During the darkest time of the year, mid-winter, is when Jews all over the world celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Dedication.

Hanukkah is the celebration of a miracle that took place in the year 165 BCE during the purification of the Temple in Jerusalem following the successful rebellion by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Greeks.

From around the year 200 BCE the land of Judea has been under the rule of the Seleucid Greeks. The first ruler Antiochus III was benevolent towards the Jews and had granted them the right to live according to their ancestral traditions. However, his son Antiochus IV Epiphanes turned this around, banned the daily sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem, in effect outlawing Judaism. He also banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed in the Temple, and had a statue to Zeus installed in the Temple. [Read more...]