The Lamp of Christmas In the gospel of John in chapter 10 and beginning in verse 22 we read about a festival in Jerusalem. The Bible says: At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. John 10:22,23 The Feast of Dedication was also known as the Feast of Maccabees. Today this feast is called the Festival of Lights or Hanukkah. Hanukkah was a celebration that comes from the intertestamental period and the Maccabean Revolt. Around the year 168 B.C. the Seleucid king Antiochus Ephiphanes desecrated the temple and forced the Jewish people to perform pagan rituals. In response to this Jewish freedom fighters, led by Judah Maccabee, revolted and with time eventually overthrew the Seleucids. After regaining control of the temple the Jewish people decided to rededicate the temple. The seven branched Menorah was brought back in and the people searched for some consecrated oil to light the lamps. Ho