Matthew the Apostle

Matthew the Apostle is a central figure in early Christianity, recognized as one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus Christ. Beyond his role as a disciple, many Christian traditions hold him to be the author of the Gospel of Matthew, one of the four canonical Gospels, which has significantly shaped Christian theology and practice. This dual identity as both an Apostle and an Evangelist is a cornerstone of his veneration.

Calling and Ministry

The New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of Matthew, recounts his calling by Jesus while he was working as a tax collector in Capernaum. He is described as sitting at the "receipt of custom" before being summoned to follow Jesus. He is also listed among the Twelve Disciples in other New Testament texts, though without explicit mention of his background. The Gospels of Mark and Luke describe Jesus calling a tax collector named Levi, the son of Alphaeus, in passages that parallel Matthew's calling, leading to the tradition, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church, that Matthew and James, son of Alphaeus, were brothers.

Following Jesus' ascension, Matthew was among the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. Church Fathers, including Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria, record that Matthew preached the gospel to the Jewish community in Judea. Tradition suggests he then traveled to other countries, with ancient writers often mentioning Ethiopia, though this may refer to regions in ancient Persia rather than modern-day Ethiopia. The Catholic and Orthodox Churches both uphold the tradition that Matthew died as a martyr.

Authorship of the Gospel of Matthew

Early Church tradition, dating back to Papias of Hierapolis, asserts that the Apostle Matthew authored the Gospel of Matthew. Papias stated that Matthew collected sayings of Jesus "in the Hebrew language," which were then interpreted by others. Origen also indicated that the first gospel was written by Matthew in Hebrew near Jerusalem for Hebrew Christians and later translated into Greek. While the canonical Gospel of Matthew is written in Greek and was traditionally attributed to the Apostle, modern biblical scholarship often posits that the Gospel was written anonymously, though it may incorporate sources from the disciple. The superscription "according to Matthew" is believed by some scholars to have been added later.

Veneration and Legacy

Matthew is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches, with a common feast day on September 21. His tomb is located in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral in southern Italy. In Christian art, he is typically symbolized by a winged man, one of the four living creatures. His legacy is profoundly tied to the Gospel that bears his name, offering a key theological and historical account of Jesus's life and teachings, and his calling from a despised profession into apostleship continues to be a powerful narrative.