Do Hanukkah and Christmas have anything in common?

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev, which this year coincides with Dec. 25. It features the iconic nine-branched lampstand (technically, eight branches, plus the “servant light” used to light the others). Hanukkah is a welcome Festival of Light during the darkest time of the year.

Hanukkah (or “dedication” in Hebrew) is sometimes mistakenly seen as a Jewish version of Christmas, but the Hanukkah story predates the nativity by more than 150 years. Even so, there are links between the two stories, and with Hanukkah and Christmas coinciding this year, it’s a great opportunity to explore the common ground.

Dedicating the Temple of God

The apocryphal book of the Maccabees tells the story of how the Greeks conquered the land of Israel, and how an evil ruler named Antiochus IV banned the Jewish people from practicing their faith. Greek idols had been set up in the Temple, and pigs were slaughtered on the altar. The final straw came when Jewish elders were forced to eat some of the pig flesh. Jewish rebels (the Maccabees) arose and fought the Greeks, and won against all the odds. They reclaimed the Temple, clearing it of all idols and rededicated it to the worship of the God of Israel, hence the name “Hanukkah.” No mention of miraculous oil in this story though.

The Talmud, on the other hand, mentions none of the military heroism but goes from talking about the lighting of Shabbat candles to explaining about Hanukkah candles, then suddenly pivots to the source of the tradition. Tractate Shabbat 21b tells of a miracle that happened when the Maccabees had to relight the Temple menorah (candelabra) after rededicating it. They only found enough sanctified oil to keep the menorah lit for one day, but it took seven days to make a new batch of ritually pure oil for use in the Temple.

While it seemed like a disaster, miraculously, so the story goes, the oil stayed lit not just for one day or even two, but kept the menorah shining for eight full days until more oil could be made ready.

God with us

The sages noted the connection between the eight-day menorah miracle and the eight-day feast of Sukkot, the feast of Tabernacles. Sukkot points to the concept of God living among His people as they traveled through the desert together. The biblically astute may even notice there’s a distinct Hanukkah link to Haggai and the dedication of the Temple of Ezra’s time, which was also marked with a Sukkot celebration. 

Though it was written some 350 years before the events of Hanukkah, the short Book of Haggai deals with the subjects of purification and dedication following the reconstruction of the Temple after Israel’s time in exile.

The prophet challenges the people to prioritize building God’s house over their own and tackles matters of holiness and defilement. In Chapter 2, Haggai highlights a particular date in the Hebrew calendar three times: the 24th of Kislev (see verses 10, 18 and 20). Since the first Hanukkah candle is lit at sundown, right after the 24th Kislev, it does seem very pertinent. The dedication of God’s house, the date in Kislev, and a joyful dedication coinciding with the feast of Sukkot also comes through clearly in the account of the Maccabees.

“They rededicated the Temple on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev, the same day of the same month on which the Temple had been desecrated by the Gentiles. The happy celebration lasted eight days, like the Festival of Shelters, and the people remembered that only a short time before, they had spent the Festival of Shelters wandering like wild animals in the mountains and living in caves. But now, carrying green palm branches and sticks decorated with ivy, they paraded around, singing grateful praises to him who had brought about the purification of his own Temple. Everyone agreed that the entire Jewish nation should celebrate this festival each year” (2 Maccabees 10:5-8).

The light of the world

The Temple in Jerusalem was God’s dwelling place on earth and the menorah was a symbol of His presence. Approximately 160 years after that Temple was reclaimed from the Greeks and rededicated comes the Christmas story: the birth of Jesus, Immanuel, which means “God with us.” When introducing the arrival of Jesus in the first chapter of his Gospel, John put it like this: “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Hanukkah is all about the dedication and sanctity of God’s house, and the importance of the light shining perpetually to drive out the darkness. Now God Himself has come to dwell among us. “The light shines in the darkness,” says John, “and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Overshadowing the symbol of the golden menorah, Jesus declared Himself to be the Light of the World (John 8:12). Light gives life, and is indeed necessary for life, as any plant in a dark room can tell you. John, the Apostle whose gospel emphasizes the biblical feasts, has much to say on the subject. He describes Jesus simply as “the light” repeatedly in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. Jesus is the true light, represented by the temple menorah shining in the darkness. Jesus celebrated Hanukkah in that Temple, as recorded in John 10:22.

Not long before the destruction of the Second Temple, Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, sending His Spirit to dwell in the lives of all who believe. His sacrifice purifies us from sin, and His Spirit now lives in us – we ourselves become the very Temple of God. Now it’s up to us to keep God’s Temple pure and holy.

Paul asks, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” He reminds us, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Later he asks, “What agreement has the Temple of God with idols? For we are the Temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16).

Those who love Jesus can celebrate in double measure this December! As we rejoice that Jesus, the Servant Light, came to 'tabernacle' among us, we can rededicate the temple of our lives to Him. Let every heart prepare Him room!