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Matthew the Apostle

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Matthew the ApostleTemplate:Efn was 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."Template:Sfn 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 TestamentEdit

File:Bodleian Library MS. Arm. d.13. Armenian Gospels-0039-0.jpg
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<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and Matthew 10:3<ref>Template:Bibleref</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Bibleverse,Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse and Template:Bibleverse.</ref> In passages parallel to Matthew 9:9, both Mark 2:14<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and Luke 5:27<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> describe Jesus's calling of the tax collector Levi, the son of Alphaeus. However, they do not explicitly associate it with the name Matthew.

Since the father of both Levi/Matthew and James, son of Alphaeus is named Alphaeus, according to the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church the two apostles were brothers.<ref name="Prologue of Ohrid">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ibn Kabar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MinistryEdit

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)Template:Sfn (traditionally the Cenacle) in Jerusalem.Template:Sfn 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".Template:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn 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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

According to Church tradition, while preaching in Ethiopia, Matthew converted, and then consecrated to God, Ephigenia of Ethiopia, the virgin daughter of King Egippus.<ref>The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine, translated and adapted by Ryan, Granger and Helmut Ripperger. (Arno Press: Longmans, Green & Co) 1941. pp. 561–566.</ref> 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 the king 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.<ref name=ROCOR2004>The Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Western Europe and the Americas (ROCOR). St. Hilarion Calendar of Saints for the year of our Lord 2004. St. Hilarion Press (Austin, TX). p. 70.</ref>

The Gospel of MatthewEdit

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File:Rembrandt - Evangelist Matthew and the Angel - WGA19119.jpg
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 (Template:C.),Template:Sfn who is cited by the Church historian Eusebius (AD 260–340), as follows: "Matthew collected the oracles [in Greek, Template:Transliteration: sayings of or about Jesus] in the Hebrew language [[[:Template:Transliteration]]], and each one interpreted [[[:Template:Transliteration]] – perhaps 'translated'] them as best he could."Template:SfnTemplate:EfnTemplate:Sfn Likewise, early Christian theologian Origen (Template:C.–Template:C.) indicates that the first gospel was written by Matthew,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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,Template:Sfn which he used in his work.Template:Sfn This Gospel was called the Gospel according to the HebrewsTemplate:Sfn or sometimes the Gospel of the ApostlesTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn and it was once believed that it was the original to the 'Greek Matthew' found in the Bible.Template:Sfn However, this has been challenged by modern biblical scholars such as Bart D. Ehrman and James R. Edwards.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:EfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

File:The Apostle Matthew.jpg
The Evangelist Matthew, Byzantium, 14th century. Location: Greece, Athos, Hilandar monastery.

Most modern scholars hold that the Gospel of Matthew was written anonymously, and not by Matthew, Template:Sfn though it is possible the gospel incorporates a source written by the disciple.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Sfn 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.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Non-canonical or apocryphal gospelsEdit

File:Matthaeus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg
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.Template:Sfn 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,Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn Epiphanius does not make his own the claim about a Gospel of the Hebrews written by Matthew, a claim that he attributes to the Ebionites.Template:Sfn

File:Matthew the Apostle. Detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale. Ravena, Italy.jpg
Matthew the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century

VenerationEdit

Matthew is recognized as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, LutheranTemplate:Sfn and Anglican churches (see St. Matthew's Church). His tomb is located in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral in southern Italy.

Roman CatholicismEdit

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates Matthew with a feast on September 21.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

LutheranismEdit

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America remembers Matthew with a feast on September 21.<ref>Philip H. Pfatteicher (1980). Festivals and Commemorations: Handbook to the Calendar in Lutheran Book of Worship. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0806617572.</ref> The Lutheran Church ─ Missouri Synod also remembers Matthew with a feast on September 21.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AnglicanismEdit

The Anglican communion commemorates Matthew with a festival on September 21.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eastern OrthodoxEdit

Matthew is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church with the following feast days.

  • June 30 (July 13): Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • November 16 (November 29): Feast Day.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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In Christian artEdit

Like the other evangelists, Matthew is often depicted in Christian art with one of the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> 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 IslamEdit

The Quran speaks of Jesus' disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "helpers to the work of Allah".<ref>Template:Qref</ref> Muslim exegesis and Quran commentary, however, name them and include Matthew amongst the disciples.Template:Sfn Muslim exegesis preserves the tradition that Matthew ("Mattā") and Andrew ("Andirāwas") were the two disciples who went to Ethiopia to preach the message of God.

In the Druze faithEdit

Druze tradition honors several "mentors" and "prophets", and Matthew the Apostle is honored as a prophet.<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> In the Druze tradition and doctrine, Matthew the Apostle is respected for his contributions to spiritual knowledge and guidance.<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> Druze doctrine teaches that Christianity is to be "esteemed and praised", as the Gospel writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

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,<ref name="Hitti 1928 37">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Dana 2008 17">Template:Cite book</ref> John the Baptist,<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite book</ref> Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, and Saint Luke.<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> 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 architectureEdit

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.<ref name=stmatthewscathedral.org>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=franciscanmedia.org>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Calendar>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Jewish">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Neophilologus">Jasmine A. L. Kilburn. 2003. "The Contrasted `Other' in the Old English Apocryphal Acts of Matthew, Simon and Jude." Neophilologus 87 (1) (01): 137–151.</ref><ref name=Humanities>Naomi, Simhony. 2020. "The Central Synagogue of Nazareth Illit and its Architectural Dialogue with Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation." Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 7 (1) (12).</ref>

In fictionEdit

GalleryEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

NotesEdit

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Further readingEdit

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