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| Unearthed Hanukkah Lamp |
An early mention of
Hanukkah can be found in
1 Maccabees 4.
This passage (Verses 52-59) refers to reconsecrating the “altar of holocausts” that had been defiled - and then celebrating this spiritual victory for eight days.
The passage also specifically instructs “the entire congregation of Israel” to reaffirm this celebration each year for a period of eight days, beginning with the 25
th day of Chislev (the Jewish calendar’s ninth month).
However, we might not even know these verses today if it weren’t for the
Septuagint.
“Septuagint” (otherwise known as LXX)
is the Latin abbreviation for “Interpretatio septuaginta virorum” – which in turn means “translation of the seventy interpreters.”
According to an account (which many say is mythological) by
Aristeas (who many say wasn’t the real author), King Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt asked 72 Jewish experts to translate the Torah (first five books of the Hebrew Bible, often called the Books of Moses or the Pentateuch) from Hebrew to Greek for inclusion within the great Library of Alexandria.
These 72 translators were allegedly strictly isolated from one another during this project so that they could not compare notes.
Each worked in a completely separate room.
Philo of Alexandria claimed that – after 72 days – these 72 scholars produced transcripts that were identical to one another.
Many current Biblical scholars believe that this story was part of a publicity campaign to validate and popularize
Hellenistic Judaism.
Perhaps the Septuagint itself was part of this same campaign.
This is especially ironic, given the Hanukkah story’s usual antipathy to foreign influences in Judaism.
The
Maccabees themselves were known to be especially anti-Hellenistic.
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-Aristeas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Maccabees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_Judaism
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1maccabees/1maccabees4.htm
Copyright December 2, 2010 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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