The Feast of Dedication, also known as Hanukkah, is an eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BCE. It celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire and the miracle of the oil, where a small amount of consecrated oil lasted for eight days in the temple’s menorah, although it was only sufficient for one day.
In the Bible, the Feast of Dedication is mentioned in the New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of John.
1. **John 10:22-23 (ESV)**: “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.”
While the celebration of Hanukkah itself is not detailed in the Old Testament, its origins are rooted in the events described in the books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees found in the Apocrypha. These books recount the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the rededication of the Temple:
2. **1 Maccabees 4:36-59** describes the Maccabees’ victory over the Seleucids and the subsequent cleansing and rededication of the Temple, leading to the establishment of the festival.
3. **2 Maccabees 10:5-8** also recounts the rededication of the altar and the celebration of this event with joy and festivity.
The Feast of Dedication thus serves as a reminder of Jewish identity, faith, and perseverance through adversity.