leadership , his five sons joined the resistance , with Judah Maccabee (" Judah the Hammer ") emerging as a central figure . Against overwhelming odds , Judah led the Judeans to victory , reclaiming and rededicating the Temple in 165 BCE . Chanukah commemorates this miraculous triumph , including the cleansing and rededication of the Temple .
Some scholars suggest that the eightday celebration of Chanukah may have originally been a delayed observance of Sukkot , which could not be celebrated during the conflict with the Seleucids . The historian Josephus refers to this event as the Festival of Lights .
The New Testament also references this celebration . In John 10:22 – 23 , it is written
However , some Jews adopted Hellenistic practices and assimilated into the dominant culture . Shockingly , some even underwent painful surgeries to reverse their circumcision , hoping to conceal their heritage and fully participate in public baths and athletic competitions .
This uneasy balance shifted under Antiochus IV , who recaptured Jerusalem in 168 BCE and desecrated the Jewish Temple . In an egregious act of defiance against the God of Israel , he erected an altar to Zeus within the Temple , sacrificed pigs on the sacred altar , and outlawed Jewish practices , including circumcision .
“ Then came the Feast of Dedication ; it was winter in Jerusalem . Yeshua was walking in the Temple courts , in Solomon ’ s Colonnade .” This suggests that Yeshua himself observed the festival .
Today , the tradition of Chanukah includes lighting a nine-branched Menorah ( Chanukiah ), placing it in a window so its light shines outward as a testimony to God ' s preservation of the Jewish people . This enduring symbol reflects both the historical victory and the enduring faith of the Jewish community .
In 167 BCE , the Jewish priest Mattathias ( Mattiyahu ) initiated a revolt against the Seleucid occupation . Inspired by his
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