feast of the dedication
10:22 feast of the dedication. The “Feast of Dedication” is what is now known as Hanukkah, which occurs during the Christmas season. The events described in John 7:1–10:21 occurred during and immediately following the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), around two months earlier than those in John 10:22-39. The “Feast of the Dedication” had been observed since the days of the Maccabees, around 165 B.C., commemorating the cleansing of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes.