Page 35 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

toward heaven. Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress,
until he had cleansed the sanctuary. So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had
pleasure in the law: Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean
place. And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, which was profaned;
They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had
defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down, and laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a
convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them. Then
they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former; And made
up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed the courts. They made
also new holy vessels, and into the temple they brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt
offerings, and of incense, and the table. And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that
were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple. Furthermore they
set the loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they had
begun to make. Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month
Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning, and offered
sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made. Look, at
what time and what day the heathen had profaned it, even in that was it dedicated with songs, and
citherns, and harps, and cymbals. Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshiping and praising
the God of heaven, who had given them good success. And so they kept the dedication of the altar
eight days and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of deliverance and
praise. They decked also the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and the
gates and the chambers they renewed, and hanged doors upon them. Thus was there very great
gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away. Moreover Judas and
his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the
altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and
twentieth day of the month Casleu, with mirth and gladness.

th
To this day, the Feast of Dedication is observed beginning on the 25 day of the month Kislev,
running for eight days. It must be noted that in the account above, there is no mention of the miracle
of the oil which is reported in the Talmud. This is a glaring omission if the story were true. The book
of I Maccabees is estimated to have been written about 100 B.C.. This places its authorship almost
five centuries closer to the actual events being described than the Talmudic account. How do we
account for this omission? A reasonable explanation is that the rabbinical account of the miracle of
the oil was, like so many of their additions to the Biblical account, a fabrication. This conclusion is
bolstered by the writings of Josephus.

Now Judas [Maccabeus] celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the Temple for
eight days; and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich and
splendid sacrifices; and he honored God and delighted them by hymns and psalms. Nay, they were
so very glad at the revival of their customs when after a long time of intermission they unexpectedly
had regained the freedom of their worship, that they made it a law for their posterity, that they
should keep a festival on account of the restoration of their Temple worship for eight days. And
from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights. I suppose the reason was,
because this liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was the name given to that
festival.