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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Story of Hanukkah

Resources
Books and Videos
Reproducible Worksheets/Handouts
Websites
Reference Books/ Research Resources/Maps
Lists
Bible Verses
People
Dates
Places
Vocabulary
Spelling Words
Hanukkah Crossword
Maps of Maccabean Period
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u Maccabees
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Alexander the Great was king of Greece, after having defeated Darius of the Persians
and the Medes. He developed a mysterious disease, and he died at his height of power. Having
no heirs, his dynasty was split between his officials who, Scripture describes, ͞caused many
evils on the earth.͟ {u

Out of this evil lineage came an even more ͞sinful root͟ {u u, Antiochus Epiphanes,
who became king of Greece in u BCEDuring this time many ͞renegade͟ Jews, began
encouraging others to reconnect with the Gentiles. Fearing further disaster, this solution
pleased many, and ͞some of the people eagerly went to the king, who authorized them to
observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to
Gentile custom, and removed marks of circumcision; and abandoned the holy covenant. They
joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.͟ {u uu
Antiochus, upon having success in the eastern kingdoms, now sought to become king of
Egypt. He defeated King Ptolemy and captured Egypt. Then, in u
BCE, when Egypt was under
his control, Antiochus set upon Israel, With sinful arrogance, he plundered the temple in
Jerusalem, taking all of the holy vessels back to his own land. This brought great mourning to
Israel.
Two years later, to a lamenting Jerusalem, Antiochus promised peace, but brought war.
͞Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that all should
give up their particular customs͟ {u uAntiochus forbid Jews from observing YHVH͛s
commandments, such as outlawing Sabbath worship, and demanded they worship him and his
gods. He even bribed Jews, like Menelaus, into exacting his orders to ͞hellenize͟ their
kinsmen. In a large part he succeeded, appointing inspectors to enact his orders, and many
Jews willingly adopted the pagan customs and gave their allegiance to Antiochus. ͞They were
to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they would forget
the law and change all the ordinances.͟ under penalty of death. {u

In the winter, what would be the middle of December, on u Kislev u BCE, those who
forsook the law, placed a ͞desecrating sacrilege͟ (the abomination that causes desolation
prophesied in Daniel uu u, a statue of the pagan god, Zeus, upon the temple͛s altar. And it
only got worse. They built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah. ͞The books of the law that
they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Anyone found possessing the book of the
covenant, or anyone who adhered to the law, was condemned to death by decree of the king.͟
{u 

On the 2th day of Kislev u BCE, on the day recognized as the birthday of many pagan
gods, the people offered a sacrifice to their god upon the holy altar of YHVH. They caused even
more tragedy and evil in Israel, making profaning all that was holy, and murdering those who
opposed them.
 But like Daniel and his friends, there were faithful men to be found yet.͟Many in Israel
stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather
than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath
came upon Israel.͟ {u

Mattathias, a Jewish priest of Modein, a neighboring city of Jerusalem, saw the
atrocities being committed, and gathered his five sons to mourn. They and refused to obey
Antiochus͛ blasphemous commands. He refused to be coerced through the officials
soothsaying, and instead boldly announced,
͞Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to
obey his commandments, everyone of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I
and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far
be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king͛s words by
turning aside from our religion to the right hand or the left.͟ {2 u
22
He ͞burned with zeal for the law͟ {2 2 and cried out for all those who were also zealous for
the law toflee with him to the mountains. The king received word of this, and many were
found and slaughtered without even a fight (for it was the Sabbath. Mattathias and his friends
heard of this and decided to fight back.
They joined forces with the Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel, and began planning a
counterattack. They tore down the pagan altars, forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised
males they found and hunted down the arrogant. YHVH was with them, and their plans
prospered.c
At Mattathias͛ death {u BCE, he blessed his son, Judas, leaving him in charge of the
armies, with this message
͞Arrogance and scorn have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious
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Remember the deeds of the ancestors, which they did in their generations; and
you will receive great honor and an everlasting name. Was not Abraham found faithful
when tested, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness? Joseph in the time of his
distress kept the commandment, and became lord of Egypt. Phinehasour ancestor,
because he was deeply zealous, received the covenant of everlasting priesthood.
Joshua, because he fulfilled the command, became a judge in Israel. Caleb, because he
testified in the assembly, received an inheritance in the land. David, because he was
merciful, inherited the throne of the kingdom forever. Elijahbecause of great zeal for the
law, was taken up into heaven. Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael believed and were saved
from the flame. Daniel, because of his innocence, was delivered from the mouth of the
lions.
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 Do not fear the words of sinners, for their splendor
will turn to dung and worms. Today they will be exalted, but tomorrow they will not be
found, because they will have returned to the dust, and their plans will have perished.
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 Here is your brother, Simeon who, I know, is wise in counsel; always listen to him;
he shall be your father. Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he
shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples. You shall rally
around you all who observe the law, and avenge the wrong done to your people. Pay
back the Gentiles in full, and obey the commands of the law.͟ ~u Maccabees 2


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Judas (known as Maccabeus or ͞The Hammer͟, had many victories in the beginning, but
as opposing forces surrounded them with what seemed to be insurmountable odds, they
remained faithful. They prayed for mercy and compassion, fasted and studied Scripture in
preparation for battle. Judas and his army of  men, barely armed, surprised the king͛s
official, Gorgias, and overtook the opposing army in Emmaus and pursued them from town to
town, killing more than half. Then they turned back, in order not to be too greedy for gain,
singing hymns and praises to Heaven ͞For he is good, for his mercy endures forever.͟ { 2 ,
thus marking YHVH͛s deliverance of Israel.
When Lysias, one of the king͛s officials, heard that their plans had been
foiled, he mustered a larger army, but was met with an even larger army led by Judas.
Discouraged by the Maccabees͛ boldness, Lysias retreated to Antioch to devise a better plan.
For now, Judas and his brothers had won. The set out to reclaim what their enemies had
desecrated. Judas and blameless priests devoted to the law cleansed the sanctuary and
removed the defiled stones. After some deliberation, they decided it would be best to tear
down the defiled altar and build another from unhewn stones, as the law commanded. They
rebuilt the sanctuary and inner areas of the temple, made new holy vessels and brought in a
lampstand for light.
On the 2th day of Kislev, three years exactly from the date the Gentiles had profaned it,
Judas and his men offered sacrifice on the rebuilt altar and worshipped the Lord. ͞So they
celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they
offered a sacrifice of wellbeing and a thanksgiving offering. . .There was very great joy among
the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.͟ { ,

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uc Holy Scriptures u Maccabees
uc A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays (Robin Sampson/Heart of Wisdom
uc Jewish Holidays All Year Round ISBN 
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uc Celebrate! Stories of Jewish Holidays ISBN 



uc The Little House Cookbook ISBN  


uc Hanukkah Crafts ISBN uuu2
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uc Celebrate A Book of Jewish Holidays ISBN 
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uc I Shpy http //www.chabad.org/media/pdf/u/hFnDu

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uc Torah Tots Chanukah http //www.torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chanuk.htm
uc Miracle of the Maccabees (audio *only until 2 u

http //www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/2u
2
/jewish/MiracleoftheMaccabees.htm
uc Karaite Comments The Truth About Chanukah http //hubpages.com/hub/Karaite
CommentsTheTruthAboutChanukah
uc What To Do With Chanukah?? http //homeshalom.blogspot.com/2u/uu/whattodo
withchanukah.html
uc Maccabees The Full Wiki http //www.thefullwiki.org/Maccabees
uc A Rich Tradition, Jewish war lessons
http //www.factsofisrael.com/blog/archives/.html

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uc Bitsela Gallery of Free Jewish Clipart http //freebitsela.com/?page_id=

uc Clipart ETC http //etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/sitemap.php
uc Free Bible Clip Art by Phillip Martin http //bible.phillipmartin.info/index.htm
uc Bible Maps http //www.preceptaustin.org/bible_maps.htm
uc Intertestamental Maps http //www.bible
history.com/links.php?cat=u sub=cat_name=Intertestamentalsubcat_name=M
aps
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uc 2 u
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uc Last words of Mattathias 2


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͞And this is the message which we have heard from him and proclaim to you God is
light, and there is no darkness in him  none!͟
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͞Yeshua spoke to them again ͚I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will
never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.͛"
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͞YHVH is my light and salvation; whom do I need to fear? YHVH is the stronghold of my
life; of whom should I be afraid?͟
uc 
cu
ÑÑ!Ñ)c(Yeshua said this on the pagan winter solstice
"Then came Hanukkah in Yerushalayim. It was winter, and Yeshua was walking around
inside the Temple area, in Shlomo's Colonnade. So the Judeans surrounded him and said
to him, "How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,
tell us publicly!" Yeshua answered them, "I have already told you, and you don't trust
me. The works I do in my Father's name testify on my behalf, but the reason you don't
trust is that you are not included among my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, I
recognize them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never
be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands.͛͟
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͞Yeshua answered them, ͚Isn't it written in your Torah, ͞I have said, ͚You people are
Elohim' "? If he called `elohim' the people to whom the word of Elohim was addressed
(and the Tanakh cannot be broken, then are you telling the one whom the Father set
apart as holy and sent into the world, `You are committing blasphemy,' just because I
said, `I am a son of Elohim'? "If I am not doing deeds that reflect my Father's power,
don't trust me. But if I am, then, even if you don't trust me, trust the deeds; so that you
may understand once and for all that the Father is united with me, and I am united with
the Father.͛"
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͞I saw no Temple in the city, for YHVH, God of heaven's armies, is its Temple, as is the
Lamb.͟
cc"
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uc Alexander the Great King of Greece
uc Antiochus Epiphanes Syrian/Greek king
uc Menelaus Jew who bribed Antiochus to become high priest, in charge of
hellenizing Jews
uc Lysias distinguished man of royal lineage, put in charge of king͛s affairs from
Euphrates to Egypt
uc Gorgias led king͛s army in Battle of Emmaus
uc Matthias (Mattathias Jewish priest of Modin (near Jerusalem
uc Judas (Judah Maccabeus son of Matthias, led army against Antiochus
uc Hasideans mighty warriors of Israel who ͞offered themselves willingly for
the law͟ and joined forces with the Maccabees
uc Yeshua ͞the light of the world͟, most likely conceived on Hanukkah
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uc u BCE Antiochus Epiphanes becomes king
uc u Kislev u BCE king͛s people set up desolating sacrilege on the altar of
burnt offering (in the temple
uc 2 Kislev, u BCE Antiochusoffered sacrificeto Zeus on the altar (on same
day as pagan god͛s birthday **fulfills ͞abomination of desolation͟ prophecy
in Daniel (Dan.
2;uu u
uc u BCE Mattathias dies
uc 2 Kislev u BCE rededication of the temple
uc 2 Kislev (Chislev beginning of Hanukkah (should be observed with joy 
gladness for
days

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uc Egypt
uc Judea
uc Israel (Jerusalem
uc Jerusalem
uc Modein birthplace of Mattathias
uc Emmaus
uc Euphrates River
uc Mount Zion
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uc Hellenize to give a Greek form or character to
uc Gentile In the scriptures, a pagan; a worshipper of false gods; any person
not a Jew or a christian; a heathen.
uc abomination extreme hatred; detestation
uc sacrilege the crime of violating or profaning sacred things
uc idolatry the worship of idols, images, or any thing made by hands, or which
is not God
uc gymnasium In Greece, a place where athletic [and academic] exercises were
performed
uc ordinancerule established by authority; a permanent rule of action. An
ordinance may be a law or statute of sovereign power, observance
commanded
uc revoltto renounce allegiance and subjection to one's prince or state
uc persecution to affliction, harassment, or destruction for adherence to a
particular creed or system of religious principles, or to a mode of worship
uc fastto abstain from food voluntarily, for the mortification of the body or
appetites, or as a token of grief, sorrow and affliction.
uc feast a ceremony of dining; joy and thanksgiving on stated days, in
commemoration of some great event
uc zeal eagerness of desire to accomplish or obtain some object, and it may be
manifested either in favor of any person or thing, or in opposition to it, and
in a good or bad cause
uc thanksgivingthe act of rendering thanks or expressing gratitude for favors or
mercies.
uc dedication the act of consecrating to a divine Being, or to a sacred use; the
act of devoting or giving to
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uc Maccabees
uc Jerusalem
uc Israel
uc Euphrates
http //www.britannica.com/bps/mediaview?u
 http //www.bible
history.com/ancient_maps/map_kingdom_alexander_jannaeus_israel.swf
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