The Jewish feast of Hanukkah, while not mandated by Mosaic Law, was later instituted following the victory of the Maccabean heroes against the armies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
This eight-day ceremony involved the reconsecration of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which had been looted and desecrated, culminating in the resumption of the daily sacrifices.
Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication, is first mentioned around the 1st century, suggesting it may have been a somewhat new liturgical celebration during the time of Jesus Christ.
The traditional account of Hanukkah, particularly its original form, centres on the miraculous revival of the sacrificial fires from the ashes, rather than the later medieval story of the oil burning for eight days. The overarching theme of Hanukkah is the restoration of the temple, a sacred space where God can be properly worshipped.
Within Christian understanding, the Old Testament and its feasts do not cease to exist but find a type of fulfilment in Christ, a transformation and recasting. This is demonstrated by Christ Himself, who celebrated Hanukkah, referred to in the Gospel of Saint John as the Feast of the Dedication.
In this context, He famously declared, "I am the light of the world," thereby filling the feast with His own Person. The subsequent experience of the Church has been an extended endeavour to understand what it means for Christ to be the Light of the World. The Christian liturgical year is considered coherent with the ancient Jewish liturgical year, re-seen and recast within the narrative of the Incarnation.
The Christian response to whether Hanukkah should be celebrated is that it is celebrated four times within the Christian tradition through four major winter feasts of the Church. These feasts unfold the Christological reality underlying the concept of Hanukkah.
They transcend the restoration of a mere earthly building in Jerusalem to instead portray the restoration of the temple of the cosmos, with humanity at its very centre, fulfilling the roles of the image and the high priest. This cosmic restoration is also understood to align with the winter solstice, representing the re-lighting of the sacred fire in the sky, and the Incarnation as the moment when the new temple is re-dedicated, appearing in the darkness of the cave.
This perspective aligns with a more ancient, medieval understanding of time, referred to as universal history, where participation in the story of salvation and the life of Christ and His Mother occurs intrinsically through the natural world.
This view asserts that the solstices and equinoxes are not arbitrary but possess inherent meaning.
The correlation between the vernal equinox, the onset of spring, and the celebration of Pascha or the Annunciation is considered fitting and proper. As Venerable Bede stated, the created sun, which illuminates all stars, signifies the true and eternal light that enlightens every human being who enters the world.
Conversely, the moon and stars, which shine not by their own light but by light borrowed from the sun, represent the body of the Church as a whole and each individual saint. It is fitting that Christ should precede the Church in the celebration of the supreme solemnity, as the Church cannot shine except through Him.
The four winter feasts of the Church, which form a chiastic structure, are:
- The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
- The Nativity
- Theophany (Epiphany)
- The Presentation of the Lord at the Temple (Meeting of the Lord at the Temple)
These feasts are symbolically bookended by the Mother of God, who acts as the container for the mystery.
She also bookends the entire Christian year in the East, beginning with her Nativity in September and concluding with her Dormition in August.
These winter feasts are also present within Western liturgical traditions.
I. The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
This feast, celebrated in November in the Orthodox Church, initiates the four great winter celebrations and the Advent or Nativity Fast. Its central theme, articulated in its earliest hymn, is the coming of the new and living Ark into the temple of God.
Historically, the Ark had been absent from the Jerusalem Temple for centuries, a fact documented in 2 Maccabees and by eyewitnesses such as Pompey the Great. An ark, in ancient contexts, was a ritual chest serving as both a reliquary for sacred items and a ritual seat for a deity, typically carried on poles, overlaid with gold, and bearing a lid with the deity's image.
Moses' Ark, however, was unique due to its contents, which prefigured Christ and His Mother, and its lid, which featured two guarding cherubim instead of an image of the God of Israel. This signified that the Ark was the throne of the God of Israel, whom the Hebrews were not permitted to depict. The presence of God was understood to accompany the Ark.
The Old Testament readings for this feast often focus on the Ark's movements and their consequences. Passages like Ezekiel 43 and 44 firmly establish the connection between Mary and the Temple, portraying the Theotokos as the new temple and the eastern gate through which only the Messiah can pass.
This is an ancient patristic understanding. Mary embodies the Ark in the context of the Incarnation, and she represents the Church becoming the Ark, as well as individuals becoming akin to the Ark. She is the person through whom all these aspects coalesce, serving as the vehicle for the Incarnation.
When the Ark was brought into the Tabernacle or Solomon's Temple, the Holy Spirit, the glory of God, would fill the space so intensely that no one could enter. This divine fullness never occurred in the Second Temple. However, the Church's tradition maintains that when Mary, as a young girl, entered the temple, the Holy Spirit filled her as the new Ark in a tangible manner.
This marked the first instance of the Holy Spirit tangibly entering the Holy of Holies, the sacred space designated for the Ark. This event thus restored the presence of God with the Ark, central to the feast's theme of the temple's restoration as a dwelling place for God.
Mary is understood to become a literal Ark; her womb carries not merely relics but God Himself. Her lap becomes a throne upon which Christ sits, fulfilling David's prophecy in Psalms 44 (or 43) regarding virgins being brought to the king and into the temple.
This is visually represented in Christian iconography as the Throne of Wisdom, where the Mother of God herself is depicted as the throne, with Christ usually seated on her lap, His head resting on her heart, making her the Ark that surrounds Him, and He the glory upon the Ark.
II. The Nativity (Christmas)
The Nativity marks the second of the winter feasts. Many of its themes, such as the restoration of the temple, the resurgence of light, and the preservation of light amidst darkness, are not readily apparent in modern understanding. The troparia for Christmas Eve speaks of Mary and Joseph journeying to Bethlehem for taxation, Mary bearing "the fruit that had not been sown," and the cave proving a fair place for the Queen. The central purpose of Christ's birth is stated as raising up the image that before was fallen.
The cave, despite not being explicitly mentioned in Scripture, holds significant symbolism within the tradition, representing both the womb and the grave, with the grave itself acting as a womb for Christ. The hymns of the Nativity declare, "Made ready o Bethlehem for Eden hath been opened to all prepare o Ephrathah for the Tree of Life hath blossomed forth in the cave from the virgin for who womb did appear as a spiritual paradise in which is planted the divine plant whereof eating we shall live and not die as adam verily Christ shall be born raising the image that fell of old."
These hymns transport the listener back to Genesis and Garden of Eden, recalling the cherub guarding paradise with a flaming sword after humanity's expulsion. In the ancient Near East, "paradise" signified a walled garden, and it was widely understood that God resided in a garden at the summit of a mountain. Orthodox churches are designed to evoke this imagery, reminding congregants that they are participating in heavenly worship within paradise.
In ancient temple construction, the deity was placed at the centre of the temple, often through rituals such as the Egyptian "opening of the mouth," which aimed to imbue the statue with the spirit of the god. Eden is understood as a temple created by God for Himself within the cosmos, with humanity positioned at its heart as the image and high priest, performing a priestly function by naming the animals. However, the image became sullied, leading to humanity's inability to fulfil its priestly role in creation, often resulting in destructive dominion.
This process, in which pagan temple dedication is reversed in Genesis, foreshadows the Incarnation. Moses' Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple are regarded as iconic representations of Eden.
The mystical truth of Christmas reveals that the cave becomes the container for the Mother of God, who is herself the new spiritual paradise, the new Eden, thereby opening Eden to all.
Within this new Eden, a new divine plant, a new Tree of Life, manifests as Christ and the Cross, offering the opposite of the fruit that brought death to Adam. In this new Tabernacle of creation, Christ elevates the image of God and human nature, enabling true worship and communion through a new fruit and a new priest.
Icons of the Last Judgment frequently depict paradise on the right side of Christ, with the Virgin enthroned within, symbolising her as paradise itself, the place where the garden and the Tree of Life were restored in the person of Christ and the Cross. The theme of Hanukkah, with its specific historical context, is made universal through Christ's Incarnation and birth, which achieves the perfect union of heaven and earth.
He restores human nature to its rightful place as the image of God and restores not merely a temple in Jerusalem but the temple of the cosmos, the temple of creation, which is Eden. The hymns for the feast beautifully intertwine these different levels of understanding.
A hymn from the Nativity Vespers states: "the middle wall of the partition has been destroyed the flaming sword turns back the cherubim withdraw from the tree of life and I partake of the delight of paradise from which I was cast out through disobedience."
This hymn is immediately followed by the reading of Genesis 1:1-13, signifying a cosmic restoration and the reawakening of humanity's significance in Christ, a return to Eden where personal, social, and cosmic levels converge.
III. Theophany (Epiphany)
Theophany, the third winter feast, encompasses a profound theme of warfare, exemplified by the hymn: "make radio river Jordan for behold Christ our God draws near to be baptised by John that he may crush with his divinity the invisible heads of the dragons in thy waters."
This alludes to Psalms 73 in the Septuagint, depicting Yahweh crushing dragons' heads in the waters, symbolising the subjugation of demonic powers and the exorcism of the cosmos. Another pivotal theme is illumination or the revelation of light.
Christ's baptism is understood as His descent into the water, equated with the cave, followed by His emergence. At this moment, the Holy Spirit descends, initiating a recreation of heaven and earth and revealing a new cosmic structure.
The voice of God proclaims the Logos to the world, making this light and revelation central to the feast. In Christian tradition, baptism is indeed referred to as illumination. Christ is depicted as the bestower of light, descending into the Jordan's streams to illuminate those dwelling in darkness.
The connection to Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights or Feast of Dedication, is underscored by Christ's declaration "I am the light of the world" in John chapter 10, where He offers Himself as the explanation of this Old Testament feast and elucidates its connection to Theophany.
On Theophany, the Church commemorates Christ's conquest of demonic powers that had enslaved humanity and infested the cosmos. The outcome of this victory is the light that enlightens every human being who comes into the world. Through Theophany, the cosmos is once again rendered capable of being offered to God in an act of thanksgiving, with humanity serving as the priest of creation and the image of God fully restored.
IV. The Presentation of the Lord at the Temple
This final feast serves as the bookend to the winter cycle. Its hymnography and iconography prominently feature the transfer of the Christ Child from the Theotokos to Saint Simeon. This act intentionally recalls Isaiah chapter 6, where the Prophet Isaiah experiences a mystical vision of God enthroned in glory within the temple.
Overwhelmed by his own sinfulness, Isaiah is purified when a seraph touches his lips with a live coal taken from the altar. Christian tradition regards Isaiah's vision as the quintessential model of heavenly worship. In the narrative of this feast, Isaiah's story is symbolically reversed: God, instead of being sought by His prophet in the temple, comes to the temple to meet His prophet (Simeon) who has patiently awaited Him.
The Church's hymnography meticulously draws out the eucharistic implications of this feast. Simeon is portrayed in iconography with his hands covered, as if about to receive communion.
Priests and bishops receiving communion at the altar frequently recite the seraph's words from Isaiah: "Behold, this has touched your lips, your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged."
In some medieval Western churches, particularly in Spain, depictions of Isaiah with the angel and tongs were placed in the apse, where the sacred mysteries were celebrated, highlighting the strong association with communion. In the canon of the feast, Simeon addresses the Theotokos as "O mystical tongs," querying how she bears the "coal" and nourishes Him who feeds all creation. Simeon, identified as a priest, receives the Lord of all, who has descended from heaven.
This feast abounds in paradoxes: Isaiah, burdened by sin, is purified by a live coal, whereas Simeon, after a lifetime of anticipation, receives the Lord of hosts—the salvation, the light destined to be revealed to the nations, and the glory of Israel, as a living coal carried on the Theotokos's "tongs."
Simeon's ultimate response is "now I can die." This feast marks a final consummation for Christians; those who partake worthily in communion are likened to God, filled with His presence, and even called gods by adoption, according to grace.
This feast culminates in the possibility for believers not only to encounter God but also to receive Him into themselves. It concludes with a foreshadowing of the passion, "the sword will pierce your heart also," thereby fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures that foretold His coming.
The overall structure of these four feasts progresses from the preparation of a dark, holy space (the Holy of Holies, the altar setup), to the descent of God's glory initially hidden on the Ark, followed by the priest (Christ) emerging with the communion chalice, signifying the revelation of light.
This is accompanied by the voice of God revealing the Logos, culminating in the Church's reception (symbolised by Anna and Simeon saying "amen"). This entire sequence forms a cosmic image of light: light descends, reveals something, and is subsequently recognised.
The exclamation, "God is the Lord and has revealed himself to us; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," is understood to mean, "Yahweh is God, and now he's revealed himself to us." This revelation is central to these four feasts.
In summary, the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple signifies the Ark of God's return to the temple, setting the stage for the restoration of the worship of the one true God.
The Nativity sees the cave transformed into Eden, the cosmic temple, with the image of humanity raised up and renewed. Theophany portrays the crushing of the dragons in the waters, as Christ, the Light, illuminates the cosmos with His triumph.
Finally, the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple enables humanity not only to encounter God but to receive Him.
The cumulative effect of these feasts demonstrates the fulfilment of Old Testament scriptures and prophecies, extending the celebration of Christmas throughout the winter season. The rich symbolism and coherence within these feasts invite continued exploration and appreciation within one's own traditions.