"Then Judas and his brothers said: 'Our enemies are defeated, so let us go up and purify the Holy Place and consecrate it again.' And all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. There, they found the Sanctuary abandoned, the altar profaned, the gates burned, bushes growing in the courtyard as in a forest or on a mountain, and the rooms destroyed. They tore their garments and wept bitterly. Some sprinkled ashes on their heads, while others prostrated themselves on the ground. They sounded the trumpets and cried aloud to Heaven.
Then Judas chose men to fight against the defenders of the Citadel until he had purified the temple. He chose blameless priests, who showed great zeal for the law, and had them purify the temple and bring the stones of the abominable altar of the pagans to an unclean place.
They held a council to decide on what should be done with the altar of the holocausts which had been defiled. And they decided to destroy it, so that shame brought about by the pagans might not remain with it. They deposited the stones of the said altar in a convenient place on the temple hill, until a prophet should appear to settle the matter.
Then they took uncut stones as the law prescribed, and built a new altar like the former one. They repaired the Sanctuary, and the interior of the house, and consecrated the courts.
They made new sacred vessels and brought in the lamp stand, the altar of incense and the table. They burned incense on the altar, and lit the lamps on the lamp stand, and these began to shine in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains--bringing to completion all that had been decided.
On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight [in the year 164 B.C.] they arose at dawn and offered the sacrifice prescribed by the law on the new altar of holocausts which they had built. It was precisely at that same time and date that the pagans had profaned it before; but now they consecrated it with songs, accompanied by zithers, harps and cymbals. All the people fell prostrate and blessed Heaven that had given them happiness and success.
They celebrated the consecration of the altar for eight days, joyfully offering holocausts and celebrating sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. The front of the temple was adorned with crowns of gold and shields; and the gates and the rooms had been restored and fitted with doors.
There was no end to the celebration among the people; and so the profanation of the temple by the pagans was forgotten. Finally, Judas, his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel agreed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of the altar annually for eight days, from the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, in high festivity." - 1 Maccabees 4:36-59
(Because of Judas victories, Antiochus Epiphanes IV signs a treaty by which he grants autonomy to the Jewish province [April 164 B.C.]. The Jews are triumphant and their first concern is to purify the temple which had been profaned by the pagans [December 167 B.C.].
The Jews are aware of being different from other people. It is GOD who decides the future. In a given moment, they solve what is most urgent while waiting for a prophet to indicate to them what they must do. Yet, the situation is paradoxical. There were prophets at other times when the Israelites refused to listen to them. Now that they want to hear a message, there are no prophets, and there will be no prophet until John the Baptist.)
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