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Hanukkah: the Festival of Lights

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The Honorable Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman, Founder and 1st Holy Patriarch HANUKKAH: THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5.14-16 THE HOLY ORDER OF THE MACCABEES A BASIC REVIEW OF THE HISTORY AND MEANING OF HANUKKAH Jaramogi Menelik Kimathi, Holy Patriarch and Presiding Bishop [1] The Re-dedication of the Temple “Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and dedicate it” – 1Maccabee 4.36 “Maccabaeus and his companions, under the Lord's guidance, restored the Temple and the city, and pulled down the altars erected by the foreigners in the market place, as well as the shrines. They purified the sanctuary and built another altar; … This day of the purification of the Temple fell on the very day on which the Temple had been profaned by the foreigners, the twenty-fifth of the same month, Chislev. …Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.” – 2 Maccabees 10.1-3, 1 Maccabee 4.56 [2] TABLE OF CONTENTS HANUKKAH: FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ................................................................................................... 4 JESUS AND THE CELEBRATION OF HANUKKAH ................................................................................. 7 COLLECTIVE REFLECTION .............................................................................................................. 10 PERSONAL REFLECTION ................................................................................................................. 11 HANUKKAH AND THE SEASON OF ADVENT For members of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church, the celebration of Hanukkah is a part of our annual observance of the Holy Season of Advent, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. The word ‘Hanukkah’, means dedication. During Hanukkah, we revisit the history of GOD’s intervention in the lives of ancient Israel, through the victory of the Maccabees; an intervention that made it possible for Israel to remain a people until the coming of the messiah. During this season, we seek to re-dedicate our lives to the service of GOD, through a renewed or greater commitment to the spiritual and philosophical teachings of BCN and a renewed or greater participation in the programs and ministries of the church. Together, these constitute the foundation for building the Kingdom of God, a communal, counter – culture lifestyle, guided by our Best Self Theology, and the principle “there is nothing more sacred than the liberation of Black people.” [3] HANUKKAH: FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Hanukkah, also known as oppressors.4 Refusal meant a gruesome and the Feast of Dedication1, torturous death5. or the Festival of Lights2, is an 8-day celebration, commemorating the renewal and While some chose to accept the foreign idols, re-dedication of the Holy temple in out of the mistaken notion of becoming Jerusalem, back to the GOD of Israel, after a modern and being accepted amongst the 3 – year period of foreign worship and nations6, others chose to go along out of fear7. domination3. In 167 B.C., under the reign of Yet there were others, who refused to the infamous King Antiochus IV, a decree abandon the God of their ancestors8, but was issued to the Israelites, forcing them to would not defend themselves either, and so abandon their covenant with GOD, cease all they were killed as martyrs9. The Israelites religious and cultural observances that were faced with cultural and physical identified them as the people of GOD, and annihilation, just as the lost tribes of Israel then adopt the foreign gods of their Greek faced centuries earlier.10 “57 Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king's decree sentenced him to death. 58 Month after month they took harsh action against any offenders they discovered in the towns of Israel... 60 Women who had had their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict 61 with their babies hung round their necks, and the members of their household and those who had performed the circumcision were executed with them.” – 1 Maccabee 1.57 – 58, 60 – 61 REVIEW AND REFLECT: What is Hanukkah? Why is it important to our faith? 1 John 10.22 independent nation until they were conquered by the 2 The name ‘Festival of Lights,’ comes from the Jewish Babylonians in 586 B.C. However, unlike their fellow historian Flavious Josephus. tribesmen of the former northern kingdom, only the 3 The prophecy of days referenced in the book of leadership of the nation and their families were Daniel (Daniel 8:9 – 14) is referring to this 3 – year deported. So, the nation continued to exist as a vassal period of time in which the temple worship and state under the Babylonian empire. When the Persians sacrifices had ceased. conquered the Babylonians, the families that were 4 1 Maccabee 1.41 – 53 deported, were later allowed to return under the 5 1 Maccabee 1.41 – 64, 2 Maccabees 7.1 – ff leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra, to rebuild the 6 1 Maccabee 1.11 temple and the nation. From this point, Israel existed 7 2 Maccabee … as a semi – independent nation with complete religious 8 1 Maccabee 1. freedom under the direction and rule of the high priest. 9 1 Maccabee 2.29 – 38 However, they had to pay an annual tribute and 10 2 Kings 17.6 – ff: the northern kingdom of Israel provide military support during times of war. It was was conquered by the Assyrians and dispersed not only this semi-autonomous existence that was at throughout the Assyrian empire in 722 B.C. Other stake under Antiochus IV, their actual physical groups were then brought in to re-settle the land. As a existence as a nation was being threatened just like the result, the northern kingdom ceased to exist as a nation former lost tribes of Israel. The Maccabee rebellion and has since been referred to as the lost tribes of effectively put a stop to this threat, making it possible Israel. The 2 remaining tribes that made up the for Israel to continue to exist as a nation and the future southern kingdom of Judah, continued to exist as an arrival of the Black Messiah Jesus, as we now know it. [4] HANUKKAH: FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS And then arose a priest named Mattathias11, Maccabees put their faith and his five sons12, who became known as the in GOD, and they won. MACCABEES, THE HAMMERS OF GOD, who After three years of fighting, they re-captured would neither give up their God, OR their the holy temple , and restored its worship to lives without a fight. And so, they fought with the God of Israel in 164 BC14. And so, the blessings of GOD and the guidance of the Hanukkah celebrates the intervention of Holy Spirit. They declared holy war against GOD, through the victory of the Maccabees, the Syrian empire13. While their enemies put in one of the darkest periods in the history of their faith in the superior capabilities, ancient Israel15. experience, and equipment of their army, the “19 Raising his voice, Mattathias retorted, "Even if every nation living in the king's dominions obeys him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees, 20 I, my sons and my brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors. 21 May Heaven preserve us from forsaking the Law and its observances. 22 As for the king's orders, we will not follow them: we shall not swerve from our own religion either to right, or to left.” – 1 Maccabee 2.19 – 22 “Maccabaeus marshalled his men, who numbered about six thousand, and exhorted them not to be dismayed at the enemy or discouraged at the vast horde of gentiles wickedly advancing against them, but to fight bravely, keeping before their eyes the outrage committed by them against the holy place and the infamous and scornful treatment inflicted on the city, not to mention the destruction of their traditional way of life. `They may put their trust in their weapons and their exploits," he said, "but our confidence is in almighty God, who is able with a single nod to overthrow both those marching on us and the whole world with them." – 2 Maccabee 8:16 – 18 REVIEW AND REFLECT: What lessons of faith can we learn from the story of Hanukkah? 11 1 Maccabee 2.1: Mattathias was a member of the memory of Israel even during the ministry of Jesus. In priestly clan of Joarib, the first of the priestly clans fact, it was so prominent, in many circles, the expected after the high priest. He died shortly after starting the Messiah was thought to be a figure like Judas rebellion, leaving Judas and Simon in charge of the Maccabee. war effort. Judas as the commander and Simon as the 13 The holy war was initiated by Mattathias in counselor. December of 167. The re-dedication of the temple 12 1 Maccabee 2.2 – 5: John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, occurred in December of 164. During that time, the and Jonathan. Judas was appointed as the commander Maccabees fought four major battles against Seleucid of the rebellion. The name Maccabee, was first applied forces, decisively winning three and fighting to a draw to Judas, and then later extended to his family and then on the fourth.
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