Origin of Name
| The Holy Maccabees | |
|---|---|
Wojciech Stattler's "Machabeusze" ("The Maccabees"), |
|
| Born | 2nd century BCE Judea (modern-day Israel) |
| Died | 167-160 BCE Judea |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | August 1 |
The name Maccabee is often used as a synonym for the entire Hasmonean Dynasty, but the Maccabees proper were Judah Maccabee and his four brothers. The name Maccabee was a personal epithet of Judah, and the later generations were not his direct descendants. One explanation of the name's origins is that it derives from the Aramaic "makkaba", "the hammer", in recognition of Judah's ferocity in battle. The traditional Jewish explanation is that Maccabee is an acronym for the Torah verse that was the battle-cry of the Maccabees, "Mi chamocha ba'elim YHWH", "Who is like You among the mighty, O Lord!", as well as an acronym for "Matityahu Kohen ben Yochanan. The scholar and poet Aaron Kaminka argues that the name is a corruption of Machbanai, a leading commando in the army of King David.
Read more about this topic: Maccabees
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