What Is Hanukkah? Discovering the Story of the Maccabees

As we began learning about the biblical feasts, we often found ourselves looking at the Jewish calendar.

At first, it was simply practical. We wanted to know the correct dates for the feasts so we could observe them at the same time they were traditionally celebrated. That alone was a learning experience because we eventually discovered that there are different calendars used to calculate the biblical dates.

But while looking through the calendar, we kept noticing other Jewish celebrations that weren’t part of the seven biblical feasts.

One of them was Hanukkah.

That immediately made me curious.

If this was an important Jewish celebration, why had I never heard about it growing up in the church?

And what exactly was it about?

So, naturally, I started researching again.

The first thing I learned was that Hanukkah is connected to the story of the Maccabees, a small group of Jewish people who resisted a Greek ruler named Antiochus. He had taken control of Jerusalem and attempted to force Greek religion and practices onto the Jewish people, even desecrating the temple.

The Maccabees were not professional soldiers. They were essentially a small group of faithful people who refused to abandon their devotion to God and His commandments.

Against all odds, they fought back and eventually reclaimed the temple.

When they regained control of it, they cleansed and rededicated the temple back to God. That rededication is where the name Hanukkah comes from—it literally means “dedication.”

As I read the story, I couldn’t help but notice how much God’s hand seemed to be involved. A small group of people trusting in God had defeated a much stronger force and restored the temple.

That alone made the story feel significant.

But it also raised another question for me.

If this event was so meaningful in Jewish history, why wasn’t it something Christians talked about?

That question led me down another research trail.

I eventually discovered that the story of the Maccabees is recorded in historical writings known as 1 and 2 Maccabees, which many Christians are unfamiliar with because those books are not included in the traditional Protestant canon of Scripture.

For me, that discovery opened another set of questions about history, tradition, and how different communities have preserved different writings.

But regardless of those discussions, the historical event itself was clearly real. The story of the Maccabees and the rededication of the temple had been remembered and celebrated by the Jewish people for generations.

And that made me wonder something even more deeply.

Why had we never learned about this story growing up?

iamgesher

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