The historical books of the Maccabees were not included into the Christian Bible, but they are considered to be reliable historical documents by both Jewish and Christian scholars. The history that is represented in these books should not be lost or forgotten because they tell an important part in the story of God's people.
Below is a brief summary of what happened during the time of the Maccabees. The following quotes are excerpts from the books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. It is important to note that the information you are about to read was prophesied about in Daniel chapters 8 and 11. "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." (Daniel 11:31) I encourage you to go back and read Daniel 8 and 11 after you read this article, so that you can see the connections.
The wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus the Third of Syria, was a descendant of one of Alexander's generals… Antiochus marched with a great army against the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem… Two years later Antiochus sent a large army from Mysia against the towns of Judea. When the soldiers entered Jerusalem, their commander spoke to the people, offering them terms of peace and completely deceiving them… Antiochus now issued a decree that all nations in his empire should abandon their own customs and become one people. All the Gentiles and even many of the Israelites submitted to this decree. They adopted the official pagan religion, offered sacrifices to idols, and no longer observed the Sabbath… and commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days. They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves ritually unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death… On the fifteenth day of the month of Kislev in the year 167 BCE, King Antiochus set up The Awful Horror on the altar of the Temple, and pagan altars were built in the towns throughout Judea… Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king… On the twenty-fifth of the month, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple.
The oppression was harsh and almost intolerable. Gentiles filled the Temple with drinking parties and all sorts of immorality. They even had intercourse with prostitutes there. Forbidden objects were brought into the Temple, and the altar was covered with detestable sacrifices prohibited by our Law. It was impossible to observe the Sabbath, to celebrate any of the traditional festivals, or even so much as to admit to being a Jew… Then, during the festival in honor of the wine god Dionysus, they were required to wear ivy wreaths on their heads and march in procession… they were told to put to death every Jew who refused to adopt the Greek way of life. It was easy to see that hard times were ahead. For example, two women were arrested for having their babies circumcised. They were paraded around the city with their babies hung from their breasts; then they were thrown down from the city wall. On another occasion, Philip was told that some Jews had gathered in a nearby cave to observe the Sabbath in secret. Philip attacked and burned them all alive. They had such respect for the Sabbath that they would not fight to defend themselves... There was an elderly and highly respected teacher of the Law by the name of Eleazar, whose mouth was being forced open to make him eat pork. But he preferred an honorable death rather than a life of disgrace. So he spit out the meat and went willingly to the place of torture, showing how people should have courage to refuse unclean food, even if it costs them their lives.
On December 25, 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes erected a statue of Zeus inside the temple and sacrificed a pig on the altar in honor of the birth of the Sun god (the First Christmas ham). This act of desolation incited the Jews to revolt against Antiochus and the Hellenized Jews (Jews that accepted Paganism). Three years later, the Maccabees defeated Antiochus and purified the Temple. This end of Pagan oppression has been celebrated as the festival of Hanukkah, meaning “dedication” (reference to the re-dedication of the Temple) from 164 BC until today.
"Rural Dionysia" (The Festival of Dionysus) was held during the winter, in the month of Poseideon (late December) around the time of the Winter Solstice. Dionysus was known as the god of wine. The central event was the pompe procession. Common festivities included singing songs in honor of the god, dramatic plays, dancing, feasting, and drunkenness. Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was also celebrated at the Winter Solstice (December 25th). The Persians also celebrated this festival, in honor of their god, Mithras, who was said to have been born on December 25th. Later, the Romans celebrated this same festival in honor of their god, Sol Invictus, on December 25th, which was also considered his birthday. Germanic Pagans also celebrated this festival called "Yule" in honor of their god Odin, the god of the wild hunt. Yule boar was a centerpiece of their festivities, and this is where the Christmas Ham finds its roots.
It is important to note that the "Christmas Ham" was popularized by the Catholic Church as a test of truthful conversion from Judaism to Christianity. Those who continued to observe Judaism in secret would decline to eat the Christmas ham, while authentic converts would enjoy the pig meat without question. This was a result of the anti-semitic attitudes of the Catholic Church that had been inherited from the Pagan Romans who took over Christianity during the time of Constantine.
You can easily find this information in just about any encyclopedia or history book. You can also find that Christmas was in fact a merging of the cult of Sol Invictus with Christianity by Emperor Constantine. He declared that December 25th was the birthday of Jesus (formerly the birthday of Sol Invictus), and he ordered that it be observed. Biblical scholars agree that there is no way that Jesus was born in December.
So, what about Hanukkah? Many people don't realize this, but the Bible has record of Jesus participating in Hanukkah.
"Then came the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade." (John 10:22-23)
Jesus chose the Hanukkah celebration as the moment he would reveal himself as the Messiah to the crowds. He told them publicly that he was the "Good Shepherd", a messianic claim. He also claimed equality with the Father. The people asked him bluntly, saying, "If you are the Messiah, tell us publicly!" To which he answered, "I have already told you, but you don't believe me." (John 10:25)
Hanukkah is a celebration of Jesus. Jesus is the antithesis of Antiochus. Antiochus is one of the people in history who could appropriately be called an "antichrist".
- Antiochus claimed to be god, but Jesus is God.
- Antiochus desecrated the Temple, but Jesus cleansed the Temple.
- Antiochus offered up an unholy sacrifice, but Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice.
- Antiochus forbid worship on the sabbath, but Jesus taught how worship on the Sabbath should be.
- Antiochus destroyed every copy of the Torah that he could find, but Jesus taught and fulfilled the Torah.
- Antiochus hated the Jewish people, but Jesus was Jewish.
Similarly, Constantine forbid the Sabbath, Biblical Festivals, and anything that appeared to have Jewish origin. He removed the Hebrew roots of our faith, and replaced them with the pagan culture, traditions, and rituals of the Roman Empire. I think that Constantine could also wear the title "antichrist" for the things he did to destroy the people of God.
Hanukkah is a celebration of God's deliverance from Pagan influence and assimilation. It is a celebration that God rescued his people from religious oppression, and it is a celebration of the re-dedication of the Temple. Hanukkah means dedication. I feel that it is important to consider this in light of these facts. Christianity has been Hellenized, Paganized, and nearly all traces of our Hebrew roots have been removed from our faith. Christmas itself is a perfect example of how Pagan practices and traditions have radically altered our faith. Christmas is a celebration of the assimilation of our faith with that of Pagans.
If we continuing to celebrate Christmas, we will be just like the Hellenized Jews who gave up the Sabbath, God's festivals, and participated in the desecration of the Temple. It is time for the people of God to rise up, and make a change. It is time for us to reject the Pagan traditions, customs, philosophies, and theologies that have been passed down to us from Constantine. We are not worshippers of Sol Invictus! We are followers of the Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who rescued his people from bondage in Egypt. The God who wrote His commandments on stone tablets. The God who created the Heavens and the Earth. We worship the Almighty, Everlasting, King of Kings and Lord of Lords! How can we continue to pollute our faith with the worship of Pagan gods, and by continuing in the practices, customs, and festivals of those evil and defiled idol worshippers?
At this point I feel it necessary to quote Joshua in saying,
"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped… and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15)
Or perhaps I should re-issue the call of the Maccabees, and say, "Everyone who is faithful to God's covenant and obeys his Law, follow me!" (1 Maccabees 2:27)