Matthew the Apostle

Not to be confused with Matthias the Apostle.

Saint Matthew the Apostle
Saint Matthew (c. 1611) by Peter Paul Rubens
Apostle, Evangelist, and Martyr
Born	Capernaum, Galilee, Roman Empire
Died	1st century (believed around year 68) AD Ethiopia
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodoxy Oriental Orthodoxy Church of the East Anglican Communion Lutheranism Druze faith
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	21 September (Western Christianity) 22 October (Coptic Orthodox) 16 November (Eastern Christianity)
Attributes	Angel
Patronage	Accountants; Salerno, Italy; bankers; Osorno, Chile; tax collectors; perfumers; civil servants
Major works	Gospel of Matthew

Matthew the Apostle (Saint Matthew) (Koine Greek: Ματθαῖος, romanized: Matthaîos; Aramaic: ܡܬܝ, romanized: Mattāy) is named in the New Testament as one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. According to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist.

The claim of his gospel authorship is rejected by most modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders." The New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus. Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, relate that Matthew preached the gospel in Judea before going to other countries.

In the New Testament

Matthew in a painted miniature from a volume of Armenian Gospels dated 1609, held by the Bodleian Library

Matthew is mentioned in Matthew 9:9 and Matthew 10:3 as a tax collector (in the New International Version and other translations of the Bible) who, while sitting at the "receipt of custom" in Capernaum, was called to follow Jesus. He is also listed among the Twelve Disciples, but without identification of his background, in Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13. In passages parallel to Matthew 9:9, both Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 describe Jesus's calling of the tax collector Levi, the son of Alphaeus. However, they do not explicitly associate it with the name Matthew.

Ministry

The New Testament records that as a disciple, Matthew followed Jesus. After Jesus' ascension, the disciples withdrew to an upper room (Acts 1:10–14) (traditionally the Cenacle) in Jerusalem. The disciples remained in and about Jerusalem and proclaimed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

In the Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a), "Mattai" is one of five disciples of "Jeshu".

Early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.1.1) and Clement of Alexandria say that Matthew preached the gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries. Ancient writers are not in agreement as to which other countries these are, but almost all sources mention Ethiopia. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church each hold the tradition that Matthew died as a martyr and the Babylonian Talmud appears to report his execution in Sanhedrin 43a.

According to Church tradition, while preaching in Ethiopia, Matthew converted, and then consecrated to God, Ephigenia of Ethiopia, the virgin daughter of King Egippus. When King Hirtacus succeeded Egippus, he asked the apostle if he could persuade Ephigenia to marry him. Matthew invited King Hirtacus to liturgy the following Sunday, where he rebuked him for lusting after the girl, as she was a nun and therefore was the bride of Christ. The enraged King thus ordered his bodyguard to kill Matthew who stood at the altar, making him a martyr.

The Gospel of Matthew

Main article: Gospel of Matthew

See also: Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew

Saint Matthew and the Angel (1661) by Rembrandt

Early Church tradition holds that the Gospel of Matthew was written by the apostle Matthew. This tradition is first attested, among the extant writings of the first and second centuries, with the early Christian bishop Papias of Hierapolis (c. AD 60–163), who is cited by the Church historian Eusebius (AD 260–340), as follows: "Matthew collected the oracles [in Greek, logia: sayings of or about Jesus] in the Hebrew language [Hebraïdi dialektōi], and each one interpreted [hērmēneusen – perhaps 'translated'] them as best he could." Likewise, early Christian theologian Origen (c. 184–c. 253) indicates that the first gospel was written by Matthew, and that his gospel was composed in Hebrew near Jerusalem for Hebrew Christians and translated into Greek. The Hebrew original was kept at the Library of Caesarea. Sometime in the late fourth or early fifth century the Nazarene Community transcribed a copy for Jerome, which he used in his work. This Gospel was called the Gospel according to the Hebrews or sometimes the Gospel of the Apostles and it was once believed that it was the original to the 'Greek Matthew' found in the Bible. However, this has been challenged by modern biblical scholars such as Bart D. Ehrman and James R. Edwards.

The Evangelist Matthew, Byzantium, XIV century. Location: Greece, Athos, Hilandar monastery

Most modern scholars hold that the Gospel of Matthew was written anonymously, and not by Matthew. The author is not named within the text, and scholars have proposed that the superscription "according to Matthew" was added sometime in the second century.

Non-canonical or apocryphal gospels

Saint Matthew (1713–1715) by Camillo Rusconi, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome

In the 3rd century, Jewish–Christian gospels attributed to Matthew were used by Jewish–Christian groups such as the Nazarenes and Ebionites. Fragments of these gospels survive in quotations by Jerome, Epiphanius and others. Most academic study follows the distinction of Gospel of the Nazarenes (36 fragments), Gospel of the Ebionites (7 fragments), and Gospel of the Hebrews (7 fragments) found in Schneemelcher's New Testament Apocrypha. Critical commentators generally regard these texts as having been composed in Greek and related to Greek Matthew. A minority of commentators consider them to be fragments of a lost Aramaic- or Hebrew-language original.

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew is a 7th-century compilation of three other texts: the Gospel of James, the Flight into Egypt, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

Jerome relates that Matthew was supposed by the Nazarenes to have composed their Gospel of the Hebrews, though Irenaeus and Epiphanius of Salamis consider this simply a revised version of the canonical Gospel. This Gospel has been partially preserved in the writings of the Church Fathers, said to have been written by Matthew. Epiphanius does not make his own the claim about a Gospel of the Hebrews written by Matthew, a claim that he merely attributes to the heretical Ebionites.

Matthew the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century

Veneration

Matthew is recognized as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches (see St. Matthew's Church). His feast day is celebrated on 21 September in the West and 16 November in the East. (Those churches which follow the traditional Julian calendar would keep the day on 29 November of the modern Gregorian calendar, being 16 November in the Julian calendar.) He is also commemorated by the Orthodox, together with the other Apostles, on 30 June (13 July), the Synaxis of the Holy Apostles. His tomb is located in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral in southern Italy. Matthew is remembered in the Church of England with a Festival on 21 September.

Like the other evangelists, Matthew is often depicted in Christian art with one of the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7. The one that accompanies him is in the form of a winged man. The three paintings of Matthew by Caravaggio in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where he is depicted as called by Christ from his profession as a tax gatherer, are among the landmarks of Western art.

In Islam

The Quran speaks of Jesus' disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "helpers to the work of Allah". Muslim exegesis and Quran commentary, however, name them and include Matthew amongst the disciples. Muslim exegesis preserves the tradition that Matthew and Andrew were the two disciples who went to Ethiopia to preach the message of God.

In the Druze faith

Druze tradition honors several "mentors" and "prophets", and Matthew the Apostle is honored as a prophet. In the Druze tradition and doctrine, Matthew the Apostle is respected for his contributions to spiritual knowledge and guidance. Druze doctrine teaches that Christianity is to be "esteemed and praised", as the Gospel writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom".

The number 5 contains an unstated significance within the Druze faith; it is believed in this area that great prophets come in groups of five. In the time of the ancient Greeks, these five were represented by Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Parmenides, and Empedocles. In the first century, the five were represented by Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, and Saint Luke. In the time of the faith's foundation, the five were Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad, Muḥammad ibn Wahb al-Qurashī, Abū'l-Khayr Salama ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Samurri, Ismāʿīl ibn Muḥammad at-Tamīmī, and Al-Muqtana Baha'uddin.

In architecture

The Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth houses a capital that depicts Matthew the Apostle and his story regarding King Eglypus of Aethiopia and his sons. It shows how Matthew is leading them away from the demon in the far corner of the capital. The biblical story tells of Matthew converting the king and his sons to Christianity. Not only does this capital depict an act carried out by Matthew in the Bible, it foreshadows Matthew being a martyr. When Matthew the Apostle was murdered, he then became a martyr for the Christian religion as being killed for his faith and teachings given the demon in the corner of the capitol. The iconography of this capital helps understand the religion of the time period since it was just coming into Christendom. This shows the cross between Ethiopia and Nazareth as these are where the capitals are today.

In fiction

• The Master and Margarita
• The Chosen

Gallery

• 
  Saint Matthew in the Ebbo Gospels
• 
  Saint Matthew writing the Gospel with an angel holding the volume, an Islamic miniature c. 1530 by Kesu Das for the Mughal king
• 
  The Calling of Saint Matthew, 1599–1600, Caravaggio
• 
  Saint Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni, 1620–1630
• 
  Stained-glass depiction of Saint Matthew at St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston, South Carolina
• 
  Icon of Saint Matthew in the Basilica of Saint Apollinaris, Ravenna
• 
  A terracotta sculptural model, Giuseppe Bernardi
• 
  The Crypt at Salerno Cathedral
• 
  Statue of Saint Matthew by August Wredow at the roof of the Helsinki Cathedral
• 
  Matthew with the hatchet from Claus Berg (Güstrow Cathedral)

See also

• Mark the Evangelist
• Luke the Evangelist
• John the Apostle
• Saint Matthew the Apostle, patron saint archive

References

Sources

• Bartlet, James Vernon (1911). "Matthew, St" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Allison, Dale C. Jr. (22 April 2010). Muddiman, John; Barton, John (eds.). The Gospels. Oxford University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-19-958025-5.
• Bingham, D. Jeffrey (1998). Irenaeus' Use of Matthew's Gospel in Adversus Haereses. Peeters Publishers. ISBN 978-90-6831-964-4.
• Bock, Darrell L. (2002). Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods. Baker Academic. ISBN 978-1-58558-596-0.
• Davies, William David; Finkelstein, Louis (1984). The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 2, The Hellenistic Age. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21929-7.
• Dods, John Bovee (1858). Gibson Smith (ed.). The Gospel of Jesus. G. Smith. Gospel of the Apostles.
• Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Matthew" . Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
• Edwards, James R. (2009). The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-6234-1.
• Ehrman, Bart D. (23 September 1999). Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. Oxford University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-19-802888-8.
• Ehrman, Bart D. (2009). A Brief Introduction to the New Testament. Oxford University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-19-536934-2.
• "Lesser Festivals, Commemorations, and Occasions". Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 2006. ISBN 978-0-8066-5672-4 – via Augsburg Fortress.
• Epiphanius of Salamis (1987). The Panarion of Ephiphanius of Salamis. Vol. Book I (sects 1–46). Translated by Frank Williams. Brill. ISBN 90-04-07926-2.
• Freedman, David Noel (2001). The Anchor Bible Reference Library. Doubleday.
• Harrison, Everett Falconer (1964). Introduction to the New Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802847867.
• Hezser, Catherine (2001). Jewish Literacy in Roman Palestine. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-147546-7.
• Hultgren, Arland J.; Haggmark, Steven A. (1996). The Earliest Christian Heretics: Readings from Their Opponents. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-2963-2.
• Jacquier, Eugène (1911). "St. Matthew" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Saint Jerome (2000). Thomas P. Halton (ed.). On Illustrious Men (The Fathers of the Church, Volume 100). CUA Press. ISBN 978-0813201009.
• Lardner, Nathaniel (1838). "St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist". The Works of Nathaniel Lardner. Vol. 5. W. Ball.
• Martin, Dale B. (2012). "Introduction to New Testament History and Literature" (PDF). oyc.yale.edu. Yale University. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
• Marx, Werner G. (April–June 1979). "Money Matters in Matthew". Bibliotheca Sacra. 136 (542): 148–157.
• Mills, Watson E.; Wilson, Richard F. (2003). Mercer Commentary on the New Testament. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554-864-0.
• Muddiman, John; Barton, John (2010). The Gospels. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-958025-5.
• Nicholson, E.B. (1879). The Gospel according to the Hebrews, its fragments tr. and annotated, with a critical analysis of the evidence relating to it.
• Noegel, Scott B.; Wheeler, Brandon M. (2003). Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press (Rowman & Littlefield). ISBN 978-0810843059.
• Orr, James, ed. (1915). "Matthew". The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: The Howard-Severance Co.
• Repschinski, Boris (2000). The Controversy Stories in the Gospel of Matthew: Their Redaction, Form und [sic] Relevance for the Relationship Between the Matthean Community and Formative Judaism. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 978-3-525-53873-9.
• Schneemelcher, Wilhelm, ed. (2003). New Testament Apocrypha: Writings relating to the Apostles; Apocalypses and related subjects. Translated by Robert McLachlan Wilson. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22722-7.
• Theissen, Gerd (2003). The New Testament: History, Literature, Religion. T & T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-08949-6.
• Vielhauer, Philipp; Strecker, Georg (2003). Schneemelcher, Wilhelm (ed.). New Testament Apocrypha: Writings relating to the Apostles; Apocalypses and related subjects. Translated by Robert McLachlan Wilson. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22722-7.
• NEES, LAWRENCE; Barbara Drake Boehm; Melanie Holcolmb (2018). "Pleasurable Perplexity: Reflecting the Holy City". The Jewish Quarterly Review. 108 (4): 551–561. doi:10.1353/jqr.2018.0038. JSTOR 90025854. S2CID 165897158.

Further reading

• Aune, David E., ed. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew in current study. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-4673-0.
• Aune, David E. (1987). The New Testament in its literary environment. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25018-8.
• Beaton, Richard C. (2005). "How Matthew Writes". In Bockmuehl, Markus; Hagner, Donald A. (eds.). The Written Gospel. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83285-4.
• Browning, W. R. F. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of the Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860890-5.
• Burkett, Delbert (2002). An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00720-7.
• Casey, Maurice (2010). Jesus of Nazareth: An Independent Historian's Account of His Life and Teaching. Continuum. ISBN 978-0-567-64517-3.
• Clarke, Howard W. (2003). The Gospel of Matthew and Its Readers. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34235-5.
• Cross, Frank L.; Livingstone, Elizabeth A., eds. (2005) [1997]. "Matthew, Gospel acc. to St.". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3 ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1064. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
• Dunn, James D. G. (2003). Jesus Remembered. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3931-2.
• Ehrman, Bart D. (2012). Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-220460-8.
• Fuller, Reginald H. (2001). "Biblical Theology". In Metzger, Bruce M.; Coogan, Michael D. (eds.). The Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues of the Bible. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195149173.
• Hagner, D. A. (1986). "Matthew, Gospel According to". In Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (ed.). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 3: K-P. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 280–8. ISBN 978-0-8028-8163-2.
• Harris, Stephen L. (1985). Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield.
• Kowalczyk, A. (2008). The influence of typology and texts of the Old Testament on the redaction of Matthew's Gospel. Bernardinum. ISBN 978-83-7380-625-2.
• Kupp, David D. (1996). Matthew's Emmanuel: Divine Presence and God's People in the First Gospel. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-57007-7.
• Levine, Amy-Jill (2001). "Visions of kingdoms: From Pompey to the first Jewish revolt". In Coogan, Michael D. (ed.). The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-513937-2.
• Levison, J.; Pope-Levison, P. (2009). "Christology". In Dyrness, William A.; Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti (eds.). Global Dictionary of Theology. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830878116.
• Luz, Ulrich (2005). Studies in Matthew. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3964-0.
• Luz, Ulrich (1995). The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-43576-5.
• McMahon, Christopher (2008). "Introduction to the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles". In Ruff, Jerry (ed.). Understanding the Bible: A Guide to Reading the Scriptures. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780884898528.
• Morris, Leon (1986). New Testament Theology. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-45571-4.
• Peppard, Michael (2011). The Son of God in the Roman World: Divine Sonship in Its Social and Political Context. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199753703.
• Perkins, Pheme (28 July 1998). "The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles: Telling the Christian Story". The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521485932., in Kee, Howard Clark, ed. (1997). The Cambridge companion to the bible: part 3. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-48593-7.
• Saldarini, Anthony (2003). "Matthew". Eerdmans commentary on the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0802837115., in Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William (2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3711-0.
• Saldarini, Anthony (1994). Matthew's Christian-Jewish Community. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-73421-7.
• Sanford, Christopher B. (2005). Matthew: Christian Rabbi. Author House. ISBN 9781420883718.
• Scholtz, Donald (2009). Jesus in the Gospels and Acts: Introducing the New Testament. Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 9780884899556.
• Senior, Donald (2001). "Directions in Matthean Studies". The Gospel of Matthew in Current Study: Studies in Memory of William G. Thompson, S.J. Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0802846734., in Aune, David E., ed. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew in current study. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-4673-0.
• Senior, Donald (1996). What are they saying about Matthew?. PaulistPress. ISBN 978-0-8091-3624-7.
• Stanton, Graham (1993). A gospel for a new people: studies in Matthew. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25499-5.
• Strecker, Georg (2000) [1996]. Theology of the New Testament. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-664-22336-6.
• Tuckett, Christopher Mark (2001). Christology and the New Testament: Jesus and His Earliest Followers. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664224318.
• Van de Sandt, H. W. M. (2005). "Introduction". Matthew and the Didache: Two Documents from the Same Jewish–Christian Milieu?. Royal Van Gorcum. ISBN 9023240774., in Van de Sandt, H. W. M. (2005). Matthew and the Didache. Royal Van Gorcum&Fortress Press. ISBN 978-90-232-4077-8.
• Weren, Wim (2005). "The History and Social Setting of the Matthean Community". Matthew and the Didache: Two Documents from the Same Jewish–Christian Milieu?. Royal Van Gorcum. ISBN 9023240774., in Van de Sandt, H. W. M., ed. (2005). Matthew and the Didache. Royal Van Gorcum&Fortress Press. ISBN 978-90-232-4077-8.

Commentaries

• Allison, D. C. (2004). Matthew: A Shorter Commentary. T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-08249-7.
• Davies, W. D.; Allison, D. C. (2004). Matthew 1–7. T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-08355-5.
• Davies, W. D.; Allison, D. C. (1991). Matthew 8–18. T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-08365-4.
• Davies, W. D.; Allison, D. C. (1997). Matthew 19–28. T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-08375-3.
• Duling, Dennis C. (2010). "The Gospel of Matthew". In Aune, David E. (ed.). The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-0825-6.
• France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. Eerdmans. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8028-2501-8.
• Harrington, Daniel J. (1991). The Gospel of Matthew. Liturgical Press. ISBN 9780814658031.
• Keener, Craig S. (1999). A commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3821-6.
• Luz, Ulrich (1992). Matthew 1–7: a commentary. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-9600-9.
• Luz, Ulrich (2001). Matthew 8–20: a commentary. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-6034-5.
• Luz, Ulrich (2005). Matthew 21–28: a commentary. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-3770-5.
• Morris, Leon (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-85111-338-8.
• Nolland, John (2005). The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Eerdmans. ISBN 0802823890.
• Turner, David L. (2008). Matthew. Baker. ISBN 978-0-8010-2684-3.

External links

• Saint Matthew the Apostle from The Golden Legend
• Apostle and Evangelist Matthew Orthodox icon and synaxarion
• Benedict XVI, "Matthew", General audience, 30 August 2006
• "The Caravaggio Effect"