An abler leader than Judas could not have been chosen. A giant in
stature, it was said of him that when he walked, the earth trembled
beneath him, and that his battle-cry resounded like the roar of a lion.
His bold fearlessness made him the terror of his enemies, who shrunk
from him. But besides his great strength and his remarkable courage, he
possessed that love for his God, that enthusiasm for his religion that
left nothing impossible. No disadvantage was for him too great to
overcome; no army too numerous to defeat. His personal strength and
extraordinary bravery won for him his surname “Maccabee”, a Hebrew word
meaning “Hammerer”. There are many who say that this surname is derived
from the first letters of the Hebrew words מי כּמך בּאלים יי “Who is
like thee, O Lord among the Gods”, which were inscribed on Judas’s
banner. At first, Judas was the only one to be honored by the surname
“Maccabee”; but, later, the name passed to his brothers; and, finally,
to all who fought under his standard.