Jewish Festivals and Holy Days

Hanukkah

Chanukah

Hebrew Date 25 Kislev–2 or 3 Tevet

Season Winter

Duration 8 days

Type Post-Biblical Jewish Festival

Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication or Festival of Lights, remembers the Jewish victory over religious persecution and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BC. The eight-day celebration is marked today by the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah.

About Hanukkah

Hanukkah means "dedication." The festival remembers the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a period of persecution and desecration.

In the second century BC, Judea was under the control of the Seleucid Empire. King Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to impose Greek religious practices and restricted important parts of Jewish worship.

A revolt began under the priest Mattathias and continued under his sons. Judah, known as Judah Maccabee, became its best-known leader.

The Jewish fighters eventually regained control of Jerusalem and the Temple. The sanctuary was cleansed, a new altar was prepared and Jewish worship was restored.

The rededication was celebrated for eight days. Hanukkah continues to remember that event. In later Jewish tradition, the festival also became closely associated with the miracle of a small amount of sacred oil that burned for eight days.

Origin

Hanukkah began during the troubled period of Seleucid rule over Judea in the second century BC.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to strengthen Greek culture and religion throughout his kingdom. Jewish practices were restricted, and the Temple in Jerusalem was defiled.

Resistance broke out under Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his sons. After Mattathias died, his son Judah became the leading figure in the revolt. He became known as Judah Maccabee.

The rebels eventually regained Jerusalem. In about 164 BC, they cleansed the Temple and restored its altar and worship.

The Temple was rededicated on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev. The celebration lasted eight days. The name Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word for dedication.

Biblical Basis

Hanukkah is not commanded in the Torah and is not described in the Hebrew Bible.

The events behind the festival occurred centuries after the time of the Old Testament prophets. They belong to the period between the Old and New Testaments.

The principal ancient accounts are found in 1 and 2 Maccabees. These books describe the persecution under Antiochus IV, the Jewish revolt and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple.

The books of Maccabees are included in the Old Testament or Deuterocanonical books of some Christian traditions. They are not part of the Jewish Hebrew Bible, and Protestant Bibles generally place them among the Apocrypha when they are included.

The New Testament provides an important later reference. John 10 tells us that Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication, the festival we now call Hanukkah.

Explore This Festival

Open any topic below for additional history, observance, customs and Scripture.

Historical Background Ancient Observance Celebrated Today Customs & Symbols Foods Scripture

Jewish Meaning

Hanukkah celebrates the survival of Jewish worship and identity during a time of severe pressure.

The Maccabean story remembers people who resisted efforts to prevent them from practicing their faith. The rededication of the Temple represented the restoration of Jewish worship in Jerusalem.

For this reason, Hanukkah can carry themes of religious freedom and faithfulness. It also raises questions about how a community maintains its identity while living among other cultures.

The lights have become a powerful symbol of the festival. Each evening the amount of light increases until all eight lights are burning.

For many Jewish families, Hanukkah is also simply a joyful time to gather. Ancient history, religious memory and family celebration come together during the eight nights.

Jesus and the New Testament

Hanukkah has a direct connection with the New Testament. John 10 tells us that Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication.

John even notes that it was winter. Jesus was walking in the Temple area when Jewish leaders gathered around Him and asked Him to say plainly whether He was the Messiah.

This means that Jesus was present in the Temple during the festival that remembered its rededication about two centuries earlier.

The setting is especially interesting because the conversation turns to Jesus' identity and His relationship with the Father. The discussion becomes intense after Jesus says, "I and my Father are one."

John does not say that Jesus was teaching a special Hanukkah message. We should therefore avoid trying to connect every statement in the passage with a Hanukkah custom.

What the Gospel does establish clearly is that the Feast of Dedication was being observed in Jerusalem during the lifetime of Jesus and that He was present there during it.

Christian Relevance

Hanukkah helps Christians understand the Jewish world into which Jesus was born.

The Old Testament closes before the Maccabean revolt. By the time the New Testament begins, Jewish life had been shaped by centuries of additional history. The struggle remembered at Hanukkah was one of the most important events during that period.

The revolt helps explain the strong concern many Jews had about foreign rule and religious interference. Memories of Antiochus and the desecration of the Temple remained part of Jewish history when Rome later controlled Judea.

Hanukkah also provides a direct link to the Gospel of John. Jesus was present in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication.

Christians do not need to turn Hanukkah into a Christian festival to appreciate its importance. Understanding its history gives us a clearer picture of the Jewish people, the Temple and the political world of the New Testament.

Why It Matters

Hanukkah grew from a struggle over worship, identity and faithfulness to God. In the second century BC, the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV tried to suppress Jewish religious practice. The Temple in Jerusalem was defiled, and Jewish worship there was disrupted.

A Jewish revolt led by the family known as the Maccabees eventually regained Jerusalem. The Temple was cleansed and rededicated to God. Hanukkah remembers that restoration.

For Christians, Hanukkah is also important because it belongs to the world between the Old and New Testaments. The Gospel of John specifically tells us that Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication.