Christmas and Chanukah
There is something peculiar regarding the Christian ignorance about Chanukah. Being the 300-lb gorilla in the world of religion it is not surprising that Christians viewed Jews as an insignificant minority and a hated one at that. But, since Jesus was himself Jewish, that he grew up and lived in a completely Jewish world and preached almost exclusively to Jews, it is surprising that Christians have deliberately ignored and avoided Jewish festivals.
For example, what does Chanukah celebrate, the supposed miracle of the burning of the oil in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem after it had been recaptured by the Maccabees from the Seleucid Greeks, who had outlawed the practice of Judaism. At that time, ca. 200bce, the Greeks were pagans and had desecrated the Temple. The uprising of the Maccabees against persecution resulted in a revival of Jewish practice and worship without which it is unlikely that Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries would have been around at all and there would have been no Christmas!
And apart from the physical existence of Jews and their presence in the land, there was also the message of freedom of religion that is the theme of Chanukah. The very victory against the pagan Greeks meant that monotheism was saved and the ability to practice Judaism freely was protected. That is what Chanukah celebrates.
When I was a child growing up in England the general view of Christians about Chanukah was that it was a poor Jewish copy of Christmas. The fact that it pre-dated Christmas and was totally independent of Christmas was strange to them. To put it bluntly they were generally ignorant about this holiday and other Jewish practices, that had no doubt largely been followed by their "savior."
Of course, as everyone knows, it was Paul who transmuted the teachings of Jesus, most of which were derived from Judaism, into a different religion, that was palatable to the Greek-speaking pagan world. In this respect the "resurrection" and the "son of God" that he incorporated were the new features that appealed especially to those who believed in Greek mythology, where such elements were standard.
So instead of ignoring and underrating Chanukah, true Christians should celebrate its meaning. It represents the victory of monotheism over paganism by the sword, as practiced by the Maccabees, not by the word as preached later by another devout Jew, named Jesus.
For example, what does Chanukah celebrate, the supposed miracle of the burning of the oil in the rededicated Temple in Jerusalem after it had been recaptured by the Maccabees from the Seleucid Greeks, who had outlawed the practice of Judaism. At that time, ca. 200bce, the Greeks were pagans and had desecrated the Temple. The uprising of the Maccabees against persecution resulted in a revival of Jewish practice and worship without which it is unlikely that Jesus and his Jewish contemporaries would have been around at all and there would have been no Christmas!
And apart from the physical existence of Jews and their presence in the land, there was also the message of freedom of religion that is the theme of Chanukah. The very victory against the pagan Greeks meant that monotheism was saved and the ability to practice Judaism freely was protected. That is what Chanukah celebrates.
When I was a child growing up in England the general view of Christians about Chanukah was that it was a poor Jewish copy of Christmas. The fact that it pre-dated Christmas and was totally independent of Christmas was strange to them. To put it bluntly they were generally ignorant about this holiday and other Jewish practices, that had no doubt largely been followed by their "savior."
Of course, as everyone knows, it was Paul who transmuted the teachings of Jesus, most of which were derived from Judaism, into a different religion, that was palatable to the Greek-speaking pagan world. In this respect the "resurrection" and the "son of God" that he incorporated were the new features that appealed especially to those who believed in Greek mythology, where such elements were standard.
So instead of ignoring and underrating Chanukah, true Christians should celebrate its meaning. It represents the victory of monotheism over paganism by the sword, as practiced by the Maccabees, not by the word as preached later by another devout Jew, named Jesus.
posted by Jack Cohen at 5:47 PM
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