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Title: The story of Chanukah
Author: Benjamin Sacks
Release date: July 11, 2025 [eBook #76482]
Language: English
Original publication: Pittsburgh: Hebrew Institute, 1913
Credits: Charlene Taylor, Matthew Everett and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF CHANUKAH ***
TO
THE MEMORY
OF
THE LATE MINA LIPPMAN AARON
THESE PAGES ARE
DEDICATED
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
STORY OF CHANUKAH
BY
BENJAMIN SACKS B. A.
[Illustration]
HEBREW INSTITUTE
PITTSBURGH PA.
----
5678
----
COPYRIGHT 1913
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FESTIVAL
The festival of Chanukah was instituted by Judas Maccabeus and the
elders of the Congregation of Israel in the year 3595 on the 25th day of
Kislev
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration]
THE STORY OF CHANUKA.
Upon the death of Alexander the Great, under whose reign the Jews
enjoyed freedom and peace, his kingdom was divided among his generals,
one of whom took Egypt and another, Syria. There was continual strife
between the kings of these two countries, for each wanted to subject the
other to his rule. Palestine, being situated between Syria and Egypt,
became the battlefield upon which their armies fought. At times, the
kings of Syria would be victorious, and at times the kings of Egypt
would gain the upper hand. For a long time the armies of Egypt were
victors, and so it happened that many of the Jews went to live in
Alexandria, where they acquired many of the Greek customs practiced
there. Judea, in the meantime, became a tributary to Egypt. The Jews
were treated well by the Egyptians; they were allowed to appoint their
own governors; and their religion was not interfered with.
About 100 years after the death of Alexander, Antiochus III., surnamed
the Great, ascended the throne of Syria. He conquered Egypt and with it
Palestine. The position of the Jews, however, was not changed; they were
mildly ruled, and their government was left in their own hands.
Antiochus was succeeded by his oldest son, Seleucus Philopater.
In the tenth year of the reign of Seleucus, something happened in Judea
that caused him to turn his attention to the treasures deposited in the
Temple at Jerusalem. A violent quarrel broke out between Onias III., who
was at that time the High Priest in Judea, and Simon, who had been
appointed governor of Jerusalem. In order to injure Onias, Simon told
the King that there were great riches in the Temple. Seleucus received
this news with joy, for he was at this time hard pressed for money to
pay his annual tribute to the Romans. He sent out his treasurer,
Heliodorus, to plunder the Temple, and bring back these riches to
Antioch.
HELIODORUS IN THE TEMPLE.
Heliodorus immediately set out for Jerusalem, without acquainting any
one of his purpose. When he arrived there, he told Onias of the King’s
orders, and demanded that he quietly surrender the treasure. The High
Priest replied that there was quite a large treasure in the Temple, but
that it was by no means as large as had been reported; that the greater
part of it consisted of holy gifts consecrated to God; that a
considerable amount was deposited by Hyrcanus, a man high in favor of
the King; and that the remainder was deposited by widows and orphans for
safekeeping. He added that he could not consent to deprive the rightful
owners of their property, and thus profane his high office, which was
holy and revered by all.
The commands of the King were strict and Heliodorus remained firm in his
purpose. Attended by a large number of armed men, he marched to the
Temple; and when the priests tried to oppose his progress, he ordered
that the outer gates be destroyed. A great mourning arose in the whole
city, and from all sides were heard the cries of the people. But as soon
as Heliodorus attempted to enter the Temple, a wonderful thing happened.
Legend has it that a horse, mounted by a terrible rider, rushed toward
him, and struck him with its fore-foot. Two beautiful youths, who
attended the warrior, then beat Heliodorus with rods until he fainted.
When Heliodorus was carried out of the Temple by the priests, the spark
of life scarcely burned within him. When Onias, the High Priest, saw
this, fearing lest the wrath of the King should be incurred, offered
sacrifices and prayers to God, and thus restored Heliodorus to life. The
treasurer returned to Antioch empty-handed, and told the King of his
failure.
ANTIOCHUS CROWNED KING OF SYRIA.
In the course of the same year, Heliodorus, in hopes of succeeding to
the throne, poisoned Seleucus, the King. When Antiochus, the King’s
brother, who was returning from Rome, heard of this, he immediately
secured the aid of another king, and easily crushed the usurper.
Antiochus IV. now became King of Syria.
BUYING THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD.
Scarcely had Antiochus begun to rule, when from all parts of his empire
came the leading men to pay homage to him. Among them came a younger
brother of the High Priest Onias, Joshua, who called himself by the
Greek name Jason. This Jason was possessed of good manners and polished
address. At the court of Antiochus, he was welcomed; and, by offering
the King a very large bribe, prevailed upon him to depose his brother
Onias, and appoint him in his place. Not only was Onias removed from the
High Priesthood, but he was also forced to take up his residence at
Antioch, where he would not interfere with the new High Priest. Jason
next attempted to gradually make Greeks of the Jews. Accordingly, he
built a place in Jerusalem for such sports and exercises as were
practiced by the Greeks, and established a school in which Jewish youths
could be brought up after the manner of the Greeks.
Jason remained High Priest for only three years. Menelaus, an ambitious
and dishonest young man, having been sent to Antioch by Jason with
tribute, by offering to pay annually a sum amounting to $300,000 more
than Jason, succeeded in having himself appointed in his place. This
Menelaus was even more corrupt than Jason, and later proved himself
guilty of the most horrible crimes.
MENELAUS’ SACRILEGE.
Menelaus soon found that he was unable to pay the large amount of money
which he had promised to Antiochus. The King, who demanded punctuality
of his subjects in their payment of tribute, summoned him to Antioch.
Fearing that he would be punished or stripped of his office, he sent
secret directions to his brother Lysimachus, who was acting as High
Priest during his absence, to remove some of the holy vessels from the
Temple, and to send him the money obtained by selling them. When Onias,
the deposed High Priest heard of this, his anger was aroused, and he
accused Menelaus of robbing the Temple. Menelaus fearing, that he would
be removed from his office, bribed one of the King’s officers to kill
Onias. When Onias learned of the plot against his life, he escaped; but
later, when the officer induced him to return by assurances of safety,
he was brutally murdered.
Great was the anger of the Jews when they heard of this new outrage. The
people of Jerusalem rose up against the brother of Menelaus, and put to
route a number of his followers who tried to defend him. Lysimachus,
himself, escaped to the treasury of the Temple, but was pursued and
killed. Menelaus, in the meantime by bribing the King, gained his
support, and continued to remain in the office of High Priest.
ANTIOCHUS’S ENTRANCE INTO
JERUSALEM.
While Antiochus was engaged in attacking Egypt, a report was spread that
he had been killed. This news was received by the Jews with great joy.
Jason, the deposed High Priest, knowing that Menelaus would now be left
without a protector entered Jerusalem, defeated the soldiers of
Menelaus, and put the latter to flight. Jason did not remain there long,
however, for it soon became known that Antiochus was alive and that he
was marching towards Jerusalem with a large army. Antiochus, in the
meantime, had been led to believe that the entire Jewish nation had
revolted; and further angered by the fact that the news of his death had
caused such rejoicing, quickly returned from Egypt; and entered
Jerusalem, where he killed 40,000 of the inhabitants, and took as many
captive. He then robbed the treasury of the Temple, and removed to
Antioch all the sacred vessels, the table of shewbread, the golden
candlestick, and the altar of incense.
THE MASSACRE OF THE JEWS.
Upon his return, two years later from Egypt, where he had been expelled,
Antiochus determined to avenge himself upon the Jews, whom he now hated
bitterly. Appolonius, one of his chief generals, was sent to Judea with
an army. Inasmuch as that general had been sent there before with his
troops as a collector of taxes, his coming caused no alarm. His soldiers
did not trouble the inhabitants, who had not the slightest suspicion of
their intentions. When the Sabbath came, the Syrians, knowing that the
Jews would not take up arms on that day even in self-defence, fell upon
them and slaughtered them mercilessly. The Jews, obeying the laws of the
Sabbath, which forbade them to fight on that day, meekly submitted to be
butchered. Houses were pulled down and plundered, and the walls of the
city destroyed.
THE DESECRATION OF THE TEMPLE.
The King next issued a decree forbidding the Jews to follow their
religion and their customs, and ordering them to adopt the Greek faith.
The keeping of the Sabbath and the reading of the Law was prohibited on
pain of death. Copies of the Scriptures were written upon with the blood
of swine, torn into pieces, or burnt. Altars were set up all over the
country, and unclean animals sacrificed on them. The Jews were forced to
profane the Sabbath and to eat the flesh of swine. The Temple in
Jerusalem was dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, whose statue was erected on
the altar of burnt offerings, and sacrifices made to it. In order to
escape this terrible persecution, many Jews fled from the holy city to
the mountains. The once beautiful Jerusalem, in which the Jewish people
had for so many years enjoyed happiness and peace, was now laid waste
like a wilderness and became an abode for strangers.
ANTIOCHUS THE MADMAN.
In order to enforce his laws, the cruel king of Syria sent officers to
the various parts of his empire. Of the two names by which Antiochus was
known—Epiphanes, the “Illustrious” and Epimanes, the “Madman”—he was
more often called by the latter name. He frequently indulged in wine,
and while under its influence he became a real madman. His highest
ambition was to make one people of all his subjects. In order to
accomplish this, he thought it best,—and here he was indeed Epimanes,
“the mad”,—to compel them to adopt one faith. The Jews however, were not
going to submit to the rash demands of a madman. They now began a
struggle which has never been equalled in the history of the world. In
the few years that followed, many Jews sacrificed their lives for
refusing to worship heathen idols and gods, many heroes shed their blood
on the field of battle to uphold their religion.
ELEAZAR.
In Antioch, there lived a pious old man in his ninetieth year, named
Eleazar. When the overseers came to see that the commands of the King
were obeyed, this old man refused to eat of the swine’s flesh which was
offered him. The King’s officer not wishing to harm so old a man,
offered to give him meat which he was allowed to eat but which it would
be announced was swine’s flesh. In making this offer, the overseer
thought that if the other people would see the respected Eleazar eating
what they thought was pig’s flesh, that they would readily do as he did.
The brave old man, however, refused to set such an example to the Jews,
some of whom would excuse their weakness by his act. He was then
stripped of his clothes, beaten, and tortured. The last words of the
martyr were: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One”, and then he
died.
HANNAH AND HER SEVEN SONS.
Even more pitiable is the story of Hannah and her seven sons. A widow
and her sons were brought before Antiochus and commanded to bow to his
idols. The King first addressed the oldest of the sons, saying: “Bow to
my gods”. “God forbid”, answered the oldest son, “that I should bow to
your idols”. “Why not?” asked the King. “Because our commandments teach
us, “I am the Lord your God”, and I shall worship no other”. After being
cruelly tortured in the sight of his mother and brothers, he was put to
death.
“You have seen what was done to your brother for disobeying me. Now, bow
to my gods”, said the King to the second son. “You can torture me as you
will”, said the youth. “I shall not bow to your idols”. “Why not?” asked
the King. “Because we are commanded, “Thou shalt have no other God but
me”, he answered. The King ordered that he, too, be slain.
“Obey me and your life shall be spared”, said the King to the third son,
after threatening to tear out his tongue and cut off his hands if he
were not obeyed. “Do you seek to terrify me”, cried the brave lad. “Our
religion teaches us, “Thou shalt worship no other Gods”, and like my
brothers I shall not forsake my religion, and like them I shall die”.
Then he was killed.
“Do not think that God has given us into your hands to add honor to your
name; it is to make known to the world that a more cruel and wicked man
has never lived”, answered the fifth son when commanded to bow to the
King’s gods. “Remove the insolent fellow”, cried the King, full of
wrath. And so the brave boy died.
The sixth son was then brought before the King. But he, too, suffered
the fate of his brothers.
Finally, there remained only the mother and her youngest son, a mere
child. When Antiochus saw him, his heart was moved, and he spoke kindly
to the child. “Come, my son,” he said to him, “and bow to my gods”. But
the boy following the noble example set by his brothers, refused to
obey. Then the King tried to induce him to bow by tempting offers of
riches and honor. “If you will but obey me”, the King said to him, “I
shall bring you up in riches and splendor; and, when you are old enough,
I shall make of you a mighty prince, second only to me”. Antiochus could
promise what he would, but the child was not to be tempted.
The mighty Antiochus was conquered, and now his greatest desire was to
induce the boy to obey him. To accomplish this, he resorted to a trick.
“My son”, he said to him, “you see your brothers lying dead before you;
if you will refuse to do as I ask you, you shall share their fate. But I
do not wish to harm you; you are too young to die. I am going to cast my
ring on the ground, pick it up and your life will be spared”. To kneel
down and pick up the ring was not wrong, it was only a mark of respect
to the King which the Jewish Law permitted. But the boy, young as he
was, quickly saw that if he would do so, the surrounding crowds would
think that he was bowing to the idol. For this reason, he refused to
comply with the King’s request.
The King was now growing fast impatient, and, as a last resort, turned
to the mother and told her to induce her son to do as he requested of
him. But the mother was as faithful to her religion and brave as her
sons. She took her son to an adjoining room, and there urged him to
remain loyal and firm, that he might soon rejoin his brothers in heaven.
Then, denouncing the cruel King in the strongest terms, she again
encouraged him to remain faithful to the laws of their fathers. But the
boy knew himself what was right to do, and soon told the King that he
would never obey him.
The King now grew angry indeed, and ordered that the lad be slain. But
the mother, throwing her arms around the boy, begged the King to kill
her instead of her son. “No”, answered the King mockingly, “I cannot do
so because your own laws forbid it; for is it not said, “Whether it be
an ox or a sheep, thou shalt not kill it and its young in one day”. As
the boy was being led away, Hannah cried out, “I have surpassed Abraham.
He built one altar on which to sacrifice one son, whereas I have built
seven altars on which I have sacrificed seven sons”. One by one Hannah
had seen her sons cruelly murdered; and, no longer able to endure her
misery, she jumped down from a roof and was killed.
Eleazar and Hannah and her seven sons were only a few of the constantly
increasing number of martyrs, who preferred to sacrifice their lives
than to disobey the laws of their fathers. Never before had the Jews
been treated with such great cruelty, but never before did they endure
their misery with greater courage. It was in vain that Antiochus ordered
the Jews to worship heathen idols; it was in vain that he commanded them
to adopt the religion of the Greeks. In many towns the royal officers
found no one to meet them, for the inhabitants had escaped to the
mountains, where they could privately observe their laws. The resistance
which the Jews offered only made the King more angry, and caused him to
increase his cruelties. Houses were plundered; synagogues were
destroyed; and thousands of Jews were put to death, victims of the wrath
of the King.
MATTATHIAS AND HIS FIVE SONS.
And thus, when the Jews were on the verge of being wiped out as a nation
forever, there arose in their midst a family of heroes, who were
destined to free their people from their cruel oppressors, and again
establish their independence.
In Modin, a small town in Judea, there lived an old man by the name of
Mattathias. He was the head of the priestly family of Hasmoneans named
after Hasmoneus, his great grand-father. Mattathias was the father of
five grown-up sons, Jochanan, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan. He
saw how the holy city was delivered into the hands of strangers, how the
temple was robbed of its treasures and profaned by the Syrians, how men,
women, and children were being killed for observing the Jewish laws, and
he mourned for Israel. He was accustomed to say to his sons that it were
far better to sacrifice their lives for their religion than to submit to
such cruel treatment at the hands of the Syrians.
When the royal officer came to Modin to enforce the commands of the
King, he requested Mattathias, who was the oldest of the community, to
make the first sacrifice to the Greek gods. He indignantly refused,
saying that though every one else were to yield, yet he would rather die
than forsake his religion. He then commanded his sons to follow his
example. When a cowardly apostate stepped forward to offer the
sacrifice, Mattathias could not restrain himself, and killed both the
Jew and the officer.
THE ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS.
Mattathias then cried out in a loud voice, “Whosoever is zealous for the
Law, and supporteth the Covenant, follow me”, with his sons and a few of
his followers, Mattathias fled to the mountains. Many Jews who favored
their plan of resistance now joined their numbers. Whenever the
opportunity offered, they would attack the Syrian garrisons, and often
were successful. They drove out the overseers of the King who came to
enforce idol worshipping, and destroyed every heathen altar they gained
access to. They reestablished public worship, and did what was in their
power to restore the government of Israel. The Syrian generals, however,
soon found out how the Jews were occupying themselves. Taking advantage
of their strict observance of the Sabbath, they attacked one thousand
Jews, who, having escaped to a cave, allowed themselves to be
slaughtered without making any attempt to defend themselves. Mattathias,
foreseeing that if the Jews would offer no resistance on the Sabbath,
that they would quickly be wiped out, decided that it was not only
lawful for them to fight on that day, but that it was their duty to do
so. The decision of Mattathias was accepted by all, and the Jews
thereafter did not hesitate to fight on the Sabbath, when their lives
were at stake.
THE DEATH OF MATTATHIAS.
As Mattathias was too old to endure the hardships of war, he found
himself growing weaker each day. Knowing that he was about to die, he
summoned his sons around him, gave them his last blessing, and
encouraged them to continue the noble work which he had begun. He
appointed Judas, who was the bravest of his sons, to be their leader in
battle, and Simon, who was the wisest of them, the counsellor of the
nation. Then Mattathias died, and the whole nation mourned for him.
JUDAS MACCABAEUS.
An abler leader than Judas could not have been chosen. A giant in
stature, it was said of him that when he walked, the earth trembled
beneath him, and that his battle-cry resounded like the roar of a lion.
His bold fearlessness made him the terror of his enemies, who shrunk
from him. But besides his great strength and his remarkable courage, he
possessed that love for his God, that enthusiasm for his religion that
left nothing impossible. No disadvantage was for him too great to
overcome; no army too numerous to defeat. His personal strength and
extraordinary bravery won for him his surname “Maccabee”, a Hebrew word
meaning “Hammerer”. There are many who say that this surname is derived
from the first letters of the Hebrew words מי כּמך בּאלים יי “Who is
like thee, O Lord among the Gods”, which were inscribed on Judas’s
banner. At first, Judas was the only one to be honored by the surname
“Maccabee”; but, later, the name passed to his brothers; and, finally,
to all who fought under his standard.
THE DEFEAT OF APPOLONIUS.
Judas went a step further than his father, fortifying those cities which
he took by surprise. His small troop gradually became a small army,
numbering six thousand. Having assured himself that he could rely on
them, Judas prepared to meet the enemy on the field. Appolonius, the
Syrian general who had recently plundered Jerusalem and murdered its
inhabitants, was soon informed of the revolt, and raised a large army to
crush Judas. But Judas, although his army was only a handful compared
with the large forces of the enemy, marched against Appolonius, and
totally defeated his army and slew him. Judas took the sword of
Appolonius as a trophy, and used it in all his latter battles.
THE ROUTING OF SERON.
Seron, the Syrian lieutenant, aroused by the news of Appolonius’s
defeat, gathered a still larger army than that which had been defeated,
and advanced against Judas. According to their usual custom before
fighting, Judas and his men had fasted; and, weak with hunger and
fatigue, the Jews despaired of success when they saw what a mighty host
was coming to meet them. But Judas encouraged them to fight boldly
against the oppressors of their people, saying that strength came from
heaven and not from large numbers, and reminding them that they fought
for their lives and their laws. When he had finished speaking he rushed
upon the Syrians as they were ascending the rocky hills at Bethoron.
Seron fell early in the battle, and his army, confused and without a
commander, was routed with great loss of life.
THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT PLACED
IN CHARGE OF LYSIAS.
When King Antiochus heard of the victories of Judas, he was greatly
angered and raised a large army to crush him. But along with the news of
the uprising of the Jews came the report that his eastern provinces,
Armenia and Persia, had refused to pay their tribute. Finding his
treasury almost empty, the King was forced to leave Antioch to collect
the tribute from these provinces by force. He gave Lysias, one of the
royal blood, one-half of all the Syrian forces; and placed him in charge
of his kingdom, with orders to destroy the Jewish nation, and people
their land with strangers.
JUDAS’S VICTORY OVER NICANOR
AND GORGIAS.
In obedience to the King’s command, Lysias sent out, on the following
year, forty thousand footmen and five thousand horse, under Nicanor and
Gorgias. These generals set out for Judea, and encamped on the plains of
Emmaus. So confident were the Syrians of victory, that Nicanor, one of
their generals, announced before hand a sale of Jewish captives at
ninety for a talent—about $1000. Many Slave-Merchants were in this way
attracted to the camp, each supplied with large amounts of gold and
silver and chains to lead off their slaves.
Judas, in the meantime, having heard that the Syrian armies had come to
fight against him, assembled his six thousand men at Mizpah near Emmaus,
where they fasted and prayed as in the days of Samuel. They opened the
books of the Law, upon which the heathens had painted images of their
gods; and they were reminded of the desolation of their holy city, the
profaning of the Temple, and all the wicked deeds of Antiochus. Then
Judas, in strict accordance with the Law, ordered all those who had
recently married, built a house, planted a vineyard, or were afraid, to
return to their homes. His army, as a result, was reduced from six
thousand to three thousand men. Judas then encouraged the remaining men
to fight bravely for their people, and ordered them to prepare for
battle.
In the meantime, Gorgias with five thousand footmen and one thousand
horse, had set out to surprise the Jewish army by night. But Judas was
soon informed of this movement, and he immediately devised a plan by
which he could take advantage of the separation of the two generals.
Silently and quickly he gathered his men, and set out with them for
Emmaus, where the remainder of the Syrian army under Nicanor lay
encamped.
It was morning before he arrived; and, encouraging his men not to fear
the large number of the enemy by reminding them how the Jews were saved
from the Egyptians in the Red Sea, he rushed down upon the Syrians. The
Syrian general, thinking that Gorgias would easily crush the small army
of the Jews, had taken no steps to guard against a surprise. The
Syrians, panic-stricken and confused, offered but feeble resistance, and
fled from all sides. Several tents had been set on fire in the
confusion, but Judas wisely forbade the Jews to extinguish the flames or
to plunder the camps, for Gorgias had to be met and defeated.
Gorgias and his army, meanwhile, finding the camps of the Jews deserted,
thought that they had fled to the mountains, and went to look for them.
But what was their surprise when they beheld the smoke rising from the
tents of their comrades! Thus deceived, the Syrians lost all their
courage; and, upon seeing Judas marching toward them, they too turned
their backs and fled.
It was a great victory for the Maccabaean soldiers, and they returned
joyfully to the Syrian camps, where they examined their rich plunder,
consisting not only of large quantities of food and clothing, but also
of the large sums of money which the slave dealers had brought along
with them. As a just punishment for the slave dealers who had come to
buy, the Jews sold as many of them as they could find, as slaves. The
next day was the Sabbath, and it was indeed a day of rest and rejoicing
for the brave Jews.
THE RETREAT OF LYSIAS.
Nicanor, who had escaped from Judea disguised as a slave, now returned
to Antioch, where he informed Lysias of his defeat. At this news, Lysias
was aroused; and raised a still larger army than any that had been sent
before against Judea, this time consisting of sixty thousand footmen and
five thousand horse. At the head of this vast multitude, Lysias himself
marched against the Jews. Judas with only ten thousand men met the
Syrian army at Beth-Tsur, where the battle took place. Although Lysias
lost but five thousand men, he was discouraged from continuing battle,
for he saw that the Jews were determined to conquer or die. He therefore
made his retreat from Judea and returned to Antioch.
THE PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE.
Now that Lysias, the strongest of the King’s generals, had been driven
from Judea, the victorious Jews could turn their attention to the holy
city, which had been defiled by the Syrians. Judas and his men now
entered Jerusalem. They found the city in ruins, the altar profaned, the
gates of the city burned up, and shrubs growing in the inner courts of
the Temple. At the sight of this desolation, the Jews rent their
clothes, put ashes on their heads, and cried towards heaven. But Judas
did not allow his men to spend too much time in useless lamentation, and
set out at once to cleanse the Temple. He then chose priests to enter
the Temple to repair and purify it. The altar which had been defiled by
the heathens, they set up anew. The holy vessels, which had been
profaned by the Syrians, they replaced with new ones. So zealously was
the work of the restoration carried on, that on the 25th day of the
month of Kislev, the public worship could again be performed. With songs
and thanksgiving, the Jews dedicated the Temple anew on that happy day.
The Talmud relates that when the purification of the Temple had been
completed, no consecrated oil could be found with which to light the
golden candlestick. After a careful search, however, a small bottle of
oil, with the seal of a former High Priest still on it, was found. But
it contained only a small quantity of oil, hardly sufficient to last for
one day. But lo! a miracle happened. When the oil was lit, not only did
it last for one day but for eight days! This was interpreted as a sure
sign that God was looking upon the work of his people with favor, and
served to increase their happiness.
What a change the condition of the Jews had undergone! Only three years
before the Temple had been dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, and the flesh
of swine sacrificed on the altar of incense. And now, the most powerful
of the Syrian generals had been driven out from Judea. The bravest of
them feared the terrible Maccabee, whose fame as a warrior was now
spread far and wide. Public worship had been restored, not to be
discontinued again until the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, several
hundred years later. Although the war continued for many years longer,
yet with the dedication of the Temple and the public observance of the
Jewish Laws, the actual rule of the Syrians may be said to have come to
an end. Judea was now practically independent.
THE FESTIVAL OF CHANUKA.
The restoration of the public worship in the Temple was an event well
worth remembering; and, for this reason, Judas and the Great Council
decided that the eight days beginning with the 25th of Kislev should be
celebrated henceforth, annually, as a festival of rejoicing and
thanksgiving to commemorate the victory of the small band of Jews over
the mighty hosts of the Syrians. To this day, this festival which is
known as חנוכּה the “Feast of Dedication”, is celebrated by the Jews
each year all over the world. On the eight days candles are lit, and
special prayers are offered to the Lord for that He saved his people
from being wiped out as a nation forever.
[Illustration]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transcriber’s Notes
● The following issues should be noted, along with the resolution:
7 was deposited by widows and orphans for Joined.
safe[-]keeping.
7 deprive the righ[t]ful owners of their property, and Added.
17 was not wrong, it was only a mark of r[e]spect to Added.
18 And thus, when the Jews were on [the] verge of Added.
28 [with] new ones. So zealously was the work of the Added.
restoration
29 The restoration of the pu[p/b]lic worship in the Replaced.
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