Matthew (apostle)

Matthew (apostle)
Name	Matthew
Honorific prefix	Saint
Birth name	Matthew
Other names	Levi
Birth date	unknown
Birth place	possibly Capernaum
Death date	traditional dates vary
Death place	traditionally Ethiopia or Hierapolis
Occupation	Tax collector, apostle
Known for	Attributed author of the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew (apostle) was one of the Twelve Apostles associated with the ministry of Jesus and traditionally identified as the author of the Gospel of Matthew. Accounts in the New Testament portray him as a former tax collector called to follow Jesus and as a witness to events central to Christianity, including the Last Supper and the Resurrection of Jesus. Later Christian tradition links him to missionary activity, scriptural authorship, and veneration across Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity.

Identity and early life

Early sources identify Matthew with the tax collector named Levi in the Synoptic Gospels. The Gospel of Mark and Gospel of Luke record a figure called Levi son of Alphaeus or Levi the tax collector, while the Gospel of Matthew introduces a tax collector called Matthew at the call narrative. Traditional identifications connect him to places such as Capernaum, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee, and to the Jewish milieu of Galilee and Judea. Ancient lists of the Twelve in texts like the Gospel of Matthew (list of apostles) and Luke's list of apostles place him among figures such as Peter, James the Greater, John the Apostle, and Judas Iscariot. Patristic writers such as Papias of Hierapolis, Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius contributed to the portrait of Matthew's identity, while later traditions associated him with missionary journeys to regions like Parthia, Ethiopia, and Persia.

Call and role among the Twelve

The call narratives in the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, and Gospel of Luke depict Matthew/Levi leaving a tax booth to follow Jesus, joining a group that included Simon Peter, Andrew, James the Less, and John the Evangelist. As one of the Twelve Apostles, Matthew is listed alongside Philip the Apostle, Bartholomew, Thomas the Apostle, James the Less, Thaddeus (Jude), and Simon the Zealot. In apostolic lists preserved by Jerome and later medieval martyrologies, Matthew's role is tied to the authoritative teaching of the Twelve and participation in events like the Great Commission and debates recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Early church calendars and episcopal martyrologies place his feast day among other apostolic commemorations observed by Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and Anglican Communion.

Ministry, teachings, and attributed sayings

The Synoptic tradition attributes to Matthew participation in teachings and controversies involving Pharisees, Sadducees, and crowds in Jerusalem, Galilee, and the Decapolis. Passages associated with Matthew in the Synoptics include discussions of ritual purity, Sabbath observance, and the authority of the teacher exemplified by Peter and John. Traditions ascribe to Matthew collections of sayings of Jesus that overlap with material found in the Q source hypothesis and in the Synoptic Problem discussions involving Markan priority and Two-source hypothesis. Patristic citations in works by Augustine of Hippo, Chrysostom, and Gregory the Great reflect early reception of materials tied to Matthew, including the Sermon on the Mount, ethical teachings, and parables that informed liturgical instruction and catechetical practice in the Early Church Fathers.

Gospel of Matthew and authorship debate

The attribution of the Gospel of Matthew to Matthew the tax collector is an early and influential claim found in Papias and later repeated by Irenaeus and Eusebius of Caesarea. Modern scholarship debates the extent to which the evangelist was an eyewitness or used existing sources such as Mark (Gospel of Mark), the hypothetical Q source, and various oral traditions preserved in Hellenistic Judaism and early Christian communities. Text-critical studies examine manuscript families like the Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and Chester Beatty Papyri to trace editorial layers, redactional tendencies, and Greek composition. Comparative analysis engages with topics including Septuagint use, Hebrew or Aramaic substrata, and intertextual engagement with the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Scholarly positions range from traditional Matthean authorship to theories proposing an anonymous Matthean community or redactor operating in Antioch or Syrian contexts.

Traditions, iconography, and veneration

Artistic and liturgical traditions portray Matthew with distinctive iconography: a winged man or angel derived from the four living creatures described in Ezekiel and the Book of Revelation, a book or codex signifying gospel authorship, and occasionally a money bag referencing his profession as a tax collector. Medieval and Renaissance artists such as Caravaggio, Raphael, and Donatello depicted Matthew in altarpieces and sculptural commissions for St Peter's Basilica and regional cathedrals. Liturgical calendars in Byzantine Rite, Roman Rite, and Coptic Orthodox Church observe his feast on dates varying by tradition, tied to relic translations or martyrdom traditions. Relics attributed to Matthew have been venerated at sites including Salerno Cathedral, St Mark's Basilica, and medieval pilgrimage centers, while hagiographical narratives by writers like Jacobus de Voragine and entries in the Golden Legend amplified his cult throughout Medieval Europe.

Historical reliability and scholarly perspectives

Scholars assess the reliability of traditions about Matthew through methods such as source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, and historical Jesus research conducted by figures like Albert Schweitzer, Bultmann, E.P. Sanders, and N.T. Wright. Debates focus on the historicity of call narratives, the identification with Levi, and the degree to which the attributed Gospel preserves eyewitness testimony versus community theology. Comparative studies incorporate evidence from Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, Tacitus, and archaeological findings from Capernaum and Jerusalem to situate Matthew within first-century Palestinian and Diaspora contexts. Consensus recognizes Matthew's centrality in shaping Christian doctrine and liturgy, while disagreements persist about authorship, historical kernels in the narratives, and later legendary accretions in medieval hagiography and apocryphal works such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew.

Category: apostles