Hanukkahis one of the happier Jewish festivals. It does not appear in the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament) because the events surrounding it occurred in the year 165 B.C.E., after the closing of the Hebrew Bible. But in the New Testament, it is mentioned once. John 10:22 says that people were gathered around at the festival of dedication. But what is the meaning ofHanukkah? As we’ll see, it has several meanings.

The first is religious liberty—the right of people to celebrate their holy days and worship freely, to practice their faith.