To everyone concerned, please let me apologize upfront if I hurt anyone’s feelings with the following information. My intent is not to hurt, but to simply inform. Please take the time to read all the information before jumping to any conclusions. I am simply a messenger trying to convey the Truth.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ‘God Manifest’ c. 215 BC – 164 BC) ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. His original name was Mithridates(Named after Mithra); he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes
Royal names incorporating Mithra’s (e.g., “Mithradates”) appear in the dynasties of Syria, Parthia, Armenia, Anatolia, Pontus and Cappadocia. Pagan royalty named themselves after the gods they worshipped.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra
Mithra’s holiday was celebrated on December 25th or December 26th depending on the day of the winter solstice.
Vermaseren, M. J.. The Excavations in the Mithraeum of the Church of Santa Pricsa in Rome. Brill. pp. 238–. Retrieved 3 April 2011. “One should bear in mind that the Mithraic New Year began on Natalis Invicti, the birthday of their invincible god, i.e. December 25th, when the new light …… appears from the vault of heaven.”
In modern times the winter solstice can fall on either December 21st or December 22nd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
1 Maccabees 1
54 On the 15th day of the month of Kislev in the year 145(Seleucid Era),King Antiochus set up the Awful Horror on the altar of the Temple, and pagan altars were built in the towns throughout Judea.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Maccabees+1&version=GNT
The year 145 of the Seleucid Era corresponds to October 168 B.C.E.-September 167 B.C.E.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_era
1 Maccabees 1
59 On the 25th day of Kislev, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Maccabees+1&version=GNT
In 168 B.C.E. the new moon of Kislev fell on December 1st and the 25th day of Kislev fell on December 25th ie. Mithra’s holiday when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a swine in the Temple of Yahweh.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phases-0199.html
The book of Maccabees ADMITS that the first day of Hanukkah is on the EXACT SAME DAY as Antiochus Epiphanes kept Mithra’s holiday and sacrificed swine in the Temple of Yahweh. The only difference is that the lunar calendar does not always fall on the same day of the solar year.
1 Maccabees 4 :52-54
1 Maccabees 4
52-54 The 25th day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev, in the year 148(Seleucid Era) was THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THE GENTILES DESECRATED THE ALTAR. On that day a sacrifice was offered on the new altar in accordance with the Law of Moses. The new altar was dedicated and hymns were sung to the accompaniment of harps, lutes, and cymbals. 55 All the people bowed down with their faces to the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord for giving them victory.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Maccabees+4&version=GNT
In Zoroastrian/Iranian tradition, Mithra became the divinity of the Sun. How, when or why this occurred is uncertain, but is attributed to a conflation with the Babylonian SHAMASH, who – in addition to being a Sun god – was a judicial figure like Mithra.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithra
Shamash was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian, Canaanite, Hebrew, and Babylonian pantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamash
The Hanukkah festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to 8 on the final night. The typical Hanukiah consists of eight branches with an additional RAISED branch in the middle. The extra light is called the SHAMASH and is GIVEN A DISTINCT LOCATION, usually ABOVE the rest. The SHAMASH sun god candle is elevated above all the others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
In conclusion, the 25th of Kislev fell on December 25th in the year 168 B.C.E. when Antiochus Epiphanes aka. Mithradates worshipped Mithra aka. SHAMASH.
Sadly, today most Jews and Messianics celebrate this exact same day, Kislev 25, and also use the SHAMASH to celebrate it. Although Kislev 25 on the lunar calendar does not fall on the winter solstice every year, it did so in the year 168 B.C.E. when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed unto Mithra. True believers should not mix anything that is associated with a pagan holiday with the worship of Yahweh.
Please again forgive me, if I seem to come across wrong, but I just want you to be informed with the Truth. The Truth will make us free. Peace and Blessings to you and yours!
*The primary root word for SUN in the Hebrew is #8121 of the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It is pronounced exactly the same in both the Hebrew and Chaldean/Babylonian, “SHEMESH.” The primary root word for SERVANT/ATTENDANT in the Hebrew is #5647 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It is pronounced exactly the same in both the Hebrew and Chaldean/Babylonian, “AWBAWD.” “Shamash” is the most popular transliteration used and that is why I chose it.
*Some things to take into consideration when calculating moon phases thousands of years ago is that it is not an exact science as NASA plainly admits on their website. “The last column of the phase table lists ΔT, the value used to convert Dynamical Time to Universal Time. The uncertainty in the value of ΔT grows large for dates in the distant past or future.” ” The uncertainty in the value of ΔT is of particular interest in the calculation of eclipse paths in the distant past and future. Unfortunately, estimating the standard error in ΔT prior to 1600 CE is a difficult problem. It depends on a number of factors which include the accuracy of determining ΔT from historical eclipse records and modeling the physical processes producing changes in Earth’s rotation.” The ΔT for the 168 B.C.E. is 3 hours and 27 minutes. Also, all the dates before 1582 C.E. are according to the Julian Calendar system. “The old style Julian calendar is used for dates prior to 1582, while the modern Gregorian calendar is used after that date.” A third thing to realize is that a visible crescent moon may be observed as early as 13.5 hours with lenses and 15.5 hours with the naked eye. http://moonsighting.com/faq_ms.html In 168 B.C.E. the new moon happened at 02:49 or 2:49a.m. on December 1st, 168 B.C.E. Being that it is possible to observe the new moon crescent in as little as 13.5-15.5 hours after the conjunction, then the new moon crescent could have been observed at sundown on December 1st, especially taking into consideration 3 hours and 27 minutes for ΔT. However, the new moon crescent would have definitely been observable on the following sundown on December 2nd being that it had at least 40 hours to mature after conjunction. This would place Kislev 25 on December 26 which is a viable candidate for the winter solstice and the Mithra holiday. Shalom!