The Wedding Feast (~19.49) - Moriel Ministries

Hanukkah
Story
wikipedia.org
The Feast of dedication ... John 8:2 – Then spoke
Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah (Hebrew: hkwnj , pronounced [‘χanuka], also spelled Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday
commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah
is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late
December on the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each
night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. An extra light called a shamash (Hebrew: “guard” or “servant”) is also lit each night for the
purpose of lighting the others, and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest.
The Story
Around 200 BC Jews lived as an autonomous people in the Land of Israel, also referred to as Judea, which at that time was controlled by the Seleucid
king of Syria. The Jewish people were originally granted religious freedom but after their revolt against the Hellenists, Epiphanes was angered.
By 175 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne. At first little changed, but under his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem was looted,
Jews were massacred, and Judaism was effectively outlawed. In 167 BC Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. As was the normal
practice of the Hellenic religion when sacrificing to the Greek gods, pigs were sacrificed on the altar to Zeus.
Antiochus’s actions proved to be a major miscalculation as they provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan,
Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi (“Judah the Hammer”). By
166 BC Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BC the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple
was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event. After recovering
Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made.
According to the Talmud, olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. But there
was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An
eight day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.
The version of the story in 1 Maccabees, on the other hand, states that an eight day celebration of songs and sacrifices was proclaimed upon rededication
of the altar, and makes no mention of the miracle of the oil. A number of historians believe that the reason for the eight day celebration was that
the first Hanukkah was in effect a belated celebration of the festivals of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate
Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret properly; the combined festivals also last eight days, and the Sukkot festivities featured the lighting of lamps in the Temple (Suk.
v. 2-4). The historian Josephus mentions the eight-day festival and its customs, but does not tell us the origin of the eight day lighting custom. Given
that his audience was Hellenized Romans, perhaps his silence on the origin of the eight-day custom is due to its miraculous nature. In any event, he does
report that lights were kindled in the household and the popular name of the festival was, therefore the “Festival of Lights” (“And from that time to this
we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights”).
It has also been noted that the number eight has special significance in Jewish theology, as representing transcendence and the Jewish People’s
special role in human history. Seven is the number of days of creation, that is, of completion of the material cosmos, and also of the classical planets.
Eight, being one step beyond seven, represents the Infinite. Hence, the Eighth Day of the Assembly festival, mentioned above, is according to Jewish
Law a festival for Jews only (unlike Sukkot, when all peoples were welcome in Jerusalem). Similarly, the rite of brit milah (circumcision), which brings
a Jewish male into God’s Covenant, is performed on the eighth day. Hence, Hanukkah’s eight days (in celebration of monotheistic morality’s victory
over Hellenistic humanism) have great symbolic importance for practicing Jews.
December 2009 • Moriel Quarterly 37