St. Matthew
Born: unknown
Died: unknown
Canonized: pre-Congregation
Feast Day: September 21
Patron Saint of: accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, tax collectors
Apostle and evangelist.
The name Matthew is derived from the Hebrew Mattija, being shortened to Mattai
in post-Biblical Hebrew. In Greek it is sometimes spelled Maththaios, BD, and
sometimes Matthaios, CEKL, but grammarians do not agree as to which of the two
spellings is the original.
Matthew is spoken of five times in the New Testament; first in Matthew 9:9, when
called by Jesus to follow Him, and then four times in the list of the Apostles,
where he is mentioned in the seventh (Luke 6:15, and Mark 3:18), and again in
the eighth place (Matthew 10:3, and Acts 1:13). The man designated in Matthew
9:9, as "sitting in the custom house", and "named Matthew" is the same as Levi,
recorded in Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27, as "sitting at the receipt of custom". The
account in the three Synoptics is identical, the vocation of Matthew-Levi being
alluded to in the same terms. Hence Levi was the original name of the man who
was subsequently called Matthew; the Maththaios legomenos of Matthew 9:9, would
indicate this.
The fact of one man having two names is of frequent occurrence among the Jews.
It is true that the same person usually bears a Hebrew name such as Shaoul and a
Greek name, Paulos. However, we have also examples of individuals with two
Hebrew names as, for instance, Joseph-Caiaphas, Simon-Cephas, etc. It is
probable that Mattija, "gift of Iaveh", was the name conferred upon the
tax-gatherer by Jesus Christ when He called him to the Apostolate, and by it he
was thence forth known among his Christian brethren, Levi being his original
name.
Matthew, the son of Alpheus (Mark 2:14) was a Galilean, although Eusebius
informs us that he was a Syrian. As tax-gatherer at Capharnaum, he collected
custom duties for Herod Antipas, and, although a Jew, was despised by the
Pharisees, who hated all publicans. When summoned by Jesus, Matthew arose and
followed Him and tendered Him a feast in his house, where tax-gatherers and
sinners sat at table with Christ and His disciples. This drew forth a protest
from the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked in these consoling words: "I came not to
call the just, but sinners".
No further allusion is made to Matthew in the Gospels, except in the list of the
Apostles. As a disciple and an Apostle he thenceforth followed Christ,
accompanying Him up to the time of His Passion and, in Galilee, was one of the
witnesses of His Resurrection. He was also amongst the Apostles who were present
at the Ascension, and afterwards withdrew to an upper chamber, in Jerusalem,
praying in union with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with his brethren (Acts
1:10 and 1:14).
Of Matthew's subsequent career we have only inaccurate or legendary data. St.
Irenaeus tells us that Matthew preached the Gospel among the Hebrews, St.
Clement of Alexandria claiming that he did this for fifteen years, and Eusebius
maintains that, before going into other countries, he gave them his Gospel in
the mother tongue. Ancient writers are not as one as to the countries
evangelized by Matthew, but almost all mention Ethiopia to the south of the
Caspian Sea (not Ethiopia in Africa), and some Persia and the kingdom of the
Parthians, Macedonia, and Syria.
According to Heracleon, who is quoted by Clement of Alexandria, Matthew did not
die a martyr, but this opinion conflicts with all other ancient testimony. Let
us add, however, that the account of his martyrdom in the apocryphal Greek
writings entitled "Martyrium S. Matthæi in Ponto" and published by Bonnet, Acta
apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1898), is absolutely devoid of historic value.
Lipsius holds that this "Martyrium S. Matthæi", which contains traces of
Gnosticism, must have been published in the third century.
There is a disagreement as to the place of St. Matthew's martyrdom and the kind
of torture inflicted on him, therefore it is not known whether he was burned,
stoned, or beheaded. The Roman Martyrology simply says: "S. Matthæi, qui in
Æthiopia prædicans martyrium passus est".
The Latin Church celebrates the feast of St. Matthew on 21 September, and the
Greek Church on 16 November. St. Matthew is represented under the symbol of a
winged man, carrying in his hand a lance as a characteristic emblem.
Matthew is symbolically portrayed as an adult man because his Gospel stresses
Christ's human and kindly character.
