The Roman Posca — The Jesus Christ’s Last Drink

Posca, the Roman wine of the poor, was basically wine vinegar diluted with water

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ (Image:greekreporter.com) and a glass of posca (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

During the crucifixion, a Roman soldier dipped a sponge into posca and offered it to the dying Jesus Christ to drink.

Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.

— Matthew 27:48

The Roman soldiers offered Jesus Christ a drink he himself was drinking daily.

Since posca was considered a healthy and thirst-quenching drink, the soldier’s offering of posca could be seen as a gesture of charity.

On the other hand, the soldier’s act could be a grave insult, since he used a sponge on a stick. A similar tool, called xylospongium, was used instead of toilet paper in roman toilets.

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