What was Hanukkah?
Hanukkah ("Dedication") commemorates the Maccabean rededication of the temple in 165 BC after Antiochus IV Epiphanes defiled it. The Bible references the festival once — John 10:22 — when Jesus is in the temple at the Feast of Dedication.
The story (in 1 Maccabees, deuterocanon) tells of Jewish resistance against forced Hellenization. After victory, the temple was cleansed and the menorah relit.
Hanukkah is not commanded in the Hebrew Bible; it grew from Second Temple history. Jesus’ observation of the feast affirms its memory without commanding it.
For Christians: a reminder that God’s purposes persist through hostile centuries, and that the temple finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ — and now in his people.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.