Hannukah
The Maccabean Revolt
Hellenistic Period
• 332BCE Alexander the Great conquers Palestine
• 323BCE Alexander dies
– Diadochi, Ptolemy in Egypt, Seleucus in Syria
• 301-201BCE Ptolemaic Rule
– Allowed to continue as semiautonomous
• 201BCE Seleucid conquest of Palestine
• 175-171 Jason High Priest
– bribes Antiochus IV for high priesthood
– builds gymnasium in Jerusalem which becomes a polis – “Antioch”
• 171-167 Menelaus High Priest
– Converts temple into pagan shrine, YHVH=Zeus=Baal Shamin
• 168-164 Maccabean Revolt
• 167-166 Antiochus IV decrees persecution
• 164 Judah conquers Jerusalem and rededicates the
Temple
Why is Hanukah 8 Days?
‫‪Winter Solstice Holiday‬‬
‫תלמוד בבלי מסכת עבודה זרה דף ח עמוד א‬
‫• גמ'‪ .‬אמר רב חנן בר רבא‪ :‬קלנדא ‪ -‬ח' ימים אחר תקופה‪ ,‬סטרנורא‬
‫ ח' ימים לפני תקופה‪ ,‬וסימנך‪( :‬תהלים קלט) אחור וקדם צרתני‬‫וגו'‪.‬‬
‫• ת"ר‪ :‬לפי שראה אדם הראשון יום שמתמעט והולך‪ ,‬אמר‪ :‬אוי לי‪,‬‬
‫שמא בשביל שסרחתי עולם חשוך בעדי וחוזר לתוהו ובוהו‪ ,‬וזו היא‬
‫מיתה שנקנסה עלי מן השמים‪ ,‬עמד וישב ח' ימים בתענית‬
‫[ובתפלה]‪ ,‬כיון שראה תקופת טבת וראה יום שמאריך והולך‪ ,‬אמר‪:‬‬
‫מנהגו של עולם הוא‪ ,‬הלך ועשה שמונה ימים טובים‪ ,‬לשנה האחרת‬
‫עשאן לאלו ולאלו ימים טובים‪ ,‬הוא קבעם לשם שמים‪ ,‬והם קבעום‬
‫לשם עבודת כוכבים‪ .‬בשלמא למ"ד‪ :‬בתשרי נברא העולם‪ ,‬יומי זוטי‬
‫חזא‪ ,‬יומי אריכי אכתי לא חזא; אלא למ"ד‪ :‬בניסן נברא העולם‪ ,‬הא‬
‫חזא ליה יומי זוטי ויומי אריכי! [דהוי] זוטי כולי האי לא חזא‪.‬‬
‫• ת"ר‪ :‬יום שנברא בו אדם הראשון‪ ,‬כיון ששקעה עליו חמה‪ ,‬אמר‪ :‬אוי‬
‫לי‪ ,‬שבשביל שסרחתי עולם חשוך בעדי ויחזור עולם לתוהו ובוהו‪,‬‬
‫וזו היא מיתה שנקנסה עלי מן השמים‪ ,‬היה יושב [בתענית] ובוכה‬
‫כל הלילה וחוה בוכה כנגדו‪ ,‬כיון שעלה עמוד השחר‪ ,‬אמר‪ :‬מנהגו‬
‫של עולם הוא ‪.‬‬
Winter Solstice
• Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zara 8a
• Our Rabbis taught: When Adam saw the day getting
gradually shorter, he said, ‘Woe is me, perhaps because
I have sinned, the world around me is being darkened
and returning to its state of chaos and confusion; this
then is the kind of death to which I have been sentenced
from Heaven!’ So he began keeping an eight days’ fast.
But as he observed the winter equinox and noted the
day getting increasingly longer, he said, ‘This is the
world's course’, and he set forth to keep an eight days’
festivity. In the following year he appointed both as
festivals. Now, he fixed them for the sake of Heaven, but
the [heathens] appointed them for the sake of idolatry.
Like Sukkoth
II Maccabees 10
Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the
temple and the city; 2. they tore down the altars that had been built in the
public square by the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts. 3.
They purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking
fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years, and they
offered incense and lighted lamps and set out the bread of the Presence.
4. When they had done this, they fell prostrate and implored the Lord that they
might never again fall into such misfortunes, but that, if they should ever sin,
they might be disciplined by him with forbearance and not be handed over to
blasphemous and barbarous nations. 5. It happened that on the same day on
which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of
the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month,
which was Chislev.
6. They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival
of booths, remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths, they
had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. 7.
Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also
fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given
success to the purifying of his own holy place. 8. They decreed by public edict,
ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days
every year. 9. Such then was the end of Antiochus, who was called
Epiphanes.
‫‪Lit for Eight Days‬‬
‫• תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף כא עמוד ב‬
‫• מאי חנוכה? דתנו רבנן‪ :‬בכ"ה בכסליו יומי דחנוכה תמניא‬
‫אינון‪ ,‬דלא למספד בהון ודלא להתענות בהון‪ .‬שכשנכנסו‬
‫יוונים להיכל טמאו כל השמנים שבהיכל‪ ,‬וכשגברה מלכות‬
‫בית חשמונאי ונצחום‪ ,‬בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של‬
‫שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו של כהן גדול‪ ,‬ולא היה בו אלא‬
‫להדליק יום אחד‪ ,‬נעשה בו נס והדליקו ממנו שמונה‬
‫ימים‪ .‬לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים טובים בהלל‬
‫והודאה‪.‬‬
‫‪Eight Metal Spits‬‬
‫• פסיקתא רבתי (איש שלום) פרשה ב ד"ה ילמדנו‬
‫רבינו נר‬
‫• ולמה מדליק נרות בחנוכה אלא בשעה שנצחו בניו‬
‫של חשמונאי הכהן הגדול למלכות יון שנאמר‬
‫ועוררת בניך ציון על בניך יון (זכריה ט' י"ג) נכנסו‬
‫לבית המקדש מצאו שם שמונה שפודין של ברזל‬
‫וקבעו אותם והדליקו בתוכם נרות‪,‬‬
Josephus is in the “Dark”
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12:7
• Now Judas celebrated the festival of the restoration of the
sacrifices of the temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of
pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and
splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them
by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the
revival of their customs, when, after a long time of
intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the freedom of
their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that
they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of
their temple worship, for eight days. And from that time to this
we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the
reason was, because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared
to us; and that thence was the name given to that festival.
Judas also rebuilt the walls round about the city, and reared
towers of great height against the incursions of enemies, and
set guards therein. He also fortified the city Bethsura, that it
might serve as a citadel against any distresses that might
come from our enemies.
Dreidl
• The long nights of Hanukkah were ideal for games and
play which, prohibited during the year (the main reason:
waste of time which should be devoted to the study of
the Torah), were allowed on this occasion. The most
popular game, especially with children, was trendl
(dreidl; a top; in modern Hebrew sevivon) whose four
sides were inscribed with the Hebrew letters S, h, g, n,
standing for the words: MS hyh lvdg sn (nes gadol hayah
sham, “a great miracle occurred there”(, in Israel the S is
replaced by p, the initial of hp (poh, “here”(. The dreidl is
an example of how foreign material was ingeniously
Judaized: the original medieval dice used in Germany by
gamblers was inscribed with the four letters: N, G, H,
and S, which are the initials nichts )“nothing”(, ganz
)“all”(, halb )“half”(, and stellein )“put in”(. The four
Hebrew parallel letters of the dice which became
sanctified have the same numerical value as that of the
word “Messiah” )Shgn=HyQm=358( and appropriate
conclusions were consequently reached. Cards were
also Judaized and special “Jewish” card sets, inscribed
with Hebrew letters and illustrated with “Jewish” pictures,
were used. – Encyclopedia Judaica “Folklore”
From the Hasmoneans to
Roman Revolt
Hasmonean
Dynasy
1. Mattathias
ben Johanan
[ ? - 165 BCE]
____
_
|
_______________
_
|
____
________|______
|
|
Mattathias
Judah
[ ?-134 BCE]
________________
______
|
3. Jonathan
Apphus
Eleazar
Avaron
[ ? - 160 BCE]
_
_
|
2. Judah
Maccabee
[ruled 142-134 BCE]
_
_
|
4. Simon
Thassi
Johanan
Gaddi
__________|________
[ruled 160-142
BCE]
__________
|
5. Johanan
Hyrcanus
[ ?- 134 BCE]
[ruled 134-104 BCE]
________
|
6. Aristobulus I
(Judah)
[ruled 104-103 BCE]
_
__________|________
_
________
|
|
Antigonus
(Matthew)
7. Alexander Jannai
(Jonathan)
[ ? - 104 BCE]
[ruled 103-76 BCE]
__________
_
|
10. Hyrcanus II
(Jonathan)
9. Aristobulus II
(Judah)
[ruled 63-40 (d. 30) BCE]
[ruled 76-67 BCE]
[ruled 67-63 (d. 49) BCE]
|_______
|
|
[ ? - 28 BCE]
8. Salome
Alexandra
________|
|
Alexandra
=
Alexander
=
[ ? - 49 BCE]
____
|
11. Antigonus
(Matthew)
[ruled 40-37 BCE]
__________
|
Judah the Maccabee
• 167-160 BCE
• Led the revolt against
the Seleucids
• Purified the Temple in
164 BCE
Jonathan
• Ruler 161-143 BCE
• first Hasmonean to be
High Priest in 153
BCE
Simon
• Ethnarch and High Priest
• 142-135 BCE
• Is granted tax exemption
from Demetrius II
• Removes Seleucid
garrison in Jerusalem
• Gains total political
independence
• Murdered by his son-inlaw together with two
older sons
John Hyrcanus
• Ethnarch and High
Priest
• 134-104 BCE
• Forced the Idumeans
to convert (including
Antipater’s father,
grandfather of Herod)
• Destroys Samaritan
Temple in 128BCE
Aristobulus I
• King and High Priest
• 104-103BCE
• First to call himself
king
• Imprisons mother and
three brothers. Kills
another brother.
• Married to Salome
Alexandra
Alexander Yannai
• King and High Priest
• 103-76 BCE
• Married Salome Alexandra,
his brother’s widow
• Practiced Sadduecean law
and was pelted by Etrogim.
Kills 6,000 Jews in
retaliations.
• Killed 50,000 in civil war.
• Crucified 800 Pharisees
• Advises his wife before dying
to yield to the Pharisees!
Salome Alexandra & Sons
• Salome is queen of Judea 76-67 BCE
• Her two sons Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus
II fight over the crown. Both appeal for
help from the Romans.
• Pompey imprisons Aristobulus II and
makes Hyrcanus II high priest in 63BCE.
• Hyrcanus serves 63-40BCE
• Antignos serves 40-37BCE
• Herod marries Mariamne, granddaughter
of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus.
Hasmonean
Conquests
BCE]
____
_
________|______
|
|
Mattathias
Judah
[ ?-134 BCE]
_
__________
|
5. Johanan
Hyrcanus
[ ?- 134 BCE]
[ruled 134-104 BCE]
________
|
6. Aristobulus I
(Judah)
[ruled 104-103 BCE]
_
__________|________
_
________
|
|
Antigonus
(Matthew)
7. Alexander Jannai
(Jonathan)
[ ? - 104 BCE]
[ruled 103-76 BCE]
__________
_
|
10. Hyrcanus II
(Jonathan)
9. Aristobulus II
(Judah)
[ruled 63-40 (d. 30) BCE]
[ruled 76-67 BCE]
[ruled 67-63 (d. 49) BCE]
|_______
|
|
[ ? - 28 BCE]
8. Salome
Alexandra
________|
|
Alexandra
=
____
|
11. Antigonus
(Matthew)
Alexander
=
[ ? - 49 BCE]
[ruled 40-37 BCE]
__________
Aristobulus III
[ ? - 35 BCE]
|
|
Mariamne
[ ? - 29 BCE]
=
12. Herod
(the Great)
[ruled 38-4 BCE]
________
|
_____
|
|
Aristobulus IV
Alexander
[ ca 31 - 7 BCE]
[ ca 30 - 7 BCE]
Pompey
Pompey Enters the Holy of Holies
• The first Roman to subdue the Jews and
set foot into their Temple by right of
conquest was Gnaeus Pompey: thereafter
it was a matter of common knowledge that
there were no representations of the gods
within, but that the place was empty and
the secret shrine contained nothing.
Tacitus Histories 5.11-12