Zone1 Did Jesus Light Hanukkah Candles?

[Lisa558]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

 

[JoeMoma]

This question inspired me to do an internet search. Considering the History of Hanukkah which predates the birth of Jesus by a couple of hundred years, I would think that Jesus did light Hanukkah candles.

 

[excalibur]

Doubtful.

The story of Hanukkah: how a minor Jewish holiday was remade in the image of Christmas

Giving small gifts to children has become common around the world, though nowhere has Hanukkah reached the level of commercialisation that it has in the US.

theconversation.com

 

[surada]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

Probably yes.

 

[Lisa558]

Doubtful.

The story of Hanukkah: how a minor Jewish holiday was remade in the image of Christmas

Giving small gifts to children has become common around the world, though nowhere has Hanukkah reached the level of commercialisation that it has in the US.

theconversation.com

Just because Hanukkah is technically a minor holiday that has become a big deal - likely due to its coincidence with Christmas - doesn’t mean laws don‘t apply. The commandment to light the candles is ancient.

I still think he probably did.

 

[Meriweather]

I still think he probably did.

The closest thing I can find that may be a mention of Hanukkah, connecting Jesus in the New Testament to the Book of Maccabees are these two verses.

John 10:22 The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalme. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon...

1 Maccabees 4:59 – Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

(This festival does not appear in the OT at all. It is called Hanukkah today but it did not exist before the period of the Maccabees.)

Do you think these two verses may tell us something definitive?

 

[Lisa558]

The closest thing I can find that may be a mention of Hanukkah, connecting Jesus in the New Testament to the Book of Maccabees are these two verses.

John 10:22 The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalme. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon...

1 Maccabees 4:59 – Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

(This festival does not appear in the OT at all. It is called Hanukkah today but it did not exist before the period of the Maccabees.)

Do you think these two verses may tell us something definitive?

Yes, definitely - to your question. Hanukkah starts the 25th day of Kislev, and continues for eight days. This tells me that Jesus DID celebrate Hanukkah.

And you are correct that the holiday is not mentioned in the OT. The victory of the Maccabees against the Assyrian Greeks was 2nd c BCE.

 

[JohnDB]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

Hanukkah festivals were not the same then as they are today.
They were held at the Temple and it was called the Festival of Lights.

It was on this occasion that John tells us Jesus told the Levites "I am the light of the world "
Basically picking a fight with them.

 

[DudleySmith]

It's not a religious holiday, so probably not.

 

[JGalt]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

He said to observe the old Mosiac laws but I'm thinking in that day, only the middle and upper class could afford candles. Everyone else was stuck with oil lamps.

When did Jews start lighting candles on Hanukkah? | Under the Fig Tree Bible Study Tours

 

[Lisa558]

He said to observe the old Mosiac laws but I'm thinking in that day, only the middle and upper class could afford candles. Everyone else was stuck with oil lamps.

When did Jews start lighting candles on Hanukkah? | Under the Fig Tree Bible Study Tours

That was an interesting read. Thank you.

So the answer to my question is that Jesus did not light candles, as that custom developed later and is now actually an obligation, but that he did commemorate the 8-day Festival of Lights beginning on 25 Kislev.

 

[JoeMoma]

That was an interesting read. Thank you.

So the answer to my question is that Jesus did not light candles, as that custom developed later and is now actually an obligation, but that he did commemorate the 8-day Festival of Lights beginning on 25 Kislev.

I would expect candles to be less expensive than oil lamps, but what do I know?

 

[Carl in Michigan]

It's not a religious holiday, so probably not.

It certainly IS a religious holiday. It is also a National Holiday like our own Thanksgiving.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Yes, definitely - to your question. Hanukkah starts the 25th day of Kislev, and continues for eight days. This tells me that Jesus DID celebrate Hanukkah.

And you are correct that the holiday is not mentioned in the OT. The victory of the Maccabees against the Assyrian Greeks was 2nd c BCE.

Just curious. Is Maccabees a part of "your" recognized scriptures? Shamefully I don't know. I will read it today.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

He said to observe the old Mosiac laws but I'm thinking in that day, only the middle and upper class could afford candles. Everyone else was stuck with oil lamps.

When did Jews start lighting candles on Hanukkah? | Under the Fig Tree Bible Study Tours

It is not part of Mosaic Law. But Im thinking she was asking if Jesus celebrated Hanukkah. But it's an interesting point.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

That was an interesting read. Thank you.

So the answer to my question is that Jesus did not light candles, as that custom developed later and is now actually an obligation, but that he did commemorate the 8-day Festival of Lights beginning on 25 Kislev.

I would assume so, if it was a common custom among the Jews of His day. Do you know how common it was in the first century?

 

[AsherN]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

Considering that the first Chanuka was a delayed Sukot, and that the whole candle thing and the prevalence of the holiday is later, likely Rabinic, I would say no.

 

[Indeependent]

In the spirit of the evening, Christmas Eve and the 7th Night of Hanukkah, I ask….

Did Jesus light the Hanukkah candles? Did Mary and Joseph do so when he was a little boy, and he continued as an adult (as I have)?

I am just curious what everyone thinks. I’m thinking….probably yes.

Which Yeshu are you referring to?
There are 7 in the Talmud.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

The closest thing I can find that may be a mention of Hanukkah, connecting Jesus in the New Testament to the Book of Maccabees are these two verses.

John 10:22 The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalme. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon...

1 Maccabees 4:59 – Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

(This festival does not appear in the OT at all. It is called Hanukkah today but it did not exist before the period of the Maccabees.)

Do you think these two verses may tell us something definitive?

I didn't know how recently the The apocrypha had been "removed" from the King James Bible.

Just curious Lisa558 are they included in your Scriptures? If not, what is the Jewish view?

 

[zaangalewa]

Did Jesus Light Hanukkah Candles?​

No. Candles are a Roman invention of the 2nd century AD. I guess he lightened oil lambs.