Hanukkah: An Ancient Holiday Survivor

I am an unabashed lover of everything Roman, for all they have done that still influences the modern world, but while we may have months named after Roman Emperors, we do not celebrate any of the great Roman feasts.

It is true that that our culture has appropriated some Roman holidays and heavily changed them but it take digging to find their “Romanness.”

Our modern Christmas celebration is an amalgamation of many many traditions. Such as Yule and Mithraism. In fact the story of the god Mithra includes a virgin birth, wise men and gifts. It even ends with Mithra having a “last supper” and ascending into heaven. Mithra’s birthday was December 25.

Yet, the glue that holds and connects these ancient celebrations to us is the Roman feast of Saturnalia, which took place December 17-23. It involved a carnival like atmosphere, feasting and banqueting, and gift giving. When Christianity became the Roman state religion, many of the state religious festivals were appropriated. Saturn was seen as an agricultural god, which gave him association with the Sun. Mithra, who did have a large Roman cult, was also a sun god. It was not too much of a stretch for “sun god” to be changed to “Son of God.”

These December holidays all had a connection with the Winter Solstice (Usually December 21^st) The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and also signals that from this time forward each day will have more daylight and that with longer days, warmer days are coming.  December 25^th is said to be the first day that it is truly noticeable that the days are getting longer.

That being said, while many of our Christmas traditions may have roots in the Saturnalia, we do not celebrate the Saturnalia, we celebrate Christmas.

(And for those that might be curious, using biblical descriptions, notably looking at the descriptions of the shepherds and their flocks, Jesus was likely born around April.)

But there is one December holiday that has changed very little in the last 2000 years: Hanukkah.

In the first century AD the Romans went to war with Jerusalem in the First Jewish-Roman War. The area of modern Jerusalem had been a Roman province for most of the first century AD, The local Jewish population led an uprising and took back the city from Roman control in 66AD. In 70AD the Romans took back the city and sacked Jerusalem. To make an example of the Jewish people, the Romans sacked and destroyed the Great Temple in Jerusalem. The famous “Western Wall,” sometimes referred to as the “Wailing Wall,” is all that is left standing of this temple.

The sacking was commemorated with a great triumphal arch in Rome: The Arch of Titus.

The most famous image from that arch shows the Romans carrying off the great menorah that was in the temple.

The Romans here are showing that they have taken and crushed the symbols of a people now subdued. The Roman victory was decisive and brutal. In fact it was as result of these conflicts with Rome that the Jews became a people with no nation.

But, I am forced to ask who, over the long game, really won?

The presence of Rome in our modern day is undeniable, and there are faint echoes of the culture of Rome all around, but they are just that, echoes for which we have to dig up.

Yes, we have lots of things that Rome gave us, but often they are so subtle we don’t see them as Roman. Again, we do not celebrate Saturnalia, we celebrate Christmas.

But last week, I helped my wife, Rebekah, light the candles of the menorah for Hanukkah as she spoke the traditional blessing in Hebrew.

2000 years later. We don’t know the Roman holy days, but the Jewish ones are still thriving.

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!