In the
past I’ve made the case that Jesus probably was born sometime in September. If
that’s the case then what really happened in December? Is Christmas just the
result of overlaying Christian beliefs on a formerly pagan holiday as some
believe, or is there more to it?
Happy Hanukkah
To
find the answer we begin with a look at the Jewish Feast of Hanukkah. Maybe
you’ve heard the story of Hanukkah, but if not here’s a brief summary. In 165
BC, during the time of the Maccabean Revolt, the Jews recaptured their
desecrated Temple from Syrian dictator Antiochus Epiphanes and undertook a
rebuilding and cleansing process to make it fit for worship again. (Angry with
the Jews and defiant toward God, Antiochus had captured the Temple, sacrificed a
pig on the altar, and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Holy Place
requiring everyone to worship it on pain of death. This outrageous act rendered
the Temple unclean and became known as the Abomination of Desolation.)
