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1. I once heard that there is a Scroll of Antiochus that Jewish people used to read. True?

Absolutely correct! The scroll of Antiochus is one of the lesser known sources for Hanukkah. Scholars disagree on a date for its creation, with estimates ranging from the 1st to the 11th centuries, and on a location for its author anywhere from the Middle East to Europe. There is no religious mandate to read the scroll and it has become largely absent from today's liturgy. The scroll was read during the Middle Ages, notably in Spain, Yemen, and Persia. The contents differ in certain details from the Books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha. For example, the scroll says that Judah Maccabee was killed in front on his father Mathias at the beginning of the battle waged against the Syrian Greeks. According to other sources, Mathias died before the war even began.

2. Who were the so-called Hassidim in the Hanukkah story?

The Hassidim (literally "loyal ones") were a group of resisters that could be found throughout Judea. The most significant was a priestly family known as the Hasmoneans, residing in the town of Modi'in. After the father, Mathias, refused to take part in a pagan sacrifice, he and five sons fled to the Gophna Hills, where they eventually became the leaders of a guerilla army that would lead the Jews' revolt against the Syrian Greeks. Many different groups of Hassidim had risen up against the Seleucids. What differentiated the Hasmoneans from the others was the fact that they were priests, which gave them added prestige, and they were willing to fight on the Sabbath (typically Hassidim were easily captured on the Sabbath and then burned alive).

3. Was "Maccabee" Judah's real last name?

Judah was nicknamed "the Maccabee." One tradition teaches that Maccabee is really an acrostic for the words in Exodus 15:11, "Who is like You O God, among the mighty" (mi kamocha ba-elim Adonai). Most scholars, however, prefer the explanation that Maccabee is derived from the Hebrew maccaba, meaning "hammerhead." It was quite common in Hellenistic times to nickname people according to their physical characteristics, and this tradition teaches that Judah was called hammerhead because of the shape of his skull. Whatever the origin, his nickname was most appropriate because he fought ferociously in battle.

4. Is the miracle of the jug of oil burning for eight days a historical fact?

The questions surrounding the miracle are fascinating, and rabbinic literature discusses them at length. Josephus, the most significant historian living in the ancient Near East, makes no mention in his account of the Hasmoneans and the rededication of the Temple. Nor is there any mention in the Apocrypha, which provides a basic narrative about Hanukkah. It is the Second Book of Maccabees (124 BCE), which was written in Egypt, that gives a plausible historical reason why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days, and it, too, clearly lacks any reference to miracle. This version explains that Hanukkah was a belated celebration of the fall festival of Sukkot, because the Jews had not been able to celebrate that holiday during wartime. The Second Book of Maccabees goes on to say that the celebration should be repeated every year to commemorate what happened in the Hasmonean era. Having eight days of Hanukkah is a parallel to the eight days of Sukkot (including Shemini Atzeret).

Rabbi Ron Isaacs is the spiritual leader of Temple Sholom, a Conservative congregation in Bridgewater. His forthcoming new book is "Siddur Or Shalom," a Shabbat morning prayerbook. Contact him at www.rabbiron.com or "Ask the Rabbi," c/o Rabbi Ron Isaacs, Temple Sholom, P.O. Box 6007, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807.