Every December, I see Christians posting menorahs, lighting candles, or saying things like, “Jesus celebrated Hanukkah, so I do too!” And on the face, it sounds histroical, thoughtful and reverent. But the history behind Hanukkah is far more complicated than most Christians realize. And if we take Scripture seriously (as we all should!), the festival raises some theological concerns that make Christian celebration “iffy,” if not inappropriate.

Let’s walk through the real story.

Hanukkah Is Not a Biblical Festival

Hanukkah does not come from Moses, David, the Prophets, or any Old Testament command. It comes from the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt in the 2nd century BC—a revolt that freed Judea from Seleucid (essentially Greek) oppression but produced its own theological and political problems.

1. The Hasmoneans Were Not from Judah

The Maccabees were Levites from the priestly family of Jehoiarib—not from the royal line of David. After the revolt:

• They did not restore the Davidic monarchy.
• They crowned themselves rulers.
• They merged priestly and kingly authority in a single family—something Scripture forbids.

In the Scriptures, the kingship belongs to Judah (Gen 49:10), the high priesthood belongs to the line of Zadok (Ezek 40–48), and the prophets are sent by God. Hanukkah celebrates the moment when a priestly family took the throne that belonged to David’s line.

2. Hanukkah Celebrates the Overthrow of the Zadokite High Priesthood

The Hasmoneans did not just seize civil authority—they seized the high priesthood too, appointing themselves high priests despite not being from the line of Zadok. This is why the Qumran/Essene community (Dead Sea Scrolls) rejected Hanukkah entirely. They saw the Hasmonean high priests as illegitimate usurpers. In other words: A major Jewish sect in Jesus’ day rejected Hanukkah for the exact reasons Christians overlook today.

3. Hanukkah Represents the Suppression of the Davidic Line

By the time we get to Joseph and Mary, David’s royal family is politically sidelined, economically marginalized, and living in obscure working-class conditions. This is not an accident nor a coincidence. The Hasmoneans consolidated wealth and power around themselves, leaving David’s sons in the shadows. In short: Hanukkah celebrates the political arrangement that kept the true king’s family—Joseph’s family—off the throne.

“But Jesus Celebrated Hanukkah!” — Did He Really?

Many appeal to John 10:22: “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem.” But notice what the text does not say. It does not say:

• Jesus attended the festival
• Jesus lit candles
• Jesus observed rituals
• Jesus endorsed the celebration

John simply notes the time of year using the feastal calendar that Israel would have been familiar with. Jesus is walking and teaching in Solomon’s Portico—something He did constantly. And what does He do at Hanukkah?

• He rebukes the temple leaders (John 10:26–30).
• He confronts the very authorities who claimed legitimacy through the Hasmonean system that Hanukkah celebrates.

If anything, John 10 is a rejection of Hanukkah’s claims, not an endorsement. As far as Scripture speaks, Jesus never celebrates Hanukkah. Instead, He uses the occasion to declare Himself the true Shepherd-King—the Son of David, not the son of the Hasmoneans.

What About the Miracle of the Oil?

We are often told the story of Hanukkah as it is found in it final form–the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. But here’s the true background to that story:

• The earliest sources (1 and 2 Maccabees) mention no oil miracle.
• Josephus (1st century AD) mentions no oil miracle.
• The Dead Sea Scrolls mention no oil miracle.
• The earliest accounts describe an eight-day festival because they didn’t have time to celebrate the Feast of Booths earlier.

So when does the oil story appear?

The Oil Miracle First Appears in the Babylonian Talmud — 5th Century AD

That’s roughly 700 years after the events! In other words, it is a later rabbinic legend—an attempt to spiritually reframe a holiday that originally celebrated a dynasty later viewed as corrupt.

Which means: The most beloved part of Hanukkah wasn’t even part of Hanukkah until centuries after Jesus.

Who Celebrated Hanukkah in Jesus’ Day?

Hanukkah was politically charged, and as such, not universally embraced.

• The Pharisees largely supported it.
• The Sadducees/Hasmonean priests embraced it—because it justified their power.
• Many common Jews observed it culturally.
• The Essenes/Qumran rejected it outright as an illegitimate festival.

Judaism was not unified on Hanukkah, and neither was the early church.

So Should a Christian Celebrate Hanukkah?

A Christian may:

• study Hanukkah historically
• understand its role in Second Temple Judaism
• teach how it sets the stage for Christ’s arrival

But a Christian should not:

• treat it as a spiritual or religious holiday
• light menorahs devotionally
• merge it with Advent
• imitate rituals that historically celebrate illegitimate priest-kings

Here’s why:
Hanukkah celebrates the wrong king, the wrong priest, and the wrong restoration. Advent celebrates the arrival of the right King, the right Priest, and the true Temple. Hanukkah points to the failure of human rulers while Advent points to the triumph of Christ.

Hanukkah shines a temporary, human light. Advent reveals “the true Light who gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). Hanukkah is longing for restoration. Advent is restoration arrived.

Conclusion

Christians don’t need Hanukkah because Hanukkah needed Christ. The Maccabean revolt produced a dynasty that subverted David’s throne and Zadok’s priesthood—precisely the corruption Jesus came to confront. The “Festival of Lights” is ultimately a celebration of misplaced hope. Advent is the celebration of fulfilled hope. Hanukkah celebrates earthly attempts at empire, Advent remembers the true Kingdom established by Christ. Friends, the child born in Bethlehem—descended from a forgotten line of kings—came to take back the throne every other dynasty stole.