Bible Dictionary
Dedication, Feast of the
The Feast of Dedication, later known as Hanukkah, commemorated the cleansing and rededication of the Jerusalem temple after its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes. It lasted eight days and is mentioned in the New Testament during Jesus’ ministry.
Definition
The Feast of Dedication was an eight-day Jewish festival commemorating the cleansing and rededication of the temple and the rebuilding of its altar after the temple had been polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes and the Syrians were driven out by Judas Maccabaeus.
Biblical Usage
The feast is mentioned once in the canonical Scriptures, when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication. It began on the twenty-fifth of Chisleu and was observed with rejoicing and festivity.
Historical Background
The festival was instituted in 164 B.C. after the temple’s purification. It lasted eight days, did not require attendance at Jerusalem, and included branches, singing, and the daily singing of the Hallel in the temple.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(John 10:22, 42), i.e., the feast of the renewing. It was instituted B.C. 164 to commemorate the purging of the temple after its pollution by Antiochus Epiphanes (B.C. 167), and the rebuilding of the altar after the Syrian invaders had been driven out by Judas Maccabaeus. It lasted for eight days, beginning on the 25th of the month Chisleu (December), which was often a period of heavy rains (Ezra 10:9, 13). It was an occasion of much rejoicing and festivity. But there were other dedications of the temple. (1) That of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:2; 2 Chr. 5:3); (2) the dedication in the days of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29); and (3) the dedication of the temple after the Captivity (Ezra 6:16).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
the festival instituted to commemorate the purging of the temple and the rebuilding of the altar after Judas Maccabbeus had driven out the Syrians, B.C. 164. 1 Macc. 4:52-59. It is named only once in the canonical Scriptures. (John 10:22) It commenced on the 25th of Chisleu (early in December), the anniversary of the pollution of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 167. Like the great Mosaic feasts, it lasted eight days, but it did not require attendance at Jerusalem. It was an occasion of much festivity, and was celebrated in nearly the same manner as the feast of tabernacles, with the carrying of branches of trees and with much singing. In the temple at Jerusalem the “Hallel” was sung every day of the feast.