Saint Matthew

Life story

The Gospels say Jesus saw a tax collector sitting at his booth in Capernaum and called him to follow. The Gospel of Matthew names this man Matthew, while Mark and Luke call him Levi. Tradition usually takes them to be one person. Tax collecting was despised by many Jews of the time because it was tied to the foreign authorities, so his choice as a disciple drew attention.

The first Gospel bears his name. The Church Father Papias, quoted by Eusebius, says Matthew set down the sayings of Jesus in Hebrew or Aramaic. Modern scholars, however, debate the real authorship of the Gospel, since the surviving text is in Greek and depends on Mark, so nothing can be asserted with certainty.

The New Testament says nothing of his life after Pentecost. Later traditions conflict: some say he preached to Jews in Palestine, others that he went to Ethiopia, Persia or other lands, and many sources say he died as a martyr. Because solid evidence is lacking, these details should be treated only as tradition. The Church honours him as an apostle and as the traditional author of the first Gospel. His feast is kept on 21 September in the West, and he is named in all four lists of the Twelve found in the New Testament. Early Christian writers were far more interested in what the first Gospel taught than in the biography of its supposed author, which is why so few firm details survive.

Works and witness

• Tax collector of Capernaum, called by Jesus as a disciple
• One of the Twelve, called Levi in Mark and Luke
• Tradition links his name to the first Gospel of the New Testament
• According to scattered traditions, preached outside Palestine and died a martyr
• Honoured in both Eastern and Western Churches

Patron of

Accountants, Tax collectors

Saints from the same country

Saint Peter, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Saint James the Greater, Saint John the Apostle

References

• Tân Ước: Tin Mừng Matthêu, Marcô, Luca (New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke)
• Eusebius, Church History
• Martyrologium Romanum

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.