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diff --git a/76482-0.txt b/76482-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dec3fd7 --- /dev/null +++ b/76482-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,650 @@ + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76482 *** + + + + + + TO + + THE MEMORY + + OF + + THE LATE MINA LIPPMAN AARON + + THESE PAGES ARE + + DEDICATED + + + + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + + + + THE + STORY OF CHANUKAH + + BY + + BENJAMIN SACKS B. A. + + [Illustration] + + HEBREW INSTITUTE + + PITTSBURGH PA. + + ---- + + 5678 + + ---- + + COPYRIGHT 1913 + + + + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + + + + THE FESTIVAL + +The festival of Chanukah was instituted by Judas Maccabeus and the +elders of the Congregation of Israel in the year 3595 on the 25th day of +Kislev + + + + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + + + +[Illustration] + + THE STORY OF CHANUKA. + + +Upon the death of Alexander the Great, under whose reign the Jews +enjoyed freedom and peace, his kingdom was divided among his generals, +one of whom took Egypt and another, Syria. There was continual strife +between the kings of these two countries, for each wanted to subject the +other to his rule. Palestine, being situated between Syria and Egypt, +became the battlefield upon which their armies fought. At times, the +kings of Syria would be victorious, and at times the kings of Egypt +would gain the upper hand. For a long time the armies of Egypt were +victors, and so it happened that many of the Jews went to live in +Alexandria, where they acquired many of the Greek customs practiced +there. Judea, in the meantime, became a tributary to Egypt. The Jews +were treated well by the Egyptians; they were allowed to appoint their +own governors; and their religion was not interfered with. + +About 100 years after the death of Alexander, Antiochus III., surnamed +the Great, ascended the throne of Syria. He conquered Egypt and with it +Palestine. The position of the Jews, however, was not changed; they were +mildly ruled, and their government was left in their own hands. +Antiochus was succeeded by his oldest son, Seleucus Philopater. + +In the tenth year of the reign of Seleucus, something happened in Judea +that caused him to turn his attention to the treasures deposited in the +Temple at Jerusalem. A violent quarrel broke out between Onias III., who +was at that time the High Priest in Judea, and Simon, who had been +appointed governor of Jerusalem. In order to injure Onias, Simon told +the King that there were great riches in the Temple. Seleucus received +this news with joy, for he was at this time hard pressed for money to +pay his annual tribute to the Romans. He sent out his treasurer, +Heliodorus, to plunder the Temple, and bring back these riches to +Antioch. + + + HELIODORUS IN THE TEMPLE. + +Heliodorus immediately set out for Jerusalem, without acquainting any +one of his purpose. When he arrived there, he told Onias of the King’s +orders, and demanded that he quietly surrender the treasure. The High +Priest replied that there was quite a large treasure in the Temple, but +that it was by no means as large as had been reported; that the greater +part of it consisted of holy gifts consecrated to God; that a +considerable amount was deposited by Hyrcanus, a man high in favor of +the King; and that the remainder was deposited by widows and orphans for +safekeeping. He added that he could not consent to deprive the rightful +owners of their property, and thus profane his high office, which was +holy and revered by all. + +The commands of the King were strict and Heliodorus remained firm in his +purpose. Attended by a large number of armed men, he marched to the +Temple; and when the priests tried to oppose his progress, he ordered +that the outer gates be destroyed. A great mourning arose in the whole +city, and from all sides were heard the cries of the people. But as soon +as Heliodorus attempted to enter the Temple, a wonderful thing happened. +Legend has it that a horse, mounted by a terrible rider, rushed toward +him, and struck him with its fore-foot. Two beautiful youths, who +attended the warrior, then beat Heliodorus with rods until he fainted. +When Heliodorus was carried out of the Temple by the priests, the spark +of life scarcely burned within him. When Onias, the High Priest, saw +this, fearing lest the wrath of the King should be incurred, offered +sacrifices and prayers to God, and thus restored Heliodorus to life. The +treasurer returned to Antioch empty-handed, and told the King of his +failure. + + + ANTIOCHUS CROWNED KING OF SYRIA. + +In the course of the same year, Heliodorus, in hopes of succeeding to +the throne, poisoned Seleucus, the King. When Antiochus, the King’s +brother, who was returning from Rome, heard of this, he immediately +secured the aid of another king, and easily crushed the usurper. +Antiochus IV. now became King of Syria. + + + BUYING THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD. + +Scarcely had Antiochus begun to rule, when from all parts of his empire +came the leading men to pay homage to him. Among them came a younger +brother of the High Priest Onias, Joshua, who called himself by the +Greek name Jason. This Jason was possessed of good manners and polished +address. At the court of Antiochus, he was welcomed; and, by offering +the King a very large bribe, prevailed upon him to depose his brother +Onias, and appoint him in his place. Not only was Onias removed from the +High Priesthood, but he was also forced to take up his residence at +Antioch, where he would not interfere with the new High Priest. Jason +next attempted to gradually make Greeks of the Jews. Accordingly, he +built a place in Jerusalem for such sports and exercises as were +practiced by the Greeks, and established a school in which Jewish youths +could be brought up after the manner of the Greeks. + +Jason remained High Priest for only three years. Menelaus, an ambitious +and dishonest young man, having been sent to Antioch by Jason with +tribute, by offering to pay annually a sum amounting to $300,000 more +than Jason, succeeded in having himself appointed in his place. This +Menelaus was even more corrupt than Jason, and later proved himself +guilty of the most horrible crimes. + + + MENELAUS’ SACRILEGE. + +Menelaus soon found that he was unable to pay the large amount of money +which he had promised to Antiochus. The King, who demanded punctuality +of his subjects in their payment of tribute, summoned him to Antioch. +Fearing that he would be punished or stripped of his office, he sent +secret directions to his brother Lysimachus, who was acting as High +Priest during his absence, to remove some of the holy vessels from the +Temple, and to send him the money obtained by selling them. When Onias, +the deposed High Priest heard of this, his anger was aroused, and he +accused Menelaus of robbing the Temple. Menelaus fearing, that he would +be removed from his office, bribed one of the King’s officers to kill +Onias. When Onias learned of the plot against his life, he escaped; but +later, when the officer induced him to return by assurances of safety, +he was brutally murdered. + +Great was the anger of the Jews when they heard of this new outrage. The +people of Jerusalem rose up against the brother of Menelaus, and put to +route a number of his followers who tried to defend him. Lysimachus, +himself, escaped to the treasury of the Temple, but was pursued and +killed. Menelaus, in the meantime by bribing the King, gained his +support, and continued to remain in the office of High Priest. + + + ANTIOCHUS’S ENTRANCE INTO + JERUSALEM. + +While Antiochus was engaged in attacking Egypt, a report was spread that +he had been killed. This news was received by the Jews with great joy. +Jason, the deposed High Priest, knowing that Menelaus would now be left +without a protector entered Jerusalem, defeated the soldiers of +Menelaus, and put the latter to flight. Jason did not remain there long, +however, for it soon became known that Antiochus was alive and that he +was marching towards Jerusalem with a large army. Antiochus, in the +meantime, had been led to believe that the entire Jewish nation had +revolted; and further angered by the fact that the news of his death had +caused such rejoicing, quickly returned from Egypt; and entered +Jerusalem, where he killed 40,000 of the inhabitants, and took as many +captive. He then robbed the treasury of the Temple, and removed to +Antioch all the sacred vessels, the table of shewbread, the golden +candlestick, and the altar of incense. + + + THE MASSACRE OF THE JEWS. + +Upon his return, two years later from Egypt, where he had been expelled, +Antiochus determined to avenge himself upon the Jews, whom he now hated +bitterly. Appolonius, one of his chief generals, was sent to Judea with +an army. Inasmuch as that general had been sent there before with his +troops as a collector of taxes, his coming caused no alarm. His soldiers +did not trouble the inhabitants, who had not the slightest suspicion of +their intentions. When the Sabbath came, the Syrians, knowing that the +Jews would not take up arms on that day even in self-defence, fell upon +them and slaughtered them mercilessly. The Jews, obeying the laws of the +Sabbath, which forbade them to fight on that day, meekly submitted to be +butchered. Houses were pulled down and plundered, and the walls of the +city destroyed. + + + THE DESECRATION OF THE TEMPLE. + +The King next issued a decree forbidding the Jews to follow their +religion and their customs, and ordering them to adopt the Greek faith. +The keeping of the Sabbath and the reading of the Law was prohibited on +pain of death. Copies of the Scriptures were written upon with the blood +of swine, torn into pieces, or burnt. Altars were set up all over the +country, and unclean animals sacrificed on them. The Jews were forced to +profane the Sabbath and to eat the flesh of swine. The Temple in +Jerusalem was dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, whose statue was erected on +the altar of burnt offerings, and sacrifices made to it. In order to +escape this terrible persecution, many Jews fled from the holy city to +the mountains. The once beautiful Jerusalem, in which the Jewish people +had for so many years enjoyed happiness and peace, was now laid waste +like a wilderness and became an abode for strangers. + + + ANTIOCHUS THE MADMAN. + +In order to enforce his laws, the cruel king of Syria sent officers to +the various parts of his empire. Of the two names by which Antiochus was +known—Epiphanes, the “Illustrious” and Epimanes, the “Madman”—he was +more often called by the latter name. He frequently indulged in wine, +and while under its influence he became a real madman. His highest +ambition was to make one people of all his subjects. In order to +accomplish this, he thought it best,—and here he was indeed Epimanes, +“the mad”,—to compel them to adopt one faith. The Jews however, were not +going to submit to the rash demands of a madman. They now began a +struggle which has never been equalled in the history of the world. In +the few years that followed, many Jews sacrificed their lives for +refusing to worship heathen idols and gods, many heroes shed their blood +on the field of battle to uphold their religion. + + + ELEAZAR. + +In Antioch, there lived a pious old man in his ninetieth year, named +Eleazar. When the overseers came to see that the commands of the King +were obeyed, this old man refused to eat of the swine’s flesh which was +offered him. The King’s officer not wishing to harm so old a man, +offered to give him meat which he was allowed to eat but which it would +be announced was swine’s flesh. In making this offer, the overseer +thought that if the other people would see the respected Eleazar eating +what they thought was pig’s flesh, that they would readily do as he did. +The brave old man, however, refused to set such an example to the Jews, +some of whom would excuse their weakness by his act. He was then +stripped of his clothes, beaten, and tortured. The last words of the +martyr were: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is One”, and then he +died. + + + HANNAH AND HER SEVEN SONS. + +Even more pitiable is the story of Hannah and her seven sons. A widow +and her sons were brought before Antiochus and commanded to bow to his +idols. The King first addressed the oldest of the sons, saying: “Bow to +my gods”. “God forbid”, answered the oldest son, “that I should bow to +your idols”. “Why not?” asked the King. “Because our commandments teach +us, “I am the Lord your God”, and I shall worship no other”. After being +cruelly tortured in the sight of his mother and brothers, he was put to +death. + +“You have seen what was done to your brother for disobeying me. Now, bow +to my gods”, said the King to the second son. “You can torture me as you +will”, said the youth. “I shall not bow to your idols”. “Why not?” asked +the King. “Because we are commanded, “Thou shalt have no other God but +me”, he answered. The King ordered that he, too, be slain. + +“Obey me and your life shall be spared”, said the King to the third son, +after threatening to tear out his tongue and cut off his hands if he +were not obeyed. “Do you seek to terrify me”, cried the brave lad. “Our +religion teaches us, “Thou shalt worship no other Gods”, and like my +brothers I shall not forsake my religion, and like them I shall die”. +Then he was killed. + +“Do not think that God has given us into your hands to add honor to your +name; it is to make known to the world that a more cruel and wicked man +has never lived”, answered the fifth son when commanded to bow to the +King’s gods. “Remove the insolent fellow”, cried the King, full of +wrath. And so the brave boy died. + +The sixth son was then brought before the King. But he, too, suffered +the fate of his brothers. + +Finally, there remained only the mother and her youngest son, a mere +child. When Antiochus saw him, his heart was moved, and he spoke kindly +to the child. “Come, my son,” he said to him, “and bow to my gods”. But +the boy following the noble example set by his brothers, refused to +obey. Then the King tried to induce him to bow by tempting offers of +riches and honor. “If you will but obey me”, the King said to him, “I +shall bring you up in riches and splendor; and, when you are old enough, +I shall make of you a mighty prince, second only to me”. Antiochus could +promise what he would, but the child was not to be tempted. + +The mighty Antiochus was conquered, and now his greatest desire was to +induce the boy to obey him. To accomplish this, he resorted to a trick. +“My son”, he said to him, “you see your brothers lying dead before you; +if you will refuse to do as I ask you, you shall share their fate. But I +do not wish to harm you; you are too young to die. I am going to cast my +ring on the ground, pick it up and your life will be spared”. To kneel +down and pick up the ring was not wrong, it was only a mark of respect +to the King which the Jewish Law permitted. But the boy, young as he +was, quickly saw that if he would do so, the surrounding crowds would +think that he was bowing to the idol. For this reason, he refused to +comply with the King’s request. + +The King was now growing fast impatient, and, as a last resort, turned +to the mother and told her to induce her son to do as he requested of +him. But the mother was as faithful to her religion and brave as her +sons. She took her son to an adjoining room, and there urged him to +remain loyal and firm, that he might soon rejoin his brothers in heaven. +Then, denouncing the cruel King in the strongest terms, she again +encouraged him to remain faithful to the laws of their fathers. But the +boy knew himself what was right to do, and soon told the King that he +would never obey him. + +The King now grew angry indeed, and ordered that the lad be slain. But +the mother, throwing her arms around the boy, begged the King to kill +her instead of her son. “No”, answered the King mockingly, “I cannot do +so because your own laws forbid it; for is it not said, “Whether it be +an ox or a sheep, thou shalt not kill it and its young in one day”. As +the boy was being led away, Hannah cried out, “I have surpassed Abraham. +He built one altar on which to sacrifice one son, whereas I have built +seven altars on which I have sacrificed seven sons”. One by one Hannah +had seen her sons cruelly murdered; and, no longer able to endure her +misery, she jumped down from a roof and was killed. + +Eleazar and Hannah and her seven sons were only a few of the constantly +increasing number of martyrs, who preferred to sacrifice their lives +than to disobey the laws of their fathers. Never before had the Jews +been treated with such great cruelty, but never before did they endure +their misery with greater courage. It was in vain that Antiochus ordered +the Jews to worship heathen idols; it was in vain that he commanded them +to adopt the religion of the Greeks. In many towns the royal officers +found no one to meet them, for the inhabitants had escaped to the +mountains, where they could privately observe their laws. The resistance +which the Jews offered only made the King more angry, and caused him to +increase his cruelties. Houses were plundered; synagogues were +destroyed; and thousands of Jews were put to death, victims of the wrath +of the King. + + + MATTATHIAS AND HIS FIVE SONS. + +And thus, when the Jews were on the verge of being wiped out as a nation +forever, there arose in their midst a family of heroes, who were +destined to free their people from their cruel oppressors, and again +establish their independence. + +In Modin, a small town in Judea, there lived an old man by the name of +Mattathias. He was the head of the priestly family of Hasmoneans named +after Hasmoneus, his great grand-father. Mattathias was the father of +five grown-up sons, Jochanan, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan. He +saw how the holy city was delivered into the hands of strangers, how the +temple was robbed of its treasures and profaned by the Syrians, how men, +women, and children were being killed for observing the Jewish laws, and +he mourned for Israel. He was accustomed to say to his sons that it were +far better to sacrifice their lives for their religion than to submit to +such cruel treatment at the hands of the Syrians. + +When the royal officer came to Modin to enforce the commands of the +King, he requested Mattathias, who was the oldest of the community, to +make the first sacrifice to the Greek gods. He indignantly refused, +saying that though every one else were to yield, yet he would rather die +than forsake his religion. He then commanded his sons to follow his +example. When a cowardly apostate stepped forward to offer the +sacrifice, Mattathias could not restrain himself, and killed both the +Jew and the officer. + + + THE ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS. + +Mattathias then cried out in a loud voice, “Whosoever is zealous for the +Law, and supporteth the Covenant, follow me”, with his sons and a few of +his followers, Mattathias fled to the mountains. Many Jews who favored +their plan of resistance now joined their numbers. Whenever the +opportunity offered, they would attack the Syrian garrisons, and often +were successful. They drove out the overseers of the King who came to +enforce idol worshipping, and destroyed every heathen altar they gained +access to. They reestablished public worship, and did what was in their +power to restore the government of Israel. The Syrian generals, however, +soon found out how the Jews were occupying themselves. Taking advantage +of their strict observance of the Sabbath, they attacked one thousand +Jews, who, having escaped to a cave, allowed themselves to be +slaughtered without making any attempt to defend themselves. Mattathias, +foreseeing that if the Jews would offer no resistance on the Sabbath, +that they would quickly be wiped out, decided that it was not only +lawful for them to fight on that day, but that it was their duty to do +so. The decision of Mattathias was accepted by all, and the Jews +thereafter did not hesitate to fight on the Sabbath, when their lives +were at stake. + + + THE DEATH OF MATTATHIAS. + +As Mattathias was too old to endure the hardships of war, he found +himself growing weaker each day. Knowing that he was about to die, he +summoned his sons around him, gave them his last blessing, and +encouraged them to continue the noble work which he had begun. He +appointed Judas, who was the bravest of his sons, to be their leader in +battle, and Simon, who was the wisest of them, the counsellor of the +nation. Then Mattathias died, and the whole nation mourned for him. + + + JUDAS MACCABAEUS. + +An abler leader than Judas could not have been chosen. A giant in +stature, it was said of him that when he walked, the earth trembled +beneath him, and that his battle-cry resounded like the roar of a lion. +His bold fearlessness made him the terror of his enemies, who shrunk +from him. But besides his great strength and his remarkable courage, he +possessed that love for his God, that enthusiasm for his religion that +left nothing impossible. No disadvantage was for him too great to +overcome; no army too numerous to defeat. His personal strength and +extraordinary bravery won for him his surname “Maccabee”, a Hebrew word +meaning “Hammerer”. There are many who say that this surname is derived +from the first letters of the Hebrew words מי כּמך בּאלים יי “Who is +like thee, O Lord among the Gods”, which were inscribed on Judas’s +banner. At first, Judas was the only one to be honored by the surname +“Maccabee”; but, later, the name passed to his brothers; and, finally, +to all who fought under his standard. + + + THE DEFEAT OF APPOLONIUS. + +Judas went a step further than his father, fortifying those cities which +he took by surprise. His small troop gradually became a small army, +numbering six thousand. Having assured himself that he could rely on +them, Judas prepared to meet the enemy on the field. Appolonius, the +Syrian general who had recently plundered Jerusalem and murdered its +inhabitants, was soon informed of the revolt, and raised a large army to +crush Judas. But Judas, although his army was only a handful compared +with the large forces of the enemy, marched against Appolonius, and +totally defeated his army and slew him. Judas took the sword of +Appolonius as a trophy, and used it in all his latter battles. + + + THE ROUTING OF SERON. + +Seron, the Syrian lieutenant, aroused by the news of Appolonius’s +defeat, gathered a still larger army than that which had been defeated, +and advanced against Judas. According to their usual custom before +fighting, Judas and his men had fasted; and, weak with hunger and +fatigue, the Jews despaired of success when they saw what a mighty host +was coming to meet them. But Judas encouraged them to fight boldly +against the oppressors of their people, saying that strength came from +heaven and not from large numbers, and reminding them that they fought +for their lives and their laws. When he had finished speaking he rushed +upon the Syrians as they were ascending the rocky hills at Bethoron. +Seron fell early in the battle, and his army, confused and without a +commander, was routed with great loss of life. + + + THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT PLACED + IN CHARGE OF LYSIAS. + +When King Antiochus heard of the victories of Judas, he was greatly +angered and raised a large army to crush him. But along with the news of +the uprising of the Jews came the report that his eastern provinces, +Armenia and Persia, had refused to pay their tribute. Finding his +treasury almost empty, the King was forced to leave Antioch to collect +the tribute from these provinces by force. He gave Lysias, one of the +royal blood, one-half of all the Syrian forces; and placed him in charge +of his kingdom, with orders to destroy the Jewish nation, and people +their land with strangers. + + + JUDAS’S VICTORY OVER NICANOR + AND GORGIAS. + +In obedience to the King’s command, Lysias sent out, on the following +year, forty thousand footmen and five thousand horse, under Nicanor and +Gorgias. These generals set out for Judea, and encamped on the plains of +Emmaus. So confident were the Syrians of victory, that Nicanor, one of +their generals, announced before hand a sale of Jewish captives at +ninety for a talent—about $1000. Many Slave-Merchants were in this way +attracted to the camp, each supplied with large amounts of gold and +silver and chains to lead off their slaves. + +Judas, in the meantime, having heard that the Syrian armies had come to +fight against him, assembled his six thousand men at Mizpah near Emmaus, +where they fasted and prayed as in the days of Samuel. They opened the +books of the Law, upon which the heathens had painted images of their +gods; and they were reminded of the desolation of their holy city, the +profaning of the Temple, and all the wicked deeds of Antiochus. Then +Judas, in strict accordance with the Law, ordered all those who had +recently married, built a house, planted a vineyard, or were afraid, to +return to their homes. His army, as a result, was reduced from six +thousand to three thousand men. Judas then encouraged the remaining men +to fight bravely for their people, and ordered them to prepare for +battle. + +In the meantime, Gorgias with five thousand footmen and one thousand +horse, had set out to surprise the Jewish army by night. But Judas was +soon informed of this movement, and he immediately devised a plan by +which he could take advantage of the separation of the two generals. +Silently and quickly he gathered his men, and set out with them for +Emmaus, where the remainder of the Syrian army under Nicanor lay +encamped. + +It was morning before he arrived; and, encouraging his men not to fear +the large number of the enemy by reminding them how the Jews were saved +from the Egyptians in the Red Sea, he rushed down upon the Syrians. The +Syrian general, thinking that Gorgias would easily crush the small army +of the Jews, had taken no steps to guard against a surprise. The +Syrians, panic-stricken and confused, offered but feeble resistance, and +fled from all sides. Several tents had been set on fire in the +confusion, but Judas wisely forbade the Jews to extinguish the flames or +to plunder the camps, for Gorgias had to be met and defeated. + +Gorgias and his army, meanwhile, finding the camps of the Jews deserted, +thought that they had fled to the mountains, and went to look for them. +But what was their surprise when they beheld the smoke rising from the +tents of their comrades! Thus deceived, the Syrians lost all their +courage; and, upon seeing Judas marching toward them, they too turned +their backs and fled. + +It was a great victory for the Maccabaean soldiers, and they returned +joyfully to the Syrian camps, where they examined their rich plunder, +consisting not only of large quantities of food and clothing, but also +of the large sums of money which the slave dealers had brought along +with them. As a just punishment for the slave dealers who had come to +buy, the Jews sold as many of them as they could find, as slaves. The +next day was the Sabbath, and it was indeed a day of rest and rejoicing +for the brave Jews. + + + THE RETREAT OF LYSIAS. + +Nicanor, who had escaped from Judea disguised as a slave, now returned +to Antioch, where he informed Lysias of his defeat. At this news, Lysias +was aroused; and raised a still larger army than any that had been sent +before against Judea, this time consisting of sixty thousand footmen and +five thousand horse. At the head of this vast multitude, Lysias himself +marched against the Jews. Judas with only ten thousand men met the +Syrian army at Beth-Tsur, where the battle took place. Although Lysias +lost but five thousand men, he was discouraged from continuing battle, +for he saw that the Jews were determined to conquer or die. He therefore +made his retreat from Judea and returned to Antioch. + + + THE PURIFICATION OF THE TEMPLE. + +Now that Lysias, the strongest of the King’s generals, had been driven +from Judea, the victorious Jews could turn their attention to the holy +city, which had been defiled by the Syrians. Judas and his men now +entered Jerusalem. They found the city in ruins, the altar profaned, the +gates of the city burned up, and shrubs growing in the inner courts of +the Temple. At the sight of this desolation, the Jews rent their +clothes, put ashes on their heads, and cried towards heaven. But Judas +did not allow his men to spend too much time in useless lamentation, and +set out at once to cleanse the Temple. He then chose priests to enter +the Temple to repair and purify it. The altar which had been defiled by +the heathens, they set up anew. The holy vessels, which had been +profaned by the Syrians, they replaced with new ones. So zealously was +the work of the restoration carried on, that on the 25th day of the +month of Kislev, the public worship could again be performed. With songs +and thanksgiving, the Jews dedicated the Temple anew on that happy day. + +The Talmud relates that when the purification of the Temple had been +completed, no consecrated oil could be found with which to light the +golden candlestick. After a careful search, however, a small bottle of +oil, with the seal of a former High Priest still on it, was found. But +it contained only a small quantity of oil, hardly sufficient to last for +one day. But lo! a miracle happened. When the oil was lit, not only did +it last for one day but for eight days! This was interpreted as a sure +sign that God was looking upon the work of his people with favor, and +served to increase their happiness. + +What a change the condition of the Jews had undergone! Only three years +before the Temple had been dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, and the flesh +of swine sacrificed on the altar of incense. And now, the most powerful +of the Syrian generals had been driven out from Judea. The bravest of +them feared the terrible Maccabee, whose fame as a warrior was now +spread far and wide. Public worship had been restored, not to be +discontinued again until the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, several +hundred years later. Although the war continued for many years longer, +yet with the dedication of the Temple and the public observance of the +Jewish Laws, the actual rule of the Syrians may be said to have come to +an end. Judea was now practically independent. + + + THE FESTIVAL OF CHANUKA. + +The restoration of the public worship in the Temple was an event well +worth remembering; and, for this reason, Judas and the Great Council +decided that the eight days beginning with the 25th of Kislev should be +celebrated henceforth, annually, as a festival of rejoicing and +thanksgiving to commemorate the victory of the small band of Jews over +the mighty hosts of the Syrians. To this day, this festival which is +known as חנוכּה the “Feast of Dedication”, is celebrated by the Jews +each year all over the world. On the eight days candles are lit, and +special prayers are offered to the Lord for that He saved his people +from being wiped out as a nation forever. + +[Illustration] + +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + Transcriber’s Notes + + ● The following issues should be noted, along with the resolution: + + 7 was deposited by widows and orphans for Joined. + safe[-]keeping. + + 7 deprive the righ[t]ful owners of their property, and Added. + + 17 was not wrong, it was only a mark of r[e]spect to Added. + + 18 And thus, when the Jews were on [the] verge of Added. + + 28 [with] new ones. So zealously was the work of the Added. + restoration + + 29 The restoration of the pu[p/b]lic worship in the Replaced. + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 76482 *** |