Behind the Scenes of Hanukkah: The Books of the Maccabees

What was behind Antiochus’s decrees? Was Hanukkah really the end of the fight for independence? And what was the difference between Judean and Diaspora views of the Hanukkah story and the Hasmonean revolt?

I explored these questions through a talk on the First and Second Books of the Maccabees – two books written in different languages, one in Judea and one in the Diaspora. And here is the recording!

Be sure to download the source sheets. Keep in mind that this is an informal lecture, so you’ll hear discussion and some background noise.

If you would like to read the entire books, I recommend the New English Translation of the Septuagint for 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees, available free online through the University of Pennsylvania NETS site,

Clarification of some important points:

When I talked about the “Return to Zion” as a defining time period for the Hebrew Bible, I meant the entire period, not the very beginning of the return to Jerusalem following the Babylonian Exile. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi were considered the last true prophets, and Malachi speaks of a functioning Temple, so any book traditionally considered to date to the period of the Return to Zion up to the beginning of a functioning Second Temple could “make it in” to the Hebrew Bible.
Second Maccabees has two defining dates: the Alexandrian work seems to have been finished shortly after the Battle of Nicanor in 161 BCE and was not long afterwards abridged by a Diaspora author who put his own stamp on the work. At that stage, 2 Maccabees explained the importance of the Day of Nicanor. Afterwards, probably shortly after 142, the abridged version was repurposed by someone in Judah to “sell” Chanukah to the Diaspora. This is the person wrote the introductory letter and who inserted the story of Chanukah, i.e. the purification of the Temple, into 2 Maccabees.
1 Maccabees, on the other hand, could not have been written before the final event it records: the murder of Shimon and Yohanan Hyrkanus’ ascension to the throne in 134 BCE.

Linda says:

December 27, 2015 at 11:11 pm

The sound quality of this audio made it, unfortunately, impossible to understand. Looking forward to more of your audios. I certainly enjoyed the one about Sin and Evil. Thank you.

Miryam Brand says:

December 29, 2015 at 3:20 am

I’m sorry to hear that. Episode #2 of Understanding Sin and Evil is up – please let me know if you have any trouble with that audio.
1. Linda says:
  
  January 1, 2016 at 6:34 pm
  
  The audios on Understanding S and E are just fine. Really enjoyed the second one about Cain and Abel. Thank you so much for taking the time to do these. So glad Nehemia Gordon lead us to your blogs. Blessings and shalom
Marg says:

May 5, 2016 at 12:16 am

I found the sound quality of this podcast just fine. What I’m struggling with is that I still find Hanukkah very confusing. I listened to this twice, and appreciated the questions by your audience—they were a great contribution. But I’m still very confused about this. In Torah it states we are not to add to or to take away from the Torah. In Lev. 23 we are told what holidays we are to observe. That seems very clear to me. Then in Maccabees (which is not part of the Hebrew Bible as far I can see) we are told to observe this other holiday. Yes, I can see why they would want to commemorate the re-dedication of the temple, but even how this came about—the time sequence which you attempt to address in the lecture—is very confusing to me. I still don’t see where they had any authority to add this holiday to what was listed in Leviticus 23. I also don’t understand how they made such a big deal about the 8 candles, and still observe that today, even the “miracle” is not even mentioned in the book of Maccabees—where does that come from, since there is no evidence to support that. So, I’m still really confused. What am I missing here? Lev. 23 seems really clear to me, and Torah stating not to add or take away from it seems really clear to me. So, isn’t this adding to the Torah? That’s just the way it looks to me, so I’m still confused. Every attempt I’ve made to study this out and try to understand it has just not brought me any clarity at all.
1. Miryam Brand says:
  
  May 5, 2016 at 11:39 am
  
  That’s an excellent question. In Judaism, it is always possible to create a rabbinic holiday (or fast) of commemoration (in fact, there are many such holidays and fasts that used to be observed, like the day of Nicanor) with rituals that are observed at a “lesser” level. Sometimes these holidays or fasts are observed at the level of a local custom, like the fast in Mainz commemorating the massacre of the community there during the Crusades. The important thing is never to claim that this is a biblical holiday. What would be problematic, for example, would be instituting annual ritual practices in the Temple for such a holiday. In fact, there is no special sacrifice for the holiday of Hanukkah. (A professor I had would never say “Happy Chag” — “chag sameach” — on Hanukkah for that reason. Unlike other “chagim” i.e. actual biblical festivals, Hanukkah does not have a “chagiga” sacrifice associated with it.)

Behind the Scenes of the Hanukkah Story: The Books of the Maccabees

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