What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah (Chanukah or Chanuka) is an eight-day Jewish celebration held in late November or Early December (25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar) focused on the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. Hanukkah is often called the Festival of Lights, where the lighting of the menorah takes place along with traditional foods being served and activities are held. After the first temple, also known as Solomon's Temple, was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 B.C., the second temple was built in 530 B.C. under Persian occupation and approval after the Jews were allowed to return from exile in Babylon. After Alexander the Great and the Greeks took control of the region in 333 B.C., including the Jewish nation, a growing Greek influence on the Jewish culture created what is known as Hellenism and created a division with Jews who wanted to be more traditionalist against those who wanted to adopt Greek traditions. This conflict sparked the Maccabean Revolt, where Jews began a revolt against the Greek/Syrian authority. The word Hanukkah means "dedication" in Hebrew and the name was chosen to commemorate the rededication of the second temple, which had been "defiled" with the installment of Greek idol statues by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, including a statue of Zeus along with animal sacrifices in 168 B.C. Antiochus wanted to install Greek culture onto the Jews by banning Jewish worship and forcing worship of Greek gods. After a successful Jewish revolt, the statues were removed and the temple was rededicated under Jewish control in 165 B.C. The revolt was sparked by the Jewish priest Mattathias of the Hasmonean Maccabean family when he refused to worship the Greek gods. The Seleucid Dynasty was falling apart and the Hasmonean Dynasty marked a period of Jewish independence beginning with semi-autonomous rule in 140 B.C. and full independence in 110 B.C. In 63 A.D. the Romans would invade the region and the Jews and the Hasmonean Dynasty would be under Roman rule. The installation of Herod the Great as king in 37 BCE made Judea a Roman client state and marked the end of the Hasmonean dynasty after 103 years of Jewish control. The Romans would destroy the second temple in 70 A.D., just as Jesus Christ predicted in Matthew 24:1-2, in retaliation of a Jewish revolt in 66 A.D. Jesus also attended a Hanukkah celebration or "Festival of Dedication", as recorded in John 10:22.
The Miracle of Hanukkah
After the Greeks entered the temple sanctuary and contaminated most of the oil for lighting the temple's menorah, the Hasmonean Jews regained control of the temple and planned the rededication and purification. Upon entering the temple, the Hasmoneans found only a small, one-day's supply of oil. However, this oil miraculously lasted for eight days, inspiring the tradition of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.
During Hanukkah celebrations, a menorah with nine candles is lighted, including eight candles to represent the eight day festival and one extra center candle(the shamash, or helper candle) which is used to light the eight candles one each day.
The Miracle of Hanukkah
After the Greeks entered the temple sanctuary and contaminated most of the oil for lighting the temple's menorah, the Hasmonean Jews regained control of the temple and planned the rededication and purification. Upon entering the temple, the Hasmoneans found only a small, one-day's supply of oil. However, this oil miraculously lasted for eight days, inspiring the tradition of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.
During Hanukkah celebrations, a menorah with nine candles is lighted, including eight candles to represent the eight day festival and one extra center candle(the shamash, or helper candle) which is used to light the eight candles one each day.
