▷ What Year Did Hanukkah Start?

Hanukkah marks the celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period of Jewish history. During this rededication, upon entering the Temple, a miracle occurred when the Temple was lit up by one day’s worth of oil that lasted for eight days. This is why today, Hanukkah is celebrated with the lighting of the candelabra, the menorah, for eight days in a row. But just when did this celebration of the miracle start?

The origins of Hanukkah can be traced back to the Hasmonean dynasty of the Maccabees, who succeeded in a revolt against the Greeks with the aid of God in the 2nd century BC. It was only later, when the rabbis discussed the event in Talmudic texts that the importance of the event was established. The focus of the event became what is known today as the “Miracle of the Oil”. The exact year that Hanukkah started is unknown, but it is generally accepted to have been a few decades after the Maccabean revolt.

The primary source of information about the event is found in the book of Maccabees, which recounts the history of Judah Maccabee and the heroic struggle against the Greeks. The book of Maccabees was written in Greek and only recently was it translated into Jewish literature. Maccabees mentioned the regained freedom of the Jews and the event of the miracle of oil in 164BC.

The Talmudic texts in the rabbinical literature reference the event that was happening around 164BC, as well as the candle-light that was mentioned by Maccabees. However, it was this more formal text that established the celebration of the miracle of the oil and its connected eight-day religious festival, marking the celebration of Hanukkah.

It is clear that the event occurred and it is referred to in the rabbinical literature of the mid second century BC, but we can’t be sure of the exact year that it started. However, with the religious observance of Hanukkah established and celebrated in 164BC, it is safe to say that Hanukkah, or at least the celebration of what happened during the Maccabean revolt, started around this time.

In conclusion, the exact year that Hanukkah started is not known, but it is generally accepted that it began in 164BC when the miracle of the temple being lit with one day’s worth of oil lasted for eight days, and today, is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah for eight days in a row. As the Maccabean revolt is an integral part of the celebration, it can be assumed that the event started around late 2nd century BC.

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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.