Most Christians think of today as Christmas Eve—which, of course, it is. But tonight, Jews are the world will celebrate the final hours of Hanukkah, an eight-day commemoration of the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem thousands of years ago.

Hanukkah is commonly associated with the distinctive nine-branched menorah, as well as with trappings like the dreidel game; and because of its timing on the calendar, it is sometimes subsumed into the Christmas season in the minds of Christians who might otherwise be more interested in Hanukkah’s unique historical roots. The story behind Hanukkah is unrelated to the Nativity, but because it remembers an important event in Jewish (and, indirectly, Christian) history, it’s worth Christian consideration.

Hanukkah commemorates the Jewish revolt against oppressive Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who attempted to outlaw the practice of Judaism and require the worship of pagan deities. This story is as close as the nearest Bible, provided that your Bible includes the apocryphal books (which are not considered part of the biblical canon by all Christians). You can read about the events that inspired Hanukkah in 1 and 2 Maccabees. Here’s an excerpt from 1 Maccabees describing the persecution of Jews under Antiochus:

Two years later, to collect tribute from the Judean cities, King Antiochus sent his chief officer, who came to Jerusalem with a large army. The agent spoke peaceably and the Jews believed him, but he was deceitful. Without warning, he attacked the city, dealt it a brutal blow, and killed many Israelites. He plundered the city. He set fires within it, destroyed its houses, and tore down its protective walls. His forces took women and children as prisoners and seized livestock. After all of this, the agent’s forces fortified David’s City with a very strong wall and powerful towers, and it became their fortress. They stationed sinful, immoral people there, and these soldiers held down their position. They stocked up with weapons and food, collected the spoils of Jerusalem, and stored them there. They were a great menace.

They ambushed the sanctuary.
They were an evil opponent of Israel
at all times.
Its inhabitants shed innocent blood
all around the sanctuary,
and they even polluted
the sanctuary itself.
Because of them,
those who lived in Jerusalem fled.
The city became
a dwelling place for strangers.
She was like a stranger to her offspring,
and her children abandoned her.
Her sanctuary was as barren as a desert.
Her feasts turned into mourning,
her sabbaths into shame,
her honor into contempt.
Her dishonor became as great
as her glory had been.
Her joy turned into sadness. — 1 Maccabees 1:29-40 (Common English Bible)

Start reading the full story from the beginning here.

If you’re like many Christians, you’ve been (quite reasonably) hearing and reading a lot about the birth of Christ this Christmas season. But this year, you might find it rewarding to take a few minutes to read a story that powerfully shaped Jewish history and theology in the centuries before Christ.