Two traditions of Hanukkah

Among academic scholars it is an article of faith that Hanukkah began as a sort of Sukkot celabration. They find evidence for this contention is in the following passage that relates how Maccabbess celebrated Sukkot in December, as a 'make-up' for the the celbration they missed  due to persecutions and war:

"They celebrated it for eight days with gladness like Sukkot and recalled how a little while before, during Sukkot, they had been wandering in the mountains and caverns like wild animals. So carrying lulavs [palm branches waved on Sukkot]...they offered hymns of praise [perhaps the Hallel prayer] to God who had brought to pass the purification of His own place" (II Maccabees 10:6-7).

A story similar in character, and obviously older in date, is the one alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18 et seq., according to which the relighting of the altar-fire by Nehemiah was due to a miracle which occurred on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, and which appears to be given as the reason for the selection of the same date for the rededication of the altar by Judah Maccabeus.

Jospehus is aware of the connection between candle-lighting and Hanukkah but, curiously, appears not to fully understand it. He writes: "And on the twenty-fifth day of  the month Kislev, which the Macedonians call Apellaios, they lighted the lights [phôta] that were on the menorah, and offered incense upon the altar, and laid the loaves upon the table, and offered whole burnt offerings upon the new altar. 

  As it happened, these things took place on the very same day on which, three years before, the divine worship had been reduced to an impure and profane form of worship; for the Temple had remained desolate for three years after being made so by Antiochus...And the desolation of the Temple came about in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel, which had been made four hundred and eight years before; for he had revealed that the Macedonians would destroy it. 

  And so Judah and his fellow citizens celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the Temple for eight days, and omitted no sort of pleasure, but everyone feasted upon very rich and splendid sacrifices; and they honoured God, and delighted themselves with psalms of praise and the playing of harps. Indeed, they were so very glad at the revival of  their customs and, after so long a time, having unexpectedly regained their right to worship, that they made it a law for their posterity that they should keep a festival celebrating the restoration of their Temple worship for eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this, which we call the Festival of Lights [phôta], because, I imagine, beyond our hopes this right was brought to light [phanênai], and so this name was placed on the festival. (Antiquities 12.7.6-7 316-325)  "

Similarly, the "New Testament" is aware of Hanukkah as the Festival of Dedication": "Then came the Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem... (John 10:22–23).

Josephus seems to be aware of the name of the festival as Festival of Lights but not of the custom of lighting the candles. Various explanations have been given for this strange omission. Suffices to say that the academic scholars delineate two historic traditions. One, they claim, is reflected in Al Hanissim and certain midrashim (f.e. Pesikta Rabbati Ch. 6 that explains that there are  8 days of hanukkah corresponding to the 8 Greek spears that were found broken in the Holy of Holies when the Macabbeees entered it). This tradition sees the victory over the Greeks and rededication of the Temple as underlining the festival of Hanukkah. The other tradition, known to us from Rabbinic sources, bases Hanukkah on the miracle of oil.

Let us return to Hanukkah and Sukkot.

Presumably, the Maccabbees chose Succot because of the precedent of both Ezra and Solomon. On both of this occasions, Sukkot was seen as symbolic of the rededication and return.

"King Solomon gathered every person of Israel in the month of Eitanim [Tishrei] on the holiday [Sukkot] in the seventh month …for God had said, 'I have built a House for my eternal residence'" (I Kings 8:2, 12)

"And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the G-d of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of G-d.

And they set the altar upon its bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of the countries, and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto HaShem, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.

And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and the offerings of the new moons, and of all the appointed seasons of HaShem that were hallowed, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto HaShem.

From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto HaShem; but the foundation of the temple of HaShem was not yet laid (Ezra 3)."

Thus, Sukkot came with time to symbolize renewal and rededication.

Comment:

I do not believe that the two traditions were separate and exclusive. Neither can I agree with the claim that the ritual of candle-lighting is of late origin. I recall the comment of Rav Y.D. Soloveitchik who pointed out that there is a  phrase in the "Al Hanissim" that indicates that they lit Hanukkah lights. This prayer states"  "...and the lit candles in your holy courtyards". Now, the Temple possessed but one courtyard. Therefore the verse must refer to all the holy courtyards of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In other words, the people of Jerusalem lit Hanukkah candles.

I am somewhat uncomfortable with this proof, for it is  not uncommon in Rabbinic liteature to refer to Temple precincts in plural.

"The rabbis taught: It once happened two priests were running, and were on a par. When they came to the top, one outstripped the other by four ells; he took a knife and stuck it into the other one's breast. R. Zadok stood on the staircase of the porch, and said: Brethren of Israel, hear! It is written [Deut. xxi. i]: "If there be found a slain person in the land . . . shall take a heifer." For whom shall we bring the heifer? For the city (al hair), or for the courtyards (azarot)? ( Yoma, 23a)

Here the Azara, a single courtyard, albeit divided in terms of functions and access, is referred to as azarot.

Nevertheless, the two reasons for Hanukkah are not exclusive. It might be that the first predominated in the Land of Israel and other one was more popular in Babylonia. As is known, Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Mishna and there Yerushalmi. On the other hand, the rituals of Hanukkah were clearly observed already among the Tannaim as indicated by the many beraitot the we find in the sugya of Hanukkah in the 2nd chapter of Tractate Shabbat. I would venture to say that both traditions were operative for at least a hundred years before the destruction fo the Temple and that the Eretz Israel versus Babylonia divide can be traced alrady to that period. What I mean is that the expalnation for the ritual differed, but not that the ritual itself was not known.

The rabbis taught: The law of 'Hanukah demands that every man should light one lamp for himself and his household. Those who seek to fulfil it well have a lamp lit for every member of the household. Those who seek to fulfil the law in the best possible manner should light according to Beth Shamai the first night eight flames, and every following night one flameless. And according to Beth Hillel the reverse--the first night one lamp, and be increased by one on each succeeding night. Said Rabba b. b. Hana in the name of R. Johanan: "There were two sages in Zidon; one did according to the decision of Shamai's school, and gave the reason that the 'Hanukah lamp is to be lit in the same manner as the sacrifices of the feast were offered,  and the other according to the school of Hillel, with the reason that holy actions should show increase and not reduction.

Hillel who came from Babylonia was expressing the view of Hanukkah as commemorating the miracle of the oil. Bet Shammai, on the other hand, drew on the tradition of Hanukkah as a type of the dedication typified by Sukkot and referred directly to the sacrificial order of that holiday.