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Matthew the Evangelist (מתי "Gift of the LORD", Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew Mattay; Septuagint Greek Ματθαιος, Matthaios) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Matthew. He was the son of Alphaeus, and was a publican or tax-collector at Capernaum. On one occasion Jesus, coming up from the side of the lake, passed the custom-house where Matthew was seated, and said to him, "Follow me." Matthew arose and followed him, and became his disciple ( Matthew 9:9).He is called Levi in Luke (5:27). Although Mark calls him Matthew in his list of the apostles, when recounting the story how the publican is called to be a disciple, he calls him Levi (2:14). Some explain this discrepancy by saying he formerly was known as Levi, but then he changed it, possibly in grateful memory of his call, to Matthew. The same day on which Jesus called him he made a "great feast" (Luke 5:29), a farewell feast, to which he invited Jesus and his disciples, and probably also many of his old associates. The last notice of him in the New Testament is in Acts 1:13. He is one of the few disciples mentioned by name in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, suggesting he was of more importance in the early church than surviving evidence indicates. The time and manner of his death are unknown.
Some traditions say that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia, others say that he was martyred in Hierapolis of ParthiaTrajan's Column The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Origins The Parthians were an illiterate nomadic people, th. According to EpiphaniusEpiphanius (born 310 in Palestine, died on Cyprus 402) was a Church Father and strong defender of orthodoxy, known for tracking down deviant teachings ( heresies) wherever they could be traced. During a visit to Palestine in 394 he attacked Origen's follo, Bishop of Cyprus, Matthew the Evangelist was martyred in Hierapolis, and the MatthewSaint Matthias is the Apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot, following Judas' betrayal of Jesus Christ and suicide ( Acts 1:21 26). His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church was February 24, until it was moved in the 2 who replaced Judas IscariotJudas Iscariot (died April, AD 29 33, Aramaic Yhuh Iš-qriyy was one of Jesus's twelve original disciples (compare apostles). Traditional Christian views Judas is mentioned only in the Gospels and at the beginning of Acts. According to the account gi among the twelve apostles is the one who died in Ethiopia.
He is recognized as a saintIn general, the term saint is used to refer to someone thought to be especially virtuous and holy. This person may or may not be canonized, recognized or venerated by a religion. The word "saint" comes from the Latin word sanctus which means "holy. Variou in both the Roman CatholicThis article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. See Catholicism (disambiguation) for alternative meanings Catholicism has two main ecclesiastical meanings, described in Webster's Dictionary as: a) "the whole orthodox Christian chu and Eastern Orthodox churches. The Eastern Orthodox celebrate his feast day on November 16, whereas September 21 is observed in certain other churches.
Like the other three Evangelists, Matthew is often depicted in Christian art. His particular attribute is a winged man, a reference to the angel who is supposed to have dictated to him as he wrote. The three paintings of his life by Michelangelo Merisi (Caravaggio) in the church of San Luigi Dei Francesci in Rome are among the landmarks of Western art.
See also:
Christian martyrs
