The following information was taken from the book “Enter His Gates To Your Jewish Roots”, by Susan Marcus.

 Celebrated in November-December, Chanukah is the most widely observed holiday in the Jewish calendar. Called the festival of lights, it commemorates the victory of the Jewish people, led by the Maccabees, over the Greek Seleucid ruler, Antiochus the fourth.

In the year 164 b.c.e. the Greek ruler forbade the practice of Judaism including performing of rituals such as circumcision, observing he Sabbath, owning a Bible. Such was his power and self-confidence, he thought that by edict he could force the people to abandon heir belief in God. To that end, he also brought pigs and idols into the Temple in Jerusalem.

He misunderstood the nature of the Jewish people. Antiochus might have had a better chance of victory if he simply left he people alone and let the Greek culture inculcate itself into society. Since to be modern in those days was to be Greek, or a Hellenist, many Jews were succumbing to the temptation of the Greek way of life.

He thought he could impose Hellenism on the people, but he hadn’t counted on one family living in a little town called Modi’in. At the head of the family was a man called Mattathias, Together with his five sons, he rallied the people to rise up against the Greeks and preserve the Jewish people. With the slogan, “Mi L’adonai, acherai”, (“Whoever is for he Lord, follow me”), a rebellion began against the most incredible odds. Mattathias and his sons, called Maccabees (meaning Hammer) defeated he Greeks and re-conquered Jerusalem.

To their horror, they found the Temple in Jerusalem totally desecrated. They cleansed the Temple, removing the idols and swine but found in the eternal light only enough oil to last for one day. It would take eight days to replenish the light. Miraculously, the little cruse of oil lasted for eight days until the new oil could be brought.

The total rebellion lasted for three years but, in the end, when the Maccabees were successful, they had fought the first war for religious freedom in the history of mankind. At the time of this battle, the Jews were the only monotheists in the world! Because the Temple was cleansed and God performed a miracle in allowing the oil to last for eight days, the rededication of the Temple gave the name Chanukah to the celebration.

Also known as the Feast of Lights, we light candles in a special candelabrum called a Chanukiah for eight nights.

The Bible tells us that Jesus celebrated Chanukah, Feast of Dedication, in John 10:22.

Curt Landry tells the Chanukah story to the children of the House of David.

© 2007 House of David Ministries, Inc.