Hey whats the historical basis behind this holiday? Is it the Maccabee revolt? Cuz didnt the Jews lose dat none? Lysias killed Maccabee and the Greeks won in the end, right?
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Actually, the Maccabees eventually won, and Chanukah (pick your spelling) commemorates both the political victory and the conveniently-timed religious miracle when the Menorah (7-branched candlebra) in the Temple was relit for 8 days on 1 day's worth of oil. Hence Hannukka (showing variation in the spelling) last 8 days and 8 nights.
The Maccabees were the ruling political dynasty for a couple hundred years, as I recall. They fell out of favor with the Pharisees and other political rival, so the two books of the Bible titled Maccabees I & II were removed and are now found in the Apocrypha. Like most books of the Bible, they're pretty boring.
driftwood
The Maccabees were the ruling political dynasty for a couple hundred years, as I recall. They fell out of favor with the Pharisees and other political rival, so the two books of the Bible titled Maccabees I & II were removed and are now found in the Apocrypha. Like most books of the Bible, they're pretty boring.
driftwood
There was a civil in the BC 60s between the Pharisaic and Saducee factions who each backed a different prince-claimant to the throne. Pompey was in the area with a large army having recently defeated the Cicilian pirates. The two sides both sought Pompey's help and he eventually intervened helping Hyrcanus (the Pharisees candidate) by defeating his rival.
Hyrcanus was a client of Rome from that point. After the Roman Civil War, Rome replaced him with the Herodian line. Judea was a client kingdom of Rome under the Herods until 6 CE, when Jewish and Samaritan protests against the ruling king convinced the Romans to place Judea under the rule of a Roman prefect -- one of whom was to be Pilate.
Herod Antipas continued to rule as a Roman client king in the Galilee (North of Judea and Samaria; includes Nazareth). Herod Agrippa was a close friend of the emporerors Gaius Caligula (!) and Claudius and succeeded in becoming king over judea, samaria, galillee and parts of Syria. His son eventually inherited some of these domains but the Jewish kingdom pretty much came to an end after the Vespasian's Jewisg War.
Hyrcanus was a client of Rome from that point. After the Roman Civil War, Rome replaced him with the Herodian line. Judea was a client kingdom of Rome under the Herods until 6 CE, when Jewish and Samaritan protests against the ruling king convinced the Romans to place Judea under the rule of a Roman prefect -- one of whom was to be Pilate.
Herod Antipas continued to rule as a Roman client king in the Galilee (North of Judea and Samaria; includes Nazareth). Herod Agrippa was a close friend of the emporerors Gaius Caligula (!) and Claudius and succeeded in becoming king over judea, samaria, galillee and parts of Syria. His son eventually inherited some of these domains but the Jewish kingdom pretty much came to an end after the Vespasian's Jewisg War.
Once more thing: the priestly parties of the Saducees were so annoyed at Hyrcanus that they tried to erase the memory of the Hashmonean line by taking the Books of the Maccabees out of the official Biblical canon. I think the Catholic Church includes these books in the OT though.