24 November 2023
Then Judas and his brothers said, ‘See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.’ So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion.
From 1 Maccabees 4:36-37,52-59, NRSV
After the death of Mattathias, whose stand against King Antiochus was related in yesterday’s reading, his son Judas took over his leadership. Under his leadership, the Jews gained some victories over those who sought to suppress them. Their first response to this was to go and purify and re-dedicate the temple that had been profaned by their enemies. The temple was re-dedicated with much joy and celebration on the anniversary of the day when it had been profaned. To this day, the Jews commemorate this event as Hannukah – the Festival of Lights – an eight day celebration of the re-dedication of the temple and all that it meant for the Jewish people.
- Why do you think the cleansing and re-dedication of the temple was a priority for the Jews?
- What can we do to honour the sanctity of our places of worship?
You may like to discover more about the Festival of Hannukah and how it is celebrated.
