II. POST-EXILE FESTIVALS.
I. Character and order of Mese Festivals. —All the festivals which were instituted from the Baby lonish captivity to the advent of Christ are annual. In treating, therefore, upon these, no classification is necessary beyond enumerating them according to the regular order of the months.
i. The Feast of Acra, which was instituted by Simon Maccabxus, 141 B.C., to be celebrated on the 23d of the secona' month roe.), in commemora tion of the capture and the purifying of Acra, and the expulsion of the Hellenists from Jerusalem (comp. Maccab. xiii. 50-52).
ii. The Feast of Wood-carrying Inp ; 4 ,7-8.7,v Eox000ptcop `Eopr7)), which has been cele brated on the f5th of the fifth month (-)c.73; mtc) ever since the return from the Babylonish captivity (comp. Neh. x. 35 ; Joseph. Bell. Yud. ii. 17. 6 ; Megillath Taanith, c. v. p. 32 ; Mislina, Taanith, iv. 8 a).
iii. The Feast of Water-drawing (n+2 rinne, which was held on the 22d of the seventh month (m,m), the last day of the Feast of Taber nacles (comp. John vii. 37 ; Mishna, Succa, iv. 9 ; v. 1-3).
iv. The Feast of Dedication (nvon ; icabna), which was instituted by Judas Maccabzeus, B.C. 164, in commemoration of the purification of the Temple, and is celebrated eight days, com mencing on the 25th of the eighth month (60n) (comp. Maccab. iv. 52-59 ; John x. 22 ; Mishua, Taanith, to ; Noed Katon, 9 ; Joseph. "fully. xii. 7. 7. ; Contr. Apthn. ii. 39).
v. The Feast of Nicanar, instituted by Judas Maceabxus, to be celebrated on the 13th of at twelfth month (11N), in commemoration of the vic tory obtained over Nicanor (comp. Maccab. vii. 49 ; Joseph. Antiq. xii. to. 5 ; Megillath Taanith,
xii. ; Jerusalem Taanith, ; Josippon ben Gorion, iii. 22, p. 244, ed. Breith).
vi. The Feast of Purim (0'1.1t), which was in stituted by Mordecai, to be celebrated on the r4th of the twelfth month nu), in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews from the destruction planned by Haman (comp. Esther iii. 7 ; ix. 24, sq. ; 2 Maccab. xv. 36).
2. Observance of these Festivals.—Three out of these six festivals, viz., The Feast of Ifiood-camying, of Dedication, and of Purinz, have continued to be observed among the Jews, with some modifica tions, however, which are duly noticed in the separate articles treating upon these festivals. It only remains to be added that several more festi vals were instituted in the Maccabxan period, which, owing to their unimportance and short existence, must be passed over.
Literature.—Josepla. Antiq. ii.-iii.; xiii.-xvii. ; yud. ii. 3. ; and many other places ; Philo, De Septenario et Festis diebus ; the Mishna, the Talmud, an. Maimonides ; Tracts Resfiecting the Festivals, or 11)In -11D ; Spencer, De Legibus He brwormn Ritualibus et eanim rationibus, Cantabri gix, 1727 ; Bahr, Symbolik des Marairchen Cultus, vol. ii. Heidelberg, 1839, p. 525, ff. ; Ewald, Die Alterthhmer des Volkes Israel, Gottingen, 1854, p. 379, ff. ; Saalschiitz, Archiiologie der Hebraer, Konigsberg, 1855, p. 207, ff. ; Herzfeld, Ge schichte des Volkes Israel, Nordhausen, 1857, vol.
p. ro6, ff. ; Jost, Geschichte des yudenthums, Leipzig, 1S57, vol. i., p. 15S, ff.—C. D. G.