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Re: orion Code-words and Hanukkah
>At 01:26 PM 11/16/97 -0400, you wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>2) Re Hanukkah. Since Maccabees does not mention the miracle of the
>>>menorah, is it possible sectarians recognized the Hasmonean victory as a
>>>day of celebration while rejecting the "Pharisaic" injunction to light the
>>>candles in recognition of the menorah?
>>
>>Since the miracle of the oil isn't mentioned in any literature until
>>centuries later (not in the Mishnah nor in the Yerushalmi, first mentioned
>>in Babylonian Talmud! nor is there a tractate on Hanukkah to correspond
>>with tractate Megillah for Purim!), most modern scholars have concluded
>>(in my view, correctly) that no such ritual was officially instituted at or
>>even close to the time of the historical events nor is it attested for
>>centuries thereafter. Yes, I know that some people get very upset upon
>>hearing this, but in the interests of intellectual honesty these facts and
>>their implications need to be confronted.
>>
>>Judith Romney Wegner
>>jrw@brown.edu
>
>What about the Feast of Dedication? (John 10:22)
>
>Keith Schoville
And, to quote one more sentence from the article--well-worth-reading--by
A.I. Baumgarten (another quotation from which featured early in this thread
[M. Hengel Festschrift, 1996, I:201]):
"Among the various means employed by the Maccabees to promote their
acceptance as rulers of the Jews was their encouragement of observance of
the holiday of Hanukkah (see the two letters at the beginning of 2 Macc.)."
S. Goranson goranson@duke.edu