Strata: How Many?

How many times does Hanukkah appear in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament?

Answer: Once

Hanukkah appears only one time in the New Testament: John 10:22. Jesus celebrated the Festival of Dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem: “At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon” (John 10:22-23). The Greek noun used literally means “the renewals” or “the consecrations” (Greek: τὰ ἐγκαίνɩα; ta enkaínia). The same root appears in the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras 6:16 to refer specifically to Hanukkah. This word was chosen because the Hebrew word for “consecration” or “dedication” is “Hanukkah.”