Taking Drinks

Φυσικὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ νηφάλιον ποτὸν ἀναγκαῖον διψῶσίν ἐστιν ὕδωρ. Τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς ἀκροτόμου πέτρας κατειβόμενον τοῖς παλαιοῖς τῶν Ἑβραίων μονότροπον σωφροσύνης ὁ Kύριος ἐχορήγει ποτόν, νήφειν δὲ μάλιστα ἐχρῆν τοὺς ἔτι πλανωμένους. Ἔπειτα ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἁγία τὸν βότρυν ἐβλάστησεν τὸν προφητικόν. Τοῦτο σημεῖον τοῖς εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἐκ τῆς πλάνης πεπαιδαγωγημένοις, ὁ μέγας βότρυς, ὁ Λόγος ὁ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θλιβείς, τὸ αἷμα τῆς σταφυλῆς ὕδατι κίρνασθαι ἐθελήσαντος τοῦ Λόγου, ὡς καὶ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ σωτηρίᾳ κίρναται. ∆ιττὸν δὲ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Kυρίου· τὸ μέν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ σαρκικόν, ᾧ τῆς φθορᾶς λελυτρώμεθα, τὸ δὲ πνευματικόν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ᾧ κεχρίσμεθα. Καὶ τοῦτ' ἔστι πιεῖν τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τῆς κυριακῆς μεταλαβεῖν ἀφθαρσίας· ἰσχὺς δὲ τοῦ Λόγου τὸ Πνεῦμα, ὡς αἷμα σαρκός. Ἀναλόγως τοίνυν κίρναται ὁ μὲν οἶνος τῷ ὕδατι, τῷ δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸ μὲν εἰς πίστιν εὐωχεῖ, τὸ κρᾶμα, τὸ δὲ εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν ὁδηγεῖ, τὸ πνεῦμα, ἡ δὲ ἀμφοῖν αὖθις κρᾶσις ποτοῦ τε καὶ Λόγου εὐχαριστία κέκληται, χάρις ἐπαινουμένη καὶ καλή, ἧς οἱ κατὰ πίστιν μεταλαμβάνοντες ἁγιάζονται καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχήν, τὸ θεῖον κρᾶμα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ πατρικοῦ βουλήματος Πνεύματι καὶ Λόγῳ συγκιρνάντος μυστικῶς· καὶ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς μὲν τὸ πνεῦμα ᾠκείωται τῇ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ φερομένῃ ψυχῇ, ἡ δὲ σὰρξ τῷ Λόγῳ, δι' ἣν ὁ Λόγος γέγονεν σάρξ. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Ὁ Παιδαγωγός, Λογὸς Δεύτερος, Κεφ. Β' Source: Migne PG 8.410a-412a

The natural, temperate, and necessary drink for those who thirst is water. This was the simple drink of sobriety, which, flowing from the rock that was struck, was supplied by the Lord to the ancient Hebrews, 1 it being most necessary that they should be temperate in their wanderings. Later the sacred vine produced the prophetic cluster. This was a sign to them to rest from their improving wanderings, which great cluster, the Word, was bruised for us, the blood of the grape, that is, the Word, wishing to be mingled with water, as His blood is mingled with salvation. And the blood of the Lord is twofold; for there is the blood of His flesh, by which we are delivered from corruption, and the spiritual, by which we are anointed. And to drink the blood of Jesus is to become partaker of the Lord's immortality, and the Spirit is the strength of the Word, as blood of flesh. Just as, then,  wine is mixed with water, so the Spirit with man. And the one mixture nourishes to faith, and the other, the Spirit, conducts to immortality. And the mixture of both, of the water and of the Word, is called the Eucharist, renowned and beautiful grace, and they who by faith partake are sanctified in body and soul, the Divine mixture, man, by the Father's will being mystically compounded of the Spirit and the Word. For, in truth, the Spirit is joined to the soul, which is inspired by it, and the flesh to the Word, by reason of which the Word became flesh. Clement of Alexandria, The Teacher, Book II, Ch 2 1 Exod 17.1-7, Numb 20.1-13