Dedication, Feast of the

(John 10:22, 42), i.e., the feast of the renewing. It was instituted B.C. 164 to commemorate the purging of the temple after its pollution by Antiochus Epiphanes (B.C. 167), and the rebuilding of the altar after the Syrian invaders had been driven out by Judas Maccabaeus. It lasted for eight days, beginning on the 25th of the month Chisleu (December), which was often a period of heavy rains (Ezra 10:9, 13). It was an occasion of much rejoicing and festivity.

But there were other dedications of the temple. (1) That of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 8:2; 2 Chronicles 5:3); (2) the dedication in the days of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29); and (3) the dedication of the temple after the Captivity (Ezra 6:16).

Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (n.) The act of consecrating to a divine Being, or to a sacred use, often with religious solemnities; solemn appropriation; as, the dedication of Solomon's temple.

2. (n.) A devoting or setting aside for any particular purpose; as, a dedication of lands to public use.

3. (n.) An address to a patron or friend, prefixed to a book, testifying respect, and often recommending the work to his special protection and favor.