In 333 BCE, Alexander the Great had conquered Persia and other lands to his east, including Judah, then a province of Persia. The author of the apocalyptic visions of Daniel 7–12 -whose name is unknown to us-was very knowledgeable about political affairs. The Conflict between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies This text, as we shall see, was composed before the rededication of the temple altar in 164 BCE, the event that Chanukah celebrates and does not reflect the rededication itself. Nevertheless, unbeknownst to many readers, the Hebrew Bible does record the backstory leading up to Chanukah, chapters 7-12 of the book of Daniel. Most Jews learn about it directly or indirectly from First and Second Maccabees and from isolated reflections in rabbinic texts.
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