Hannukah

by aniron 2 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  aniron

  Just listening to the radio and they said that the Jewish festival "Hannukah" starts today. Would JW's call it pagan because its celebrated on on 25th Dec. Is this not a reason for celebrating birth of Christ today. After all Jesus celebrated a festival around that time, called the " Feast of Dedication" (John 10:22) .

  The annual feast celebrated eight days beginning in the 25th of Chislev (middle of our December), instituted by Judas Maccabaeus [164 BC] in memory of the cleansing of the temple from the pollution of Antiochus Epiphanes

  Interestingly it wasn't a festival instituted by God, but by men. Yet it seems Jesus may have celebrated it.

  The celebrating of it was not confined to Jerusalem, as that of the divine feasts was, but every one observed it in his own place, not as a holy time (it is only a divine institution that can sanctify a day), but as a good time.
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  fahrvegnugen

  It's been a while, but I think the official JW position is that Hannukah is not a pagan holiday since Jews were celebrating it as part of their approved worship before they were "rejected" as the chosen people. It would however be seen as part of the Jewish customs which were replaced by Christianity, the New Covenant, etc. and hence not observed by JWs. So the end result is the same--faithful dubs would not celebrate/observe it.
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  peacefulpete

  
  Actually Hanukkah is a solstice festival, it was apparently commandeered by Jews when the militant Maccobean rebels rededicated the Temple to the Jewish god.

  See the my coments :Jewish Christmas roots, jw response? 25th of Kislev