167–160 BCE: Maccabean Revolt (马加比起义)
Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I Soter
Alexander the Great. [British Museum]
After the death of Alexander the Great (亚厉山大大帝, reign 336–323 BCE), leader of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon (马其顿王国, 808–148 BCE), the land which was under his reign was divided into four — Egypt, the Seleucid Empire, the Kingdom of Pergamon and Macedon. As a result, Jerusalem fell under the control of Egypt, which Ptolemy governed I Soter (托勒密一世, reign 305–282 BCE) who interfered very little in the religious and civil affairs of the Jews.
[reddit.com]
Seleucid Empire and Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III. [Carole Raddato; Louvre]
In 198 BCE, the Seleucid Empire (塞琉古帝国, 312–63 BCE), under the Hellenistic King Antiochus III (安条克三世, reign 222–187 BCE), defeated the Ptolemies and took over the control of Judea. Antiochus III intended to Hellenise, the Jewish community in Jerusalem. Because of the advantage of the economic integration into the rest of the Greek states, many Jews accepted Hellenism.
Antiochus IV the Mad, Jason of the Oniad family
Antiochus IV. [José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, Altes Museum]
When Antiochus IV The Mad (安条克四世, reign 175–164 BCE), a son of King Antiochus III The Great, took over the throne, he not only adopted his father's policy of universal Hellenization, he took it to a new height. He took a bribe from Jason of the Oniad family and made him the High Priest of the Jewish community. Through Jason, he built a symbol of the Greek culture — a gymnasium — right outside the Temple. Many walked into the gymnasium naked because that was the Hellenistic idea of masculinity; being naked in public was against Jewish law. Noticing this, the ruling authority, therefore, made it a requirement for anyone who would afford it to go at least once.
Antiochus IV pushed hard against the Jewish religion. He insisted that no Jewish boys could be circumcised and swine flesh must be used for sacrifice. He outlawed Sabbath (安息日), erected idols in the Temple and set up altars for the Greek gods everywhere. Those who refused to convert away from Judaism were put to death.
[sites.psu.edu]
Mattathias and the Maccabees
In 167 BCE, a Jewish priest from Modin, Mattathias the Hasmonean, refused to sacrifice an animal to an altar of an idol. When a Hellenised Jew stepped forward to perform the task, Mattathias killed him and the Greek officer enforcing the sacrifice. The clash that followed sparked a revolt against the Seleucid Empire. According to I Maccabees, he said, "Let everyone who is zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant follow me!" Thus, his military followers became known as the Maccabees. When he passed away one year later, his son, Judah, took charge of the movement.
In their guerrilla war against, initially, the Hellenised Jews, they tore down altars for worshipping idols, killed those who worshipped them, and forced the Hellenised Jews into outlawry. In a final battle, Judah’s 7,000 men won against the Seleucid army that was 5 times their size. Devasted and humiliated, Antiochus IV destroyed the Temple. Judah’s army won another battle and took back the city of Jerusalem.
Hanukkah (光明节)
Collection of Menorahs in a modern Kaifeng Jewish household [Zane Archives]
After months of cleaning, on 25th December 165 BCE, the Temple was rededicated to God. The celebration lasted for eight days, and this became known as Hanukkah.
According to rabbinic tradition, the victorious Maccabees could only find a small jug of oil that had remained pure in the Temple, enough to sustain the Menorah for only one day; and yet, miraculously, it lasted for eight days, until more oil could be procured.
Ancient Jews in China did not celebrate Hannukah
Although the early Jesuits interacted with the Kaifeng Jewish community and recorded the major holidays that the kehillah observed, none mentioned whether this isolated colony had celebrated or even knew about Hanukkah.
It is quite probable that the Jesuit fathers were aware of the event that commemorated the Maccabean victory in 165 BCE and that if they had heard about or observed that the Kaifeng Jews celebrated the Festival of Lights, they would have documented it just as they had of the other significant Jewish rituals such as Sabbath, Passover, Tabernacles, Pentecost and Festival of Unleavened Bread.
Many scholars believe this complete ignorance of Hannukah by the Jews meant that their ancestors came to China prior to the Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BCE) and the origin of Hanukkah.