Authors

Nubar Jabrayil¹;  ¹ ADA University, Azerbaidjan

Discussion

This paper conducts a comparative textual analysis of wine as a multifaceted concept in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, exploring its symbolic, cultural, and sociological significance within the theological frameworks of Judaism and Islam. Employing Auguste Comte’s Law of Three Stages and Émile Durkheim’s theories of collective conscience, anomie, and social cohesion, alongside Max Weber’s concept of rationalization, Pierre Bourdieu’s cultural capital, and Mary Douglas’s purity and danger framework, the study examines how wine is portrayed as a symbol of divine blessing, moral caution, and social practice. The paper explores extracts from the Hebrew Bible and the Quran that relate to wine, as well as historical and cultural references to wine based on the Azerbaijani case, where both Jewish and Muslim communities have lived in close proximity for centuries. Drawing on scholarly references, the paper argues that wine serves as both a contested and unifying element, reflecting societal dynamics of moral regulation and communal identity formation. This communal perspective is applied to the Caucasian region and its region-specific impact and elements are discussed.