Mai Chanukah: the enduring power of miracles

This essay attempts to discover what the significance of the neis shemen is all about

Al hanissim focuses on the military victory which enabled the Jews to resume practicing their Judaism (with a passing mention of having lit neiros) whereas the passage quoted in Bavli Shabbos 21b (from megilas taanis) emphasizes the oil miracle with only incidental mention of the military victory to presumably explain the dearth of oil.

Why the differing emphases? 

It seems obvious that the main event was the astounding military victory against the vastly stronger Greek military with the attendant reclamation of Jewish sovereignty which allowed for the purification of the mikdash and resumption of religious rites and practices. 

What does the miracle of the oil add to the picture and why emphasize it? 

I've heard it said that as the Jews eventually lost their hegemony and fell under Roman rule it would be viewed as insurrectionist to celebrate the military victory and sovereignty and thus the focus shifted to the oil miracle which is more benign as it can be viewed as merely a religious celebration about restoring Temple purity without any revolutionary overtones.

Perhaps the following idea can be ventured:

The Greeks believed that the universe is eternal. The God of the Greek philosophers (for those that posited one) is better defined as an it than as a person. It has no knowledge of individuals. It doesn't will or act in time. It is static and unchanging. Revelation is an impossibility. Ditto for Nevuah. Schar vonesh is non existent. 

The pagan gods of mythology, which are basically personified forces of nature, were immoral and could not care less about peoples actions or welfare. 

The Jews on the other hand posited a personal deity that chose to create the world from nothing, knows everything that occurs in it, reveals Himself to people, is deeply concerned with peoples behavior, rewarding and punishing ccordingly. 

Rambam writes (guide 2:25) that the eternity of the world precludes miracles as the Greek gods are bound by the eternally unchanging laws of nature. 

Similarly, Rambam writes in maamar techiyas hameisim that denying the possibility of techiyas hameisim and other miracles equals denying the biblical God and religion: שזאת ההכחשה מביאה להכחשת הנפלאות והכחשת המופת, כפירה בעיקר ויציאה מן הדת

Ramban writes (end of Bo) that we make such a big deal about the miracles of the exodus because they prove the existence of a creator God and as God doesn't perform open miracles in every generation we need to keep their memory alive along with all of their life changing implications. 

Ramban differentiates between nissim nistarim that operate within the veil of nature vs nissim mefursamim that abrogate natural law (the scientific variety—not legal). 

The military victory, impressive as it was, didn't break any law of nature.  

Despite it practically enabling us to throw off the anti religious persecutions, it wasn't a theological victory. 

The supernatural miracle of the oil on the other hand, which could only have been pulled off by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, handed the Jews a victory of the highest order as it proved them right on an ideological level. 

If the military victory was a neis nistar which allowed for the resumption of religious life then the story of the oil was a neis mafursam which vanquished the Greeks on a metaphysical level. 

Miracles are Jerusalem's ultimate answer to Athens and their memory must be remembered and celebrated to keep the flame of faith burning bright. 

The military victory—amazing as it was—gradually lost much of its original significance as the chashmonaim themselves became hellenized and eventually lost their hold on power. 

The miracle of the oil has eternal meaning and is what slays the Greek gods. 

If this is all true then why does al hanissim choose to emphasize the temporary win and not the eternal one of the oil? 

I've heard it said that the schema of the bracha of hodaah is about everyday miracles/nissim nistarim וְעַל נִסֶּֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם עִמָּֽנוּ וְעַל נִפְלְ֒אוֹתֶֽיךָ וְטוֹבוֹתֶֽיךָ שֶׁבְּ֒כָל עֵת עֶֽרֶב וָבֹֽקֶר וְצָהֳרָֽיִם and therefore open miracles aren't included.

This too explains a closing to al hanissim that is brought by many geonim and rishonim that goes as follows (according to Rambams nusach in seder tefilos 3): כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ עִמָּהֶם נִסִּים וּגְבוּרוֹת, כָּךְ עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ נִסִּים וּגְבוּרוֹת בָּעֵת וּבָעוֹנָה הַזֹּאת 

As reflected in Rama, if one forgets al hanissim one says a similar makeup nusach 

Bchor shor explains that as the neis mentioned in al hanisim is of the hidden variety it doesn't run afoul of praying for a miracle which is only problematic for nissim which are undeniably miraculous. 

With all that is going on in the world today we can only say אמן, כן יהי רצון!