lethargic_man | Antiquities of the Jews, fit the twentieth

Yehudah ha-Maccabee followed of course the restrictions upon how to wage war delineated in Deuteronomy ch. 20 (XII.7.301):

So he set them in their ancient order of battle used by their forefathers, under their captains of thousands, and other officers, and dismissed such as were newly married, as well as those that had newly gained possessions, that they might not fight in a cowardly manner, out of an inordinate love of life, in order to enjoy those blessings.

This despite the odds being ridiculously against them (3000 ill-armed men against forty thousand foot soldiers, seven thousand horsemen, Syrian auxiliaries and Hellenised Jews). I'm not surprised their military success was then later adjudged a miracle.

Quoting from my previous notes from Jeneration at Moishe House, XII.7.325:

And so Judah together with his fellow citizens celebrated the restoration of sacrifices in the Temple for eight days, omitting no form of pleasure; but feasting them on costly and splendid sacrifices, and while honoring God with songs of praise and the playing of harps, at the same time delighted them. So much pleasure did they find at the renewal of their customs, and in unexpectedly obtaining the right to have their own service after so long a time, that they made it a law that their descendants should celebrate the restoration of the Temple service for eight days. And from that time to the present we celebrate this festival, which we call the Festival of Lights, giving this name to it, I think, from the fact that the right to worship appeared to us at a time when we hardly dared hope for it.

Rabbi Shoshanna Boyd-Gelfand: Yeah, right. This is a really poor reason to call it the Festival of Lights. Josephus clearly knows more than he's telling—the story of the miracle of the oil might be too much for the Romans. But is it this story he's holding back on, given that it's not until a בָּרַייתָא [a Mishnaic-era (first to third century) source] quoted in the Gemara [fifth to seventh century] that we encounter the story of the lights? But if not, why were Jews lighting lights? Bear in mind, though, that lots of religions had winter solstice light festivals. Josephus clearly knew something beyond what he was telling, but what that something was we can't know. At any rate, see the above link for some more theories as to what the name Festival of Lights might originally have been referring to.

Interesting to see that though the other nations were against the Jews in their struggle against the Seleucids, the Nabataeans were on their side (XII.8.335-6):

Now as for Judas Maccabeus, and his brother Jonathan, they passed over the river Jordan; and when they had gone three days journey, they lighted upon the Nabataeans, who came to meet them peaceably, and who told them how the affairs of those in the land of Gilead stood; and how many of them were in distress, and driven into garrisons, and into the cities of Galilee; and exhorted him to make haste to go against the foreigners, and to endeavor to save his own countrymen out of their hands. To this exhortation Judas hearkened, and returned to the wilderness; and in the first place fell upon the inhabitants of Bosor, and took the city, and beat the inhabitants, and destroyed all the males, and all that were able to fight, and burnt the city.

A piece of good news in the wars (XII.8.349):

And going away hastily from thence, they came into Judea, singing psalms and hymns as they went, and indulging such tokens of mirth as are usual in triumphs upon victory. They also offered thank-offerings, both for their good success, and for the preservation of their army, for not one of the Jews was slain in these battles.

[Please comment at my collected Book XII notes post, on Dreamwidth for preference, or on LiveJournal.]

Josephus notes