In 164 B.C.E., Judah Maccabee defeats the Seleucid army and purifies the Temple. The fighting continues, and Judah is killed in 160 B.C.E. Only in 142 B.C.E. do the Seleucids finally make peace with Simon, Judah’s last surviving brother, who founds the Hasmonean dynasty of high priests that rule Judea for a century. Who established Chanukah as a holiday?
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
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The story of the Maccabees is known as a battle between traditionalists and assimilationists, the latter supported by the Seleucid kings. But what do the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, with their elaborate descriptions of alliances and power plays, really tell us about the revolt?
Prof.
Eric Orlin
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Maʿoz Tzur is an intense anti-Christian text reflecting the mood and experience of Ashkenazi Jews during the Crusades, when dozens of Jewish communities were slaughtered in the name of the cross.
Prof.
Yitzhak Y. Melamed
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The Significance of the Rabbinic Choice of Haftarah for Shabbat Chanukah
Prof.
Eric M. Meyers
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Why did Judah Maccabee establish the holiday? What were the religious and political factors that inspired the Maccabees to promote it throughout Judea and the diaspora?
Prof.
Eyal Regev
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