It's no coincidence that Hanukkah, or chag urim, the “festival of lights” in Hebrew, falls every year on or near the winter solstice. Most faiths that originated in the ancient Near East, including Christianity, embedded within their religious calendars a practice to create warmth and light at the darkest time of the year. Many scholars of classical antiquity remind us that Judean monotheism did not develop in a vacuum, and was no doubt influenced by the many pagan solstice traditions practiced by neighboring cultures.
