All Things Hanukkah
The Four Hundred Silent Years
The 400 years between the two testaments is called the “the four hundred silent years” because during this time God didn’t give any new revelation to His people. Just because there was a silence of prophetic revelation doesn’t mean that God had forgotten His people.
The Meaning of “Hanukkah”
Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication.” The holiday is named this since it celebrates the rededication of the Temple to the Lord after it was desecrated by the pagan, Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes.
This holiday begins only 75 days after Yom Kippur, Israel’s Day of Atonement.
The Record of Hanukkah
The story of Hanukkah is not recorded in the canon of Scripture, but it is recorded in the Apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees. These are two of the 14 books of the OT Apocrypha, a collection of non-inspired Jewish writings written between 200 B.C. and A.D. 100. Most Jewish and Christian conservative scholars rightly reject 1-2 Maccabees as part of the Bible but they do remain a valuable historical record.
Why Should Christians Celebrate Hanukkah?
Messiah Jesus kept the Feast of “Dedication” (Hanukkah) (see John 10:22-23). Let us keep the Feast and learn why the Holy Spirit in these verses focused on Jesus’ presence at the Feast of Dedication.
Jesus used Hanukkah in John 10 as an opportunity to declare who He is. Significantly, Solomon’s colonnade (John 10:23), where Jesus was at Hanukkah, is where the first believers, after the resurrection, would regularly gather to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 3:11; 5:12). John’s comment that “It was winter” is probably in anticipation of the fact that “Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade” on the eastern side of the temple – i.e., possibly the cold weather drove him to walk and teach in Solomon’s porch, and not in an open court.
Hanukkah can be used as an opportunity to declare who Jesus Christ is. It can be celebrated because it testifies of Him.
If Antiochus had succeeded in his campaign of Anti-Semitism and destruction, there would have been no Jews by the time of Jesus. The miracle of Christmas could only take place after the miracle of Hanukkah.
Other Names for Hanukkah
Hanukkah is also called “Hag Hamorim,” which means “the Feast of Lights.” This is found in Josephus’ writings. However, this name is based on a legend that
when the Jews rededicated the Temple and wanted to rekindle the lampstand, they found only enough oil for one day. It would take eight days to make a new supply. They decided to kindle anyway and burn the remaining one-day oil supply. By a miracle, according to the legend, the oil lasted for eight days . . . thus, the name representing, “the Feast of Lights.”
The historical books that speak of the Maccabean revolt – such as 1 and 2 Maccabees – make no mention of any such miracle. This legend originates with the Gemara (the later rabbinic material that together with the Mishnah makes up the Talmud) in the tractate Shabbat 21b.
The Mishnah (repetition) – a compilation of the rabbinical oral laws or traditions, were written down by 200 A.D.
Gemara (completion – meaning completion of the Mishnah) – a compilation of rabbinical commentaries on the Mishnah, was written down by 500 A.D.
Together the Mishnah and Gemara make up the Talmud (study). The Talmud – the authoritative rabbinical code of Jewish customs, observances, and religious tenets. Jewish students often study it more than the Bible itself.
This story seems to be nothing but legends, and the authenticity of the “oil cruse” story has already been questioned in the Middle Ages. Josephus referred to Hanukkah, but he made no mention of the miracle of the oil.
Possibly in order to give the Hanukkah lights a religious aura, with a sacred tradition, the legend of the flask of oil was created. Nevertheless, there is no historical record of any such miracle taking place.
Hanukkah and Sukkot
The reason for the eight-day observance of Hanukkah is not because of a miracle of the oil. There was a miracle, and that was the victory that God intervened to save his people once again, against all odds.
After the Maccabees cleansed the Temple they wanted to follow the festivities of King Solomon who, when he dedicated the First Temple, decided to follow the pattern of Sukkot, kindling the lampstands for eight days. Thus they followed the celebration according to the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot.
Both of these feasts are observed for eight days beginning at sundown of the first day, both include the singing of the Hallel (i.e., Pss. 113-118), and in both, the Jews carry palm branches. However, it differs from Sukkot in that normal life activities continue during Hanukkah and most of it is celebrated at home.
Alexander the Great
After Alexander died from a fever at the age of 33 in 323 B.C. (his only heir was a son born after his death), his kingdom was divided between four generals. Two of them were warring generals, Seleucus (the Seleucids in Asia Minor and Syria) and Ptolemy, the Ptolemaic (Egyptian kingdom). For more than a century, the Ptolemies ruled Israel. The Ptolemies collected taxes and gave the Jews a great deal of freedom.
Antiochus Epiphanes’ Abomination
Antiochus IV was probably one of the most anti-Jewish, anti-Israel, anti-God rulers in history (he became a ruler in 175 B.C.). There were several Syrian kings named Antiochus. This particular man chose the title, Epiphanes, to distinguish himself. This is Greek for God “Manifest,” which indicates the extent of his arrogance against the one true God. In the fashion of many of his contemporaries, Antiochus was obsessed with delusions of deity. The Jews mockingly referred to him as Epimanes, meaning “madman,” in response to his cruelty.
Antiochus tried to Hellenize Israel. He looked at Hellenization as a way of assimilating the Jews into his empire socially and therefore unifying the empire.
In 168 B.C. Antiochus, the Syrian emperor, came from the north and defeated Egypt. Before he could enjoy the “spoils” of his victory he was compelled by powerful Rome to withdraw. Angry at this reversal, he came against the small country of Israel. He set out to destroy Judaism by making its observance illegal. He also wanted to move against Israel since its location was so strategic, as a land bridge joining Africa, Asia, and Europe. The one who dominates Israel often has a strategic point of control in the Middle East.
Antiochus tried to destroy the worship of the one true God & the Levitical sacrificial system. In December of 167 B.C., he sent an army to Jerusalem to dedicate the Temple to the gods of Olympia and Zeus. He organized an attack on Jerusalem on the Sabbath, knowing that the Jews would not fight. The following is a partial list of some of the evil things that he did:
He destroyed much of the city and slaughtered men, women, and children.
He defiled the Jewish Temple by offering a pig on the altar to Zeus - the abomination of desolation - and sprinkled its blood in the Holy of Holies. The swine’s broth was poured on the Holy Scrolls of the Law.
The Scrolls, containing the word of God were then ripped into pieces and burned.
He enslaved & murdered many Jewish people.
In his mocking scorn for the Jewish people, he ordered mini-altars to be erected in every town and village where his troops then ordered all local communities to worship and eat the flesh of pigs in token or proof of their conversion from Judaism. The alternative to eating pigs was death.
All Jews were forbidden to practice their faith and ordered the sacred rites of circumcision, observance of the Sabbath, and sacrifices to cease. He had a bearded image of Jupiter placed in the temple in Jerusalem.
As you can see, he was trying to exterminate the Jewish religion by outlawing its unique practices. His goal was to defeat Israel’s armies and humiliate her God-believing people so he could easily assimilate her people to Greek culture (1 Macc 1:41-64; 2 Macc 6:1-11).
The Maccabee Family
God raised up a band of Jewish guerrilla fighters led by Judah Maccabee. Mattathias and his five sons, of the Hasmonean family, were from the village of Modiin (about 12 miles NW of Jerusalem, near Israel’s Ben Gurion airport of today).
The Maccabean revolt began when a delegate of Antiochus IV named Appellas attempted to force Mattathias, a priest who lived in Modiin, to sacrifice to a pagan deity. Mattathias refused, but another Jew volunteered to perform the sacrificial ritual. Outraged and overcome by righteous anger, Mattathias pulled out his sword and killed both the Seleucid delegate and the errant Jew upon the altar, and thus the Maccabean revolt began (1 Macc 2:1-48). The aged Mattathias soon died a natural death, leaving his five sons to carry the revolutionary torch (1 Macc 2:49-70). Two of Mattathias’ five sons died in the next few months, but the remaining three sons (Judas, Jonathan, and Simon) led the revolt.
Within three years the Syrian invaders were driven from the land and the focus changed to the cleansing of the Temple. The courageous sons of Abraham proved that Antiochus, the Manifest God, was only a mortal after all. There were four major battles against the Syrians before the Temple was regained.
On the 25th day of Kislev (November/December) in 165 B.C. Exactly three years to the day after its desecration, the Temple and the altar were rededicated. Judas, one of Mattathias’ sons, also commanded that the pagan altar be torn down and Yahweh’s altar rebuilt (1 Macc 4:26-61). This victory by the Maccabees over the Syrians was just a foretaste of what Messiah would bring.
The altar was to be consecrated with the renewal of the daily sacrificial service, accompanied by song, the playing of musical instruments, the chanting of Hallel, and the offering of sacrifices. In 2 Maccabees (1:8; 10:1-5) the main aspects of Hanukkah are related as in 1 Maccabees.
Hanukkah And The Jewish People Today
In the Hanukkah celebration, Jewish people play games, exchange gifts, have family dinners, attend plays and concerts at synagogues and schools, and light a candle on each of the eight evenings.
Israel’s Future And Hanukkah
God has worked in the past on behalf of Israel, and so He will continue to work for His covenant people in their future. God has promised to bless those who bless the Jewish people and curse those who curse them.
What Hanukkah Means To Modern Israel
In modern Israel, Hanukkah symbolizes mainly the victory of the few over the many and the courage of the Jews to assert themselves as a people. For we who are believers in Messiah, we can see the providential hand of God once again in the preservation of His people (Jeremiah 31:37).
Psalm 83 And Antiochus
Psalm 83 could be called a reading of the mind of Antiochus. It could also be said to be an insight into the purpose of every Antiochus who has ever lived, and also that great Antiochus who is yet to come.
Daniel and Antiochus
Antiochus was, without question identified by the prophet Daniel centuries before as “the little horn” (Dan. 8:9). Daniel used the term “horn” to refer to a leader, a horn of strength. A close study of Daniel 8:24-25 will show that these verses go far beyond Antiochus, and without doubt, refer back to the “little horn” seen in chapter 7. Antiochus was a forerunner or type of the world’s coming antichrist.
The events that brought about the Feast of Hanukkah were predicted prophetically by Daniel in 8:9-14; 11:21-35.
Daniel 8:10, 24: the “host of the heavens” were the people of God, and “the stars” were individual members of the chosen race (cf. Deut. 4:19; Jer. 8:2). They were the ones whom Antiochus Epiphanes attacked and sought to destroy.
Daniel 8:11 with 8:25 – verse 11 testifies that Antiochus claimed to be equal to the prince of the host (i.e., God, see verse 25).
Daniel 8:11-12 – Antiochus also attacked and desecrated the Jews’ place of worship.
Yeshua’s Celebration Of Hanukkah In John 10
Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures except as prophecy in the book of Daniel. However, we find Yeshua celebrating the feast in John 10:22-39.
But to establish some foundation for the things that take place in this passage that refers to Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication), let us look back to the section of Scripture from John 7:1 - 10:21, where we learn of some important events that take place.
The setting is the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) when Yeshua declared that He was the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). John follows that with the passage regarding the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in 10:22-39. As mentioned above, the eight days of lights of Hanukkah came from the Feast of Tabernacles when Solomon dedicated the first Temple lighting the lampstands eight nights during the feast. After the victory of the Maccabees, they desired to follow Solomon’s pattern in the rededication of the Temple.
During this Feast of Dedication, we find Yeshua in the Temple walking in Solomon’s portico when the Jewish people surrounded him and asked him to tell them plainly whether or not he was the Messiah. They were implying that He was not clear on the subject.
Yeshua denied that he had been unclear and reminded them that He had demonstrated His credentials as Messiah by His words (Jn. 10:25a) and by His works (10:25b). The problem was not that He was unclear, but that they were not His sheep and, therefore, did not recognize Him (Jn. 10:26). On the other hand, He told them that His sheep recognize and follow Him and they have eternal life (Jn. 10:27-28).
So, what does this have to do with Hanukkah you ask?
The remembrance of the Jewish people of today arises from the legend that when the Temple was rededicated following the Maccabee revolt that the people were remembering/commemorating the miracle of the oil. However, if we want to communicate truth to our Jewish people, there was a far greater miracle that occurred. Yeshua made three statements concerning Himself:
He was one with the Father
He was the Son
He declared His deity
This is the real miracle of Hanukkah, that God became a man for the purpose of taking on the sins of all humanity, having our sins imputed to Him while His righteousness is imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
During the time of Jesus, Jewish people during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) were remembering how the LORD had, two centuries before, preserved His sheep from the hand of the enemy.
Antiochus attempted to force Israel from the hand of God – he could not. They were safe – clasped securely in the Father’s firm but tender grip. Yeshua’s statement that His sheep were secure in His hand and His Father’s hand narrowed the focus from national deliverance to personal salvation, from historical facts to eternal possibilities. As in the days of the Maccabees, God knew His Chosen People, so Yeshua knows His sheep.
Are We Being Assimilated Into Our Culture?
The events of Hanukkah took place in a time when the Jewish community had been exposed for 200 years to the eroding influence of Hellenism (the world’s system). This assimilation almost caused their downfall. Have Christians been assimilated into the culture without becoming aware of it? This is definitely something to think about! We need the spiritual discernment of the Maccabees and the courage to stand firm in our resistance to the world’s efforts to dilute our faith and the practice of that faith.
Christmas, Hanukkah, Believers, Freedom from Sin and Dedication
On December 25th believers in Messiah Jesus will celebrate the miracle of the incarnation, the promised and predicted virgin birth of the Messiah Jesus. He has given us FREEDOM from sin’s penalty, sin’s power; and, someday, we will have FREEDOM even from sin’s presence. We can DEDICATE (or rededicate) the temples of our bodies to God for Him to use as HE sees fit. Why not do this in prayer right now?
The heart of each true believer in Jesus is the temple where the Spirit of God dwells. Too often we endanger the cleanliness of this Temple by allowing idolatry into our lives (1 Cor. 6:18-20). May we indeed be temples for the Messiah, cleansed & dedicated for the master’s use!
Without Hanukkah, there would be no Christmas!
“Satan, through Antiochus Epiphanes, had planned to destroy God’s word and His people through assimilation and annihilation. Had he been successful, there would have been no more Jewish people, and no Messiah to come, no death, no resurrection. As a result men and women would forever be lost in sin and without hope. And so a great miracle did happen there. It is not a cruse of oil but God’s preservation of His people and His faithfulness to the messianic promise that continues to give true significance to Hanukkah today.” (Kevin L. Howard, “Hanukkah: The Feast of Dedication,” Zion’s Fire 1 (1990): 20)
