The Four Cups of Wine

The internet is replete with Christian sermons relating to the four cups of Passover and how they might relate to the events recorded in the New Testament. However, I am always looking for primary-source material and I have not found a great deal of evidence that the Jewish Passover feast included four cups in the first century. Am I off here, or what sources might I be missing?

Shalom! 

Thank you for your question. 

We are not aware and not interested in non-Jewish interpretations of the Four Cups of wine or on any non-Jewish custom for that matter. 

I am happy to share with you, from the Jewish perspective, why we drink four cups of wine at the Seder. 

Here are some of the reasons: 

1.        When promising to redeem the Jews from Egypt, G‑d used four expressions (Exodus 6:6-8): a) "I shall take you out..." b) "I shall rescue you..." c) "I shall redeem you..." d) "I shall take you..." 

2.        The four cups symbolize our freedom from the four exiles: The Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek exiles, and our current exile which we hope to be rid of very soon with the coming of the Messiah. 

3.        The words "cup of wine" are mentioned four times in Pharaoh's butler's dream (Genesis 40:11-13). 

There are others, as well. 

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