That is correct so effectively Jesus was celebrating a national military victory which occurred in the inter testimonial period. It is a non canonical celebration.
We can also see in Israel today increased hostility by the ultra orthodox Jews towards Christians, with nuns being spat at and tourists who are performing pilgrimages.
Israel in the 18th to 19th century was a wasteland famous American writer Mark Twain commented about the land of Palestine that it was a “desolate country, which sits in sackcloth and ashes”. Most of the Christian world 200 hundred years ago had come to accept the prophecies concerning Israel was about spiritual Israel not a real nation as no one could envisage a nation rising from a desolate wasteland. Fast forward 200 years and we live in a completely different reality but back then there was always a movement and Hanukkah means dedication, and specifically dedication to the Temple. Today there is a growing 3rd Temple movement but obviously Islam is a stumbling block with its Mosque around the temple mount area.
Interesting what in the last quarter of a century have we discovered as fact about Islam and its story
Archaeology has proven that in the first 100 years no Mosques qiblah prayer walls pointed in the direction of Mecca so Mohammad and his companions were praying in a false direction.
Cartography has shown that Mecca did not even exist at the time of Mohammad.
Critical analysis of the Quran has found that there are multiple Qurans so no preservation of the book
Quranic geography as well as the stated flora and fauna does not exist in Mecca but much further north of Mecca in which this northern land contained the Arabic dialect of the Quran as it is written not of the south.
The Quranic manuscript itself one in five passages are not discernible to even Muslim scholars and Christopher Luxemburg has done some excellent work showing how these dark passage are unlocked with the use of Aramaic not Arabic.
Fundamentally the pagan religion of Islam has been dissembled so how long does this stumbling bloc last, well we are much closer to the end of Islam than its creation that is clear to see.
As for the poster of the OP he clearly has not read any of the source documents just some examples listed such as the resurrection stories in Egyptian mythology bear no resemblance to Jesus even Mithra yes it looks like Christianese but the story was about a bull and the Christian elements were added after Christianity not before. So he puppets without researching believes these very committed saints worshipped the light of the sun rather than the light of the Son. He unfortunately lacks some critical thought and reasoning if you believed seriously that was the motivation of some of the greatest Christian minds in history when they wrote the opposite.
It is going to come as a shock when you run through each day of the week my favourite is Wednesday as it is derived from 'the day of Woden' a pagan god of Anglo Saxon and Nordic heritage. So by association anything recognised or done on Wednesday its an ode to Odin. That is as dumb an argumentation that has been made by the OP.
As for Christmas I remember a discussion I had regarding the birth of Jesus coinciding with the Feast of Tabernacles and that the virgin Mary would have conceived Jesus in the previous years Feast of Lights. I recall one one quip that was made was the if the light of the world was present when He was in the world as stated in the scriptures, it would have been wrapped in darkness of the womb. My rejoinder was a question that well yes it would portray that image but the gospel when did it begin, when did the Lord Jesus ministry begin?
It was from the womb,
Mary Visits Elizabeth… 40 where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why am I so honoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.…
The baby in Elizabeth's womb was the Forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist.
