Pagan Origins of Hanukkah? - NehemiasWall.com

In this episode of Hebrew Voices, Pagan Origins of Hanukkah?, Bible Scholar Dr. Nehemia Gordon sits down with Rabbi Dr. Paul Shrell-Fox to understand from an evolutionary psychology perspective, why it is that the Rabbis took a holiday which commemorates the dedication of the Temple, and turned it into the fire festival many celebrate today.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
01:32 What is Hanukkah
04:25 Did the “miracle of oil” happen
09:00 Is modern Hanukkah a conflation of two things
12:04 When did Hanukkah begin to be celebrated
14:58 The evolutionary psychology approach to religion
19:32 Early fire festivals in Rabbinic texts
21:40 Why the Rabbis created a “Jewish” fire festival
26:32 How lighting candles “drives out the darkness”
28:48 Is lighting Hanukkah candles sympathetic magic
31:53 Were the Rabbis trying to downplay the Sadducee victory
32:45 What is the earliest source of the “miracle of oil”
34:48 Conclusion

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