Martin Is Not in the Bible — It Means Of Mars

Q: Is Martin a biblical name?

No. It comes from the Latin Martinus, "of Mars," and has no biblical occurrence.

Summary

Martin is not in the Bible. It comes from the Latin Martinus, “of Mars” — a war name — and its first great bearer was a soldier who refused to fight.
Martin of Tours, conscripted as a boy, met a beggar at Amiens in winter and cut his cloak in half. He could give only half because the other half belonged to the army.
That night, by the account of his biographer Sulpicius Severus who knew him, he dreamt of Christ wearing the piece he had given away. The verse behind it is Matthew 25:40.
Later he told the emperor he would serve no longer and offered to stand unarmed between the armies. The refusal is early in the record; the goose shed is late and probably a story.
Martin Luther was named for him, baptised on his feast day; Martin Luther King Jr was named for Luther after his father travelled to Germany in 1934.

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Martin is not in the Bible. It comes from Mars, the Roman god of war — and its first great bearer was a soldier who refused to fight.

What the name means

Martin is from the Latin Martinus, meaning something like “of Mars” or “dedicated to Mars.” It is a war name, in the plainest sense available.

Is Martin in the Bible?

No. Latin is not a language of Scripture, and the god it refers to belongs to Rome.

Martin of Tours

He was born around 316 in what is now Hungary, the son of a soldier, and was conscripted into the Roman army as a boy because of his father’s rank.

The story everyone knows happened at Amiens, in winter, while he was still serving. He met a beggar at the gate with nothing to wear, cut his military cloak in half with his sword, and gave him one part. The half he kept was his; the other half belonged to the army, which is why he could only give half.

That night, by the account of his biographer Sulpicius Severus, who knew him, he dreamt of Christ wearing the piece he had given away.

The verse behind it is not obscure: Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:40)

The part usually left out

Later, before a battle, Martin told the emperor he would serve no longer: he was a soldier of Christ and could not fight. He was accused of cowardice and offered to stand unarmed between the two armies as proof.

The battle did not happen — the account says the enemy sought terms — and he was released.

He went on to become bishop of Tours, reportedly against his will, and the tradition is that he was found hiding in a goose shed when they came for him. That detail is late and probably a story. The refusal to fight is early and is the part that matters.

A man named for the god of war, who stopped being a soldier because of a dream about a coat.

The other Martins

The name carries more than its share of weight in Christian history.

Martin Luther was named for Martin of Tours, having been baptised on the saint’s feast day, 11 November 1483.

And Martin Luther King Jr was named for Luther — his father changed both their names after travelling to Germany in 1934.

Three men, one name, five centuries: a soldier who laid down his sword, a monk who would not take back what he had written, and a pastor who was killed at thirty-nine.

What Scripture does with war and soldiers

It is less simple than either side of the argument would like.

Soldiers come to John the Baptist and ask what they should do. He does not tell them to leave the army: Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely — be content with your pay. (Luke 3:14)

The first Gentile convert in Acts is a centurion, and he is described as devout before anything happens (Acts 10:1-2).

And yet: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9) And Paul’s armour, which is made entirely of things that are not weapons (Ephesians 6:13-18).

Christians have disagreed about this for nineteen centuries, in good faith, and it would be dishonest to pretend the text settles it.

A blessing for Martin

May we give away the half that is ours to give.

May we recognise who was wearing it.

And may a name given for war be spent on something else.

Frequently asked

Is Martin a biblical name?

No. It comes from the Latin Martinus, “of Mars,” and has no biblical occurrence.

Who was Martin of Tours?

A conscripted Roman soldier who divided his cloak with a beggar at Amiens, later refused to fight, and became bishop of Tours. His biographer Sulpicius Severus knew him personally.

Why did he cut the cloak in half?

Because only half of it was his. The other half belonged to the army.

Is Martin Luther King named after Martin Luther?

Yes. His father changed both their names after travelling to Germany in 1934, and Luther himself was named for Martin of Tours, having been baptised on that saint’s feast day.