THERE'S A DIFFERENT CELEBRATION GOING ON -- for Just A Minute Radio on Thursday 111229

Working our way between Christmas and New Years:

And we begin today’s JUST A MINUTE with a brief understanding of what Hanukkah – the Jewish Holiday connected with the feast of lights – is about.

It’s a *very* short course in Hebrew History… but the Syrian Greeks had occupied the territory called Israel these days for going on 200 years. Obviously that didn’t sit well with either party. Finally a Jacobean hero – Judas Maccabaeus. He began to rouse the Jews telling them they could re-take their homeland if only they would get to it.

Certainly I was not there – but he comes across in some of the history as a man who is cut out for the front lines. Since my knowledge of Hebrew History is very thin… I did take a course in it years ago – but ancient history isn’t my field of study for excellence. I do enjoy history – and Hebrew history is sprinkled with history. There’s just a lot of names, dates and places that are not in my short file stack. (L). My teacher was Dr. J.Barton Payne who put together an amazing Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy in the early ‘70’s before there were computers sprinkled around the land. I’m sure he had help of some graduate students…. But it was and still is an amazing compilation of particularly Old Testament prophecy.

He was quite a scholar especially in Greek. Unfortunately when he was visiting his missionary son in Japan he went on a hike intending to climb Mt. Fuji with his son. At the last moment the son had to take another assignment but Dr. Payne did not want to miss the opportunity to climb the famous mountain. There were signs along the mountain’s trails which warned not to take certain routes because of their danger – but Dr. Payne was not a Japanese linguist – and apparently taking the wrong trail he fell and being all alone was injured fatally. How ironic that such an educated scholar happened upon a trail marked in a language with which he was not familiar and it cost him his life.

I suppose it shows us that even the most dedicated and skilled are sometimes found seriously short of knowledge that is vitally important.

I hope you’ve had your interest whetted in ancient and modern history. It is after all…. HIS story.

Thanks for walking with me today.

Cordially, IN HIM

Jack Buttram

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“JUST A MINUTE”

THERE’S A DIFFERENT CELEBRATION GOING ON

Just a Minute: I had not realized it but the Jewish celebration called Hanukkah -- is also called Chanukah -- in some books. I’m not partial to either but in looking up I found some Marine outfits are particularly attracted to its tradition of being ‘the few and the proud.’

Essentially it commemorates the victory of the Jews in 165 BC over the Syrian Greeks who had occupied their country, and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is Hebrew for “dedication.”

They light one candle in a candleholder each night for eight nights in memory of a legend that the lamps burned, without enough oil, miraculously for a week. An eight-day festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev, commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus Epiphanes. Formerly it was one of the lesser Jewish festivals, but today it’s celebrated by Jews especially the United States, where it occurs usually during the celebration of Christmas.