by
Damien
F. Mackey
“Ninth-century chroniclers, who interpreted the outcome of the
battle
as divine judgment in his favour, gave Charles the
nickname Martellus
(“The Hammer”), possibly recalling Judas Maccabeus (“The
Hammerer”)
of Maccabean revolt”.
Wikispeedia
Introduction
Just
as he was surrounded by adversity on all sides, according to what has been recounted
of his exploits, so does the Frankish king, Charles Martel, need to face most
rigorous scrutiny from history, chronology and archaeology.
He
(c. 688-741 AD) is supposed to have lived during that most dubious of
centuries, the C7th AD (and on into the C8th):
Scrutinising the C7th AD for its conundrums and
anachronisms
(4)
Scrutinising the C7th AD for its conundrums and anachronisms
It
is in that century, presumably, that we encounter such historical
impossibilities and duplicates as, for instance, the Prophet Mohammed:
Biography of the Prophet Mohammed (Muhammad) Seriously Mangles History
(4)
Biography of the Prophet Mohammed (Muhammad) Seriously Mangles History
and
a ‘new’ Nehemiah:
Supposedly two officials ‘Nehemiah’ occupying BC time and AD time
(4)
Supposedly two officials 'Nehemiah' occupying BC time and AD time
and
that impossibly marvellous Byzantine emperor, that composite of all composites,
Heraclius:
Something almost miraculous about our emperor Heraclius
(4)
Something almost miraculous about our emperor Heraclius
Moreover,
Charles Martel is considered to have given rise to the Carolingian dynasty, to
Pepin (his son) and Charlemagne (his grandson), C8th AD, another era that is replete
with problems. Charlemagne, for instance, appears to have been a breathtaking
composite along lines similar to the emperor Heraclius. And there are enormous
archaeological difficulties associated with him as well.
On
these, see e.g.my article:
Solomon and Charlemagne
which
article does not, however, exhaust all of the problems as we are going to find.
To
the C7th AD, then, have been attributed some marvellously colourful characters,
and Charles Martel, so admired by Catholics, for instance, does not disappoint
in this regard.
“The hammer” of God
“Other views link the
name [Maccabee] with a root that means “to extinguish”,
since the Maccabees
extinguished the Greek persecution, or with makkav,
“a hammer”; Judah, like
Charles Martel, was the hammer of his enemies”.
OzTorah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Maccabeus
In the early days of the rebellion, Judah received a
surname Maccabee. Several explanations have been put forward for this surname.
One suggestion is that the name derives from the Aramaic maqqaba (“makebet”
in modern Hebrew),
“hammer” or “sledgehammer” (cf. the cognomen of Charles Martel, the 8th
century Frankish leader), in recognition of his ferocity in battle. Others
believe it is in reference to his weapon of choice.
It is also possible that the name Maccabee is an acronym for the Torah verse Mi kamokha ba’elim Adonai,
“Who among the gods is like you, O Adonai?”, his battle-cry to motivate troops.
(Exodus 15:11).
Rabbi Moshe Schreiber writes that it is an acronym for his father’s name
Mattityahu Kohen Ben Yochanan. Some scholars maintain that the name is a
shortened form of the Hebrew maqqab-ya ¯hû (from na
¯qab, ‘‘to mark, to designate’’), meaning ‘‘the one designated by Yahweh.’
….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Martel
“The victory at the battle near Poitiers and Tours would later earn Charles the cognomen “Martellus” (L., and so “Martel”, Fr.: “the
hammer”) from 9th century chroniclers who, in the view of Pierre Riche, “seem
to have been… recalling Judas Maccabaeus, ‘the Hammerer,'” of 1 Maccabees, “whom God
had similarly blessed with victory” ….”
….
Twelve years later, when Charles had thrice rescued
Gaul from Umayyad invasions, Antonio Santosuosso noted when he destroyed an Umayyad army sent to
reinforce the invasion forces of the 735 campaigns, “Charles Martel again came
to the rescue.” ….
Mackey’s comment: Make a note of Umayyad,
here, which will sound the death knell for any hope of historicity for Charles
Martel.
https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/b/Battle_of_Tours.htm
The Battle of Tours ( October 10,
732), often called Battle of Poitiers and also called in
Arabic بلاط الشهداء (Balâṭ al-Shuhadâ’) The Court of Martyrs was
fought near the city of Tours, close to the border between the Frankish realm
and the independent region of Aquitaine. The battle pitted Frankish and
Burgundian forces under Austrasian Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel against
an army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān al-Ghāfiqī, Governor-general of al-Andalus. The
Franks were victorious, ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān
was killed, and Martel subsequently extended his authority in the south.
Ninth-century chroniclers, who interpreted the outcome of the battle as divine
judgment in his favour, gave Charles the nickname Martellus (“The
Hammer”), possibly recalling Judas Maccabeus (“The Hammerer”) of Maccabean
revolt.
Details of the battle, including its exact location
and the exact number of combatants, cannot be determined from accounts that
have survived.
As later chroniclers increasingly came to praise
Charles Martel as the champion of Christianity, pre-20th century historians began to characterize this battle as being the
decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam. “Most of the 18th and 19th century historians, like Gibbon, saw Poitiers (Tours), as a landmark
battle that marked the high tide of the Muslim advance into Europe.” Leopold
Von Ranke felt that “Poitiers was the turning point of one of the most
important epochs in the history of the world.”
While modern historians are divided as to whether or
not the victory was responsible — as Gibbon and his generation of historians
claimed — for saving Christianity and halting the conquest of Europe by Islam,
the battle helped lay the foundations for the Carolingian Empire, and Frankish
domination of Europe for the next century. “The establishment of Frankish power
in western Europe shaped that continent’s destiny and the Battle of Tours
confirmed that power.”
https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2017/12/judah-the-maccabee-judah-the-mace-man/
In a 2011 article on
the subject, Mitchell First argues persuasively, based on an analysis of
ancient Greek and Latin orthography, that the kuf spelling is
the older one.
He also agrees with the now commonly accepted theory,
first put forth by the American Bible scholar Samuel Ives Curtiss, Jr. in 1876,
that makkabi derives from Hebrew makevet or
its Aramaic cognate makava, a hammer or mallet. First writes:
As to why Judah was called by this name, one view is
that the name alludes to his physical strength or military prowess. But a makevet/makava is
not a military weapon; it is a worker’s tool. Therefore, it has been suggested
alternatively that the name reflects that Judah’s head or body in some way had
the physical appearance of a hammer.
Interestingly, the Mishnah at B’khorot 7:1 lists one
of the categories of disqualified priests as ha-makavan [“the
hammerhead”], and the term is explained in the Talmud as meaning one whose head
resembles a makava. Naming men according to physical
characteristics was common in the ancient world.
The derivation of makkabi from makevet or makava certainly
makes better sense than any of the contending explanations.
What I would take issue with is the assertion made by
First and others before him that since a hammer “is not a military weapon,”
Judah Maccabee must have been likened to one because of his physical
appearance, or else because of his physical power or strength of character.
The fact of the matter is that in both ancient and
medieval times, hammers were military weapons. First himself
mentions the French warrior Charles Martel, “Charles the Hammer,” the
grandfather of Charlemagne, best known for stemming the Muslim advance into
Europe at the Battle of Tours in 734. While this epithet, too, may have referred
only to Charles’s prowess as a commander, the martel de fer or
“iron hammer” was a feature of medieval warfare. Typically, it was mace-like or
club-like at one end and pointed like a pickax at the other, and it was most
commonly wielded by mounted cavalry to smash the armor of enemy soldiers.
http://aramaicherald.blogspot.com/2010/11/hammer-of-god_17.html
…. Two individuals in history have been known as “The
Hammer of God”: Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel. The title “Maccabee” was
given to Judah the son of Mattityahu Bar Hashmonay. (Judas Maccabeus is another
way of saying Judah Maccabee.)
….
Judah Maccabee fought against the tyrannical Seleucid
Greeks beginning in the year 167 BC [sic].
Centuries later, after defeating a massive Moslem army
in central France, Charles the son of Pepin was called “Martel,” meaning “The
Hammer” in Latin. Charles the Hammer beat back an invasion of Europe by the
Muslim Empire in October 732 AD. Charles Martel defeated the Moslems at the
Battle of Tours (also known as the Battle of Poitiers). ….
The acute Umayyad Problem
Archaeology
associated with the so-called Umayyad caliphate of Islam, but actually dating
closer to the time of Jesus Christ, turns out to be utterly devastating for the
historicity of Mohammed and the so-called caliphates (e.g. Rashidun and
Umayyad):
Umayyads
as Nabataean Arabs
(5) Umayyads as
Nabataean Arabs
This fundamental
level evidence also kills stone dead any hope that Charles Martel, alleged to
have fought the Umayyads, could have been a genuine historical person.
Later, the Abbasid
caliphate, associated with Charlemagne – through that fictious ‘Arabian Nights’
character, Harun al-Raschid – will come crashing down as well, along with its
supposed capital city of Baghdad:
Original
Baghdad was Jerusalem
(5) Original
Baghdad was Jerusalem
Related article:
Maccabeans and
Crusaders, Seleucids and Saltukids (Seljuks)
(5) Maccabeans and
Crusaders Seleucids and Saltukids Seljuks
