Hanukkah and Christmas at My House

Historical Setting of Hanukkah

(Click Here for the Historical Setting of Jesus' Birth)

Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication, commemorates the Maccabees' recapturing of the Temple in Jerusalem from the Syrians and its rededication in 165 BCE (Before the Common Era). The events commemorated in the celebration of Hanukkah occurred about 1,000 years after the time of Moses and the exodus from Egypt and about 100 years before Rome conquered Jerusalem.

At the time of the Maccabean revolt against Syria, the country we now call Israel was divided into a northern kingdom (Israel) and a southern kingdom (Judea). Judea was occupied by a Syrian king named Antiochus IV. When Antiochus IV became king, he inherited an empire on the verge of bankruptcy, internally unstable, and with powerful enemies on all sides. Antiochus decided that his empire would be more stable if everyone had Greek religion and culture in common, and he decreed that all inhabitants of Judea were to worship Greek gods. At this time, Antiochus did not care if Jews continued practicing their own religion along with the worship of Zeus.

Judean contact with Greek culture had begun long before Antiochus IV. Such contact reached back to the Persian, Greek, and then Egyptian occupation of Judea from the years 539-198 BCE. When Antiochus made his decree, many Jews already spoke Greek, read Greek translations of the Torah (first five books of the Hebrew bible), and had adopted many aspects of Greek culture. Although the influence of Greek culture was strong, controversial rival parties -- radical pro-Hellenic, moderate pro-Hellenic, and fundamentalist conservative -- had emerged in the previous years and were still a powerful influence on Jewish life in Antiochus' time.

Although many pro-Hellenic Jews did not resist Antiochus' decree, a strong conservative element would not allow Zeus-worship at the Temple in Jerualem. When stronger laws had no effect on this minority resistance, Antiochus plundered the Temple, killing 40,000 Jews in the process. Nevertheles, the conservatives continued to resist Hellenization. In 167 BCE, during another attempt to force compliance, Antiochus completely outlawed the practice of Judaism in Judea. The worship of Zeus was forcibly established in the Temple, all copies of the Torah were destroyed, circumcision of baby boys was prohibited, observance of the Sabbath and the festivals was forbidden, and Jews were forced to eat food they considered unclean. The punishment for defiance was death.

Not long after Judaism was outlawed, officers of the King were sent around the country to enforce the decree. Rather than comply, a local priest named Mattathias took his five sons and fled to the hills. Mattathias and his five sons launched a guerilla-style war against both the Syrians and the Jews who accepted the Hellinization of Jewish culture. They eventually turned their minority resistance into a full-fledged revolt. The third son Judas, who took over leadership after his father's death, was nicknamed Maccabeus. Some sources say this nickname means "the hammer." The army became known as the Maccabees.

In 165 BCE, the Maccabees finally reclaimed and then rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem by purifying it, burning incense, and relighting the branched lamps called menorahs that stood in the courtyard. A few years later, the Maccabees drove Antiochus out of Egypt and established self-rule for the first time since 539 BCE. Maccabean rule did not last long however. The power of Rome was growing, and by the first century Common Era (CE) Judea was part of the Roman empire. By 70 CE the Temple in Jerusalem was permanently destroyed.

Historical Setting of Jesus' Birth

Historians agree that Jesus carried on his ministry in the third decade of the Common Era, during the reign of Tiberius and the procuratorship of Pontius Pilate. However, the year and place of his birth are uncertain. Mark and John say nothing about them; Matteh 1 and 2 and Luke 2 present widelt divergent accounts of Jesus' birth and childhood. In Matthew 1 and 2, Jesus' birth is set at the time of Herod I and the change of regime, which would be about 4 BCE. In Luke 2, Jesus' birth is linked to the first registration in Judea under the Emperor Augustus, which was about 6 CE.

The tradition of naming Bethlehem as the place of Jesus' birth is found in Matthew 2 and Luke 2. In Matthew, Bethlehem is thought of as the parents' original place of residence, which they soon change to Nazareth because of dangers threatening their child. In the Lucan story, Jesus' parents really live in Nazareth, but stay in Bethlehem because they are obliged to register at the Davidic family's place of origin.

Jesus' lifetime was a period of international stability under the rule of the Romans. However, in Judea considerable unrest and division existed among several rival groups. Three of these -- the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes -- had begun to emerge during the period of Maccabean rule that preceded the Romans. The Sadducees were a religiously conservative, but politically adaptable group who accepted the written Torah alone as authoritative. The Pharisees were more liberal, for although they stressed the performance of all of the commandments of the Torah, they also accepted a revealed oral tradition and reinterpreted the Torah and prophetic writings to meet the needs of the times. They did not feel strongly about politics as long as they could practice Judaism undisturbed. The Essenes were distinguished by their pursuit of a ascetic, monastic life and their distain for materials goods. The Zealots emerged afterwards, during the rule of the Romans. They were a radical group who refused to pay taxes and were intent on fomenting revolution against the Romans. They were particularly dedicated to keeping the Temple pure.

Within the context of these diverse streams of tradition, Jesus went about teaching a message with many themes in common with both the Pharisees and Essenes, and yet in important respects distinct.

Closing Thoughts

The Pharisaic movement gained strength over the years of Roman occupation and ultimately gave rise to modern Rabbinic Judaism. The life and teachings of Jesus gave rise to modern Christianity. One of the most fascinating challenges facing Jews and Christians today, particilarly those in interfaith households, is clarifying the relationship between these two religious communities. We may ask ourselves, "What values, beliefs, and visions do these two religious traditions share? At what points do they differ? How can each tradition lead us to work for peace and justice in the world?"