The history behind Hanukkah is not found in the Bible but in the Jewish Talmud.
IIRC, the Book of Maccabees is where Hanukkah derives from, and that is found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but not Protestant ones.
I've met plenty. Some were standard Protestants, while others formed their own denominations.. "Messianic" is what it's called. Although, they're Protestants, more or less.
They just keep the Jewish culturalism flavor to their lives. I wonder why that even stopped. The first Christians were this way. In the New Testament, it was one of the more hotly debated subjects between James, Peter, and Paul on whether Christians could even be Gentiles. Now it's the other way around.
Jews believe that Messiah will bring peace on earth, not peace in the afterlife (as what Christians believe Jesus did). Hence, if a person believes in Jesus being the Messiah that person ceases to be Jewish (in a religious sense). All the "Jews for Jesus" stuff is a variation of evangelizing techniques designed to convert Jews to Christianity. Anyway, long story short, if you believe Jesus to be the Messiah, you are Christian.
Ah, but the early Christians barely talked of afterlife. They said the "Kingdom of Heaven is upon you". Over and over again. Jesus himself would say that people of "this generation" would see his kingdom come to fruition. Whether he was mistaken is another matter, but it wasn't just heaven he talked about.
The Belief Disconfirmation Paradigm
Dissonance is aroused when people are confronted with information that is inconsistent with their beliefs. If the dissonance is not reduced by changing one's belief, the dissonance can result in misperception or rejection or refutation of the information, seeking support from others who share the beliefs, and attempting to persuade others to restore consonance.
An early version of cognitive dissonance theory appeared in Leon Festinger's 1956 book, When Prophecy Fails. This book gave an inside account of the increasing belief which sometimes follows the failure of a cult's prophecy. The believers met at a pre-determined place and time, believing they alone would survive the Earth's destruction. The appointed time came and passed without incident. They faced acute cognitive dissonance: had they been the victim of a hoax? Had they donated their worldly possessions in vain? Most members chose to believe something less dissonant: the aliens had given earth a second chance, and the group was now empowered to spread the word: earth-spoiling must stop. The group dramatically increased their proselytism despite the failed prophecy.[12]
Here:
I'm primarily talking about Jewish in the cultural sense, which obviously wouldn't necessarily contradict being Christian. Secular Jews obviously don't adhere much to the religious aspects of Judaism, but primarily identify with the more cultural aspects of being Jewish. Culture and faith often go together.Hence, if a person believes in Jesus being the Messiah that person ceases to be Jewish (in a religious sense).
Sounds like the Jews who believed Jesus to be the Messiah actually jumped the gun (as per Jewish beliefs anyway), but instead of admitting they jumped the gun, they became Christians instead.
Just curious. Isn't Christianity based off Judaism? Why would Hannukah be mutually exclusive?
I'm primarily talking about Jewish in the cultural sense, which obviously wouldn't necessarily contradict being Christian. Secular Jews obviously don't adhere much to the religious aspects of Judaism, but primarily identify with the more cultural aspects of being Jewish.