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Questioning Hanukkah
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when Hanukkah lights go up to compete with their Christmas neighbors, and Jewish children are comforted with eight days of presents in contrast to the one day orgy of Christmas materialism.
No, Hanukkah does not celebrate the “miracle” of the Temple lamps burning for eight days. That is just one story, probably added much later, and of dubious authenticity. Hanukkah is not really even a religious holiday. Rather, it commemorates a military victory of the Maccabean Jews.
I grew up regarding the Maccabees as noble guerrilla fighters against imperialist oppression — a sort of ancient version of the Viet Cong of my time. I would play Judas Maccabee with a plastic sword, bravely fighting the Greek oppressors. But like the Viet Cong, my romanticized version of the Maccabees was different from the reality. Studying historical sources closer to the time, including Josephus, it seems the Maccabees may be closer to our modern Taliban or Isis — fanatical and violent religious fundamentalists.
First, some context. The events of Hanukkah took place during the interregnum between the Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire, approximately 164 BCE. Alexander had been welcomed into Jerusalem, and in return, he promised tolerance and respect for the local religion. When Alexander died, his empire was split between his…
