Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-22
HANUKKAH.
A short Treatise ON she Hebrew
Feast of Light.

nAN " hN 6de
A Snort Treatise ON she Hebrew
Feast of Light.
Tuesday night, December 10th, CORES.
ponding with the Oath day of Kislev, be.
gan the Hebrew feast called Hanukkah,
or the Feast of Lights, which lasts eight
days, and is commemorated in honor oi
the victory of the brave Maccabes over
the hosts of theKing of Syria.
The name OF this King was Antioch
Epiphanes, which means Epiphanes the
illustrious; but he was also called Anti
och Epimanes, which means Epimanes
the crszv one.
1t was in the year 16S B. g. E., when
Antioch Epiphanes, returned from his
successful Egyptian war, that he issued
. decree that in all the parts of his king.
dom only one religion and one kind Of
service was going to be tolerated. The
Jews were commanded to renounce the
worship Of Jehovah, the One, the invisi-
ble God, the God of their forefathers and
of their children, and to adore Jupiter
and all the other gods and goddesses oi
Greece.
In the Greek temples of his large realm
he met with very little resistance. The
priests of these heathe temples did not
care very much whether they bowed
down to this idol or that idol. But not
30 with the Jews, who, since the return
from the Babylonian captivity, loved
their God and their religion, and were
ready to become martyrs and to sacrifice
blood and treasure for their holy creed.
No sooner had this Antioch Epimanes
heard that the Jews were determined to
lay down their lives, rather than to yield
to his cruel decree, than he sent Apol-
lonius with large srmy against Jerusa.
lem, with the order to annihilate all the
Jews. Apollonius pretended to have
come as a friend, but on the Sabbath
day after his arrival, he suddenly sur
prisehy all the numerous synagogues of
Jerusalem, and over 10000 Israelites
were killed, and as many more were
sold into slavery.
But he was not satisfied with this
cruel punishment. He ordered the
temple to be desecrated and defiled; he
robbed the temples treasury of ali it's
golden vessels. and marched away with
Q plunder of 1,S00 talents of gold. An
tioch, not satisfied with these cruelties,
issued from his capital another royal de.
cree, by virtue of which all Jewish cere.
monials we're forbidden, the books of the
law were torn to pieces, divine services in
the synagogues were forbidden and in
terdicted. The Jews we're forced to at.
tend the heathen service, and whosoever
refused to appear was put to death.
Gloom and despair ruled in Palestine.
and many weak-hearted and weak.
minded people yielded to the threats of
the crazy King and his cruel COM
msnders.
There lived in Jerusalem a man by
the name of Elessar, 80 years of age.
He was much respected by all who knew
him. The King sent for him, and
ordered him to taste some food forbidden
by the Jewish law. The King threatened
him with instant death if he did not
comply with the royal order. "I am on
the brink of the grave" answered the
cid man; "kill me, and let me die for
my God and nay religion" And the
cruel King Immediately ordered him to |
be beheaded.
Then Jewish widow and her seven |
SONS were brought before Antiochus, |
charged with having refused to worship
his idol. "Mother, do you love your
children? Then tell them to kneel be.
fore my god." 81 love my children as
dearly as q mother can only love; but | |
love my God more. He will reward |
them for their loyalty, and punish you
for your cruelty"
Then the King addressed the children
Bow down before my idol, and will
shower royal iavors upon you; disobey
me, and you shall die one after another"
Il cannot" answered the eldest; "for
my GOD has commanded me, saying, L
am the Lord thy God, who brought thee
out Of the land of Egypt" Exod. Xxx.
2. This refusal enraged the King and he |
ordered that the boy should be killed on |
the spot.
The second son was then brought
forth. Acknowledge my idol as ono of |
Thy GODS" said the King.
How can z" replied the boy. sThe
law tells US, Thou shalt have no other
gods before me-" Exod. Xxx, 3,
The King, enraged at bis obstinacy,
had bim executed, and the third son was
led in.
Antiochus then lowered his demands.
by asking him merely to bow down be.
fore the idol; but the boy said: 'I dare
not. The word of God commands me.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them.'" Exod. Xxx, 5. And he also
was ordered forth for execution.
The fourth son was then asked to ac. |
knowledge the idol merely as a divine
who influenced the earth.
mo-" said he; "for it is said, Know.
therefore, this day, and consider it in
thine heart, that the Lord He is God in |
heaven above and upon the earth be-
meath; there is none else.'" Deut.
w., 30.
Having thus refused to comply with
the Kings wish, he too was led forth to
execution, and the fifth son was brought
IN.
OF him the King asked still less: he
only requested Of the boy to show the
idol some reverence.
II must not, was the boys reply, sfor
he that sacrificeth unto any god save the
Lord only, shall be utterly destitute and
deserted" Exod. xxi, 20.
The King, enraged at being thus re-
peatedly scorned and derided, had him
also put to death.
The sixth son was then called into the
Kings presence, and he was simply
asked to deny his faith, and not to en-
brace idolatry.
"No," said the lad, "for God has thus
spoken unto Israel, saying, The Lord
has anointed thee this day to q sacred
and holy people," Deut. XVI, 1S.
At length the mother and her youngest
Bon a mere lad tho on1v aurv;voro 20