The Hammer (Icons Writeup)

The Hammer
aka Judah Maccabee (יהודה המכבי)
Created By and Copyright Rik Offenberger

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 6
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 6

Stamina 12

Powers
*The Hammer from God 10 (Limit: Powered by the user’s faith. If the user begins to doubt in himself or his holy mission, the power level of the hammer’s bashing damage decreases accordingly)

Specialties
Athletics (Expert +2), Martial Arts (Expert +2), Military – Israeli (Master +3 bonus), Weapons – Military Issue (Expert +2 bonus), Weapon – Hammer from God (Master +3 bonus), Knowledge – Jewish Faith (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
*“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be strong enough of faith, shall be blessed with the power of the hammer from GOD”
*Defender of Israel
*Priest and Warrior

Background

Judas Maccabaeus, (יהודה המכבי) was the third son of Mattathias ben Yochanan Maccabeus, (תִּתְיָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן יוֹחָנָן), a Kohen (כֹּהֵן) (Jewish priest) from the village of Modi’in (מודיעין), ancient Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם).

In 167 BC Mattathias, together with his sons Judas Maccabaeus, (יהודה המכבי) Elazar Avaran Maccabeus (אלעזר המכב), Simon Thassi Maccabeus (שמעון התסי), John Gaddi Maccabeus (יוחנן הגדי), and Jonathan Apphus Maccabeus (יונתן אפפוס), started The Maccabean Revolt (מרד החשמונאים‎) against the Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανής), ruler of the Greek-Seleucid Empire (Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν).

In 175 BC Antiochus issued decrees that made Jewish worship illegal. Torah (תּוֹרָה), (The Old Testament) was confiscated and burned. Sabbath (שַׁבָּת) (the holy day of prayer), brit milah (בְּרִית מִילָה) (circumcision) and Kashrut (כַּשְׁרוּת) (Jewish religious dietary laws) were all prohibited under penalty of death and he mandated Hellenism (ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΣ) as the only religion.

Hellenism is modernly referred to as Greek Mythology and was the worship of the Olympians (ΔΩΔΕΚΑΘΕΟΝ): APHRODITE (ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΗ), APOLLO (ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ), ARES (ΑΡΗΣ), ARTEMIS (ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ), ATHENA (ΑΘΗΝΑ), DIONYSUS (ΔΗΜHΤΗΡ), HADES (ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝ), HEPHAESTUS (ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ), HERA (ΗΡΑ), HERMES (ΕΡΜΗΣ), HESTIA (ΕΣΤΙΑ), POSEIDON (ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ), TYCHE (ΤΎΧΗ), and ZEUS (ΖΕΥΣ)

Mattathias was a warrior priest who led The Maccabean Revolt (מרד החשמונאים‎) for his people’s religious freedom until his death in 166 BC. After Mattathias death, Judas assumed leadership of the revolt as the warrior priest and commander of the Jewish forces. He took on the name Judah “the Hammer” Maccabee (יהודה “פטיש” מכבי).

After Judah Maccabee’s death, his brother’s carried his hammer on to victory over the Greek-Seleucid Forces. The Kohanim (כֹּהֲנִים) hid the physical hammer of Judah Maccabee and protected it. The hammer has been passed on to the descendants of Judah Maccabee and his wife Leah Maccabaeus (לאה מק’קבאוס) over the centuries. It is said in every generation, in times of need, a new Maccabee would come forward and take the hammer and through the sheer force of his faith power the hammer to protect his people.

Judah Maccabee named for his forefathers is the latest wielder of the Hammer from GOD (פטיש מאלוהים). He has spent his entire life in the study of his religion and since birth, he has been on a mission to protect his people. It is his calling.

The Hammer from GOD is the ancestral weapon of the Maccabees. It has been passed down through the generation and protected by the Jewish priesthood. The hammer’s power is a blessing from GOD and gets its strength from the user’s faith. Therefore, any failure is considered a failure of the user’s faith. The hammer has the inscription “כל מי שמחזיק את הפטיש הזה, אם הוא חזק מספיק מאמונה, יהיה מבורך בכוח הפטיש מאלוהים” – (“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be strong enough of faith, shall be blessed with the power of the hammer from GOD”)