Difference between revisions of "Matthew the Apostle"

Revision as of 09:48, May 31, 2007

Saint Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and the evangelist who wrote the first gospel. He is mentioned five times in the New Testament, once concerning his call (Matthew 9:9) and four other times in lists of the twelve (Luke 6:15, Mark 3:18, Matthew 10:3, Acts 1:13). His call is also recorded in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27, where he is called Levi.

Matthew was the son of Alpheus, a Galilean, and a tax collector by trade. Such a job was often associated with extortion and was therefore regularly despised, especially by the Pharisees. When called by Jesus, he was sitting at a customhouse. Matthew arose and followed the Lord, setting for him a feast in his house, where other tax collectors and sinners reclined at table with Jesus and his disciples. This prompted a rebuke from the Pharisees, whereupon Jesus responded, "I came not to call the just, but sinners."

No more specific information concerning Matthew is found in the gospels, though he was obviously present for the events witnessed by the twelve, such as the Last Supper, the post-Resurrection appearances, and Pentecost. From the Church Fathers we learn that Matthew composed his gospel first, and we are also given the tradition that he preached the Gospel among the Jews and eventually evangelized the region south of the Caspian Sea. Other traditions add Persia, Macedonia, and Syria. All ancient testimony, with the exception of Heracleon, states that he died a martyr.