S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

The Feast of Dedication, which was once also called the Feast of the Maccabees, was an eight-day winter festival celebrated by the Jews in the month of December or sometimes late November, dependin...

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May 18 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What is the Feast of Dedication?

The festival mentioned in John 10:22, however, was held in "wintertime" and commemorated the rededication of the temple in 165 B.C.E. It lasted eight days, beginning on the 25th day of the month of Chislev, close to the winter solstice. 

The observance of the Festival of Dedication (Heb., chanuk·kahʹ) commemorates the recovery of Jewish independence from Syro-Grecian domination and the rededication to Jehovah of the temple at Jerusalem, which had been desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who called himself The·osʹ E·pi·pha·nesʹ ("God Manifest"). He built an altar on top of the great altar on which the daily burnt offering had formerly been presented. (1 Maccabees 1:54-59, AT) 

Two years later, Judas Maccabaeus recaptured the city and the temple. 

After the temple was cleansed of defilement, the rededication took place on Chislev 25, 165 B.C.E., exactly three years to the day after Antiochus had made his sacrifice on the altar in worship of the pagan god. The daily or continual burnt offerings were renewed.​—1 Maccabees 4:36-54; 2 Maccabees 10:1-9, AT.

Conclusion:

The "Feast of Dedication," also known as Hanukkah, is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the Syrian-Greek army. The New Testament, in the Gospel of John (John 10:22-23), says that Jesus attended the festival in the winter. While not one of the festivals commanded in the Old Testament, it is considered a significant national holiday that Jesus observed, signifying its importance during his time.

October 30 2025 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report