A high-priestly Hasmonean calendar?

FOR HANUKKAH: The Hasmonean Calendar Begins with the Rule of Simon the High Priest, 142 B.C.E. (Rotem Avneri Meir, TheTorah.com).

Chanukah commemorates the rededication of the Temple by Judah Maccabee in 164 B.C.E. But the war continued for another 22 years until the Seleucid King Demetrius appointed Simon as High Priest of Judea. To mark their new autonomy, the Judeans use the high priest’s regnal years, like that of a biblical king, to date their documents.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.