Yes, Christmas, Hanukkah and Sun God Myths Are Connected
Published: January 11, 1992
To the Editor:
Prof. Simon Schama suggests that "In all likelihood both Hanukkah and Christmas were designed to compete with the persistence of idolatrous sun worship" ("Whose Tree Is It Anyway?", Op-Ed, Dec. 24).
Indeed, the people of ancient Mesopotamia, especially the Babylonians, were accustomed to light up their houses and carry torches and braziers in the latter half of the month of Kislimu (November to December) to celebrate the rebirth of the winter sun-god from his long abode in the kingdom of the dead.
The ancient Jews, who spent years in exile in Babylon after the conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, were certainly familiar with Babylonian holidays. They even adopted the Babylonian lunar-solar calendar as their own. It may be no more than coincidental, but when Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem, he was reputed to have relighted the altar flame in the temple on the 25th day of Kislev. Similarly, 300 years later when Judas Maccabeus relighted the flame in reconsecrating the temple, he too did so on the 25th day of Kislev, thereafter celebrated by Jews as the festival of lights, Hanukkah.
I would say there is undoubtedly a theological connection between Christmas, Hanukkah and the rebirth of the sun god near the time of the winter solstice. MORTON WAGMAN Professor of History, Kingsborough, Community College, CUNY Brooklyn, Dec. 27, 1991