis, around the Epiphany, every January, the priests of Dionysus would deposit these water basins, empty basins, in the temple of Dionysus.', 'start': 800.376, 'duration': 10.107}], 'summary': "The wedding at cana in john's gospel and the tradition of water basins in the greek district of elis are key examples of water transformation and religious practices.", 'duration': 25.505, 'max_score': 784.978, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk784978.jpg'}, {'end': 896.017, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 876.793, 'weight': 6, 'content': [{'end': 884.642, 'text': 'illegal cult illegal of a dozen or so illiterate day laborers that go on to convert the empire in a few hundred years.', 'start': 876.793, 'duration': 7.849}, {'end': 890.149, 'text': 'The answer to that extraordinary growth is not psychedelics,', 'start': 885.383, 'duration': 4.766}, {'end': 896.017, 'text': "but I do think it's visionary experiences and I do think it's this continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity.", 'start': 890.149, 'duration': 5.868}], 'summary': 'Illegal cult of illiterate day laborers converts empire in few hundred years due to visionary experiences.', 'duration': 19.224, 'max_score': 876.793, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk876793.jpg'}], 'start': 474.435, 'title': 'The sacred role of wine and dionysus influence', 'summary': 'Explores the essential role of wine in ancient greek religion, its influence on early christianity, and the parallels between dionysian rituals and christian theology, shaping the cultural and religious landscape of the time.', 'chapters': [{'end': 655.02, 'start': 474.435, 'title': 'The sacred role of wine in ancient greek religion', 'summary': 'Explores the essential role of wine in ancient greek religion, portraying it as a sacred pharmacopoeia that enabled communion with the god dionysus and served as the foundation for theater and artistic creativity, ultimately shaping the cultural and religious landscape of the time.', 'duration': 180.585, 'highlights': ['Wine as a sacred pharmacopoeia: Wine was considered essential in understanding ancient Greek religion, serving as a means of communion with the god Dionysus and enabling individuals to acquire divine powers through sacramental drinking.', 'Influence on theater and creativity: Wine played a pivotal role in the foundation of theater, poetry, and music, shaping the cultural landscape and contributing to the birth of artistic expressions.', 'Dionysus as the god of madness and delirium: Dionysus, associated with madness and delirium, was worshipped through the consumption of sacramental wine, emphasizing the transformative and ecstatic nature of the religious experience.', 'Communion with the divine: The sacramental drinking of wine was interpreted as consuming the god himself, allowing individuals to become one with the god and acquire divine powers, highlighting the significance of wine in facilitating spiritual communion.']}, {'end': 896.017, 'start': 655.581, 'title': 'Dionysus influence on early christianity', 'summary': 'Explores the influence of dionysian rituals on early christianity, highlighting the parallels between the consumption of wine in the rites of dionysus and the eucharist in christian theology, as well as the potential connection between the miracles of jesus and those of dionysus.', 'duration': 240.436, 'highlights': ['The Eucharist and the consumption of wine in Christian theology parallel the rites of Dionysus, where the consumption of wine symbolizes the consumption of divinity to become divine. The consumption of wine in the Eucharist is likened to the consumption of divinity in the rites of Dionysus, suggesting a parallel between the two rituals.', 'The parallels between the miracles of Jesus and those of Dionysus, particularly the wedding at Cana and the transformation of water into wine, indicate a potential influence of Dionysian rituals on early Christianity. The wedding at Cana, where Jesus transforms water into wine, is compared to the miraculous wine-related events in the rites of Dionysus, suggesting a potential influence of Dionysian rituals on early Christian beliefs and practices.', 'The continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity, along with visionary experiences, may have contributed to the extraordinary growth of Christianity, challenging the traditional narrative of its expansion solely through evangelism. The continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity, coupled with visionary experiences, is proposed as a factor contributing to the rapid growth of Christianity, challenging the conventional explanation of its expansion solely through evangelism.']}], 'duration': 421.582, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/xOItnbkArxk/pics/xOItnbkArxk474435.jpg', 'highlights': ['Wine as a sacred pharmacopoeia: Wine was considered essential in understanding ancient Greek religion, serving as a means of communion with the god Dionysus and enabling individuals to acquire divine powers through sacramental drinking.', 'Influence on theater and creativity: Wine played a pivotal role in the foundation of theater, poetry, and music, shaping the cultural landscape and contributing to the birth of artistic expressions.', 'Dionysus as the god of madness and delirium: Dionysus, associated with madness and delirium, was worshipped through the consumption of sacramental wine, emphasizing the transformative and ecstatic nature of the religious experience.', 'Communion with the divine: The sacramental drinking of wine was interpreted as consuming the god himself, allowing individuals to become one with the god and acquire divine powers, highlighting the significance of wine in facilitating spiritual communion.', 'The Eucharist and the consumption of wine in Christian theology parallel the rites of Dionysus, where the consumption of wine symbolizes the consumption of divinity to become divine. The consumption of wine in the Eucharist is likened to the consumption of divinity in the rites of Dionysus, suggesting a parallel between the two rituals.', 'The parallels between the miracles of Jesus and those of Dionysus, particularly the wedding at Cana and the transformation of water into wine, indicate a potential influence of Dionysian rituals on early Christianity. The wedding at Cana, where Jesus transforms water into wine, is compared to the miraculous wine-related events in the rites of Dionysus, suggesting a potential influence of Dionysian rituals on early Christian beliefs and practices.', 'The continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity, along with visionary experiences, may have contributed to the extraordinary growth of Christianity, challenging the traditional narrative of its expansion solely through evangelism. The continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity, coupled with visionary experiences, is proposed as a factor contributing to the rapid growth of Christianity, challenging the conventional explanation of its expansion solely through evangelism.']}], 'highlights': ['The continuity from the pagan world into early Christianity, coupled with visionary experiences, is proposed as a factor contributing to the rapid growth of Christianity, challenging the conventional explanation of its expansion solely through evangelism.', 'The parallels between the miracles of Jesus and those of Dionysus, particularly the wedding at Cana and the transformation of water into wine, indicate a potential influence of Dionysian rituals on early Christianity.', 'The Eucharist and the consumption of wine in Christian theology parallel the rites of Dionysus, where the consumption of wine symbolizes the consumption of divinity to become divine.', 'Dionysus as the god of madness and delirium: Dionysus, associated with madness and delirium, was worshipped through the consumption of sacramental wine, emphasizing the transformative and ecstatic nature of the religious experience.', 'Influence on theater and creativity: Wine played a pivotal role in the foundation of theater, poetry, and music, shaping the cultural landscape and contributing to the birth of artistic expressions.', 'Wine as a sacred pharmacopoeia: Wine was considered essential in understanding ancient Greek religion, serving as a means of communion with the god Dionysus and enabling individuals to acquire divine powers through sacramental drinking.', 'The chapter discusses a 12-year search for hard scientific data on the ritual use of psychedelics in classical antiquity, aiming to uncover their potential involvement among the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Paleochristians, potentially impacting the birth of Christianity.', "Dioscorides' literature contains 56 detailed recipes for spiking wine with potentially psychedelic ingredients.", 'Ancient Greek literature mentions the spiking of wine with various substances, suggesting potential early use of psychedelic wine.', "The word for wine in ancient Greek, 'pharmakon', means drug, highlighting wine's medicinal properties."]}