Matthew

(gift of the Lord) (Matt 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27; Acts 1:13) — apostle and evangelist, writer of the first Gospel, son of Alphaeus, otherwise called Levi. His call by the Lord from the tax collectors to apostolic service is mentioned in his own Gospel (9:9), as also in Mark (2:14) and Luke (5:27). He sat at the receipt of custom, and the Lord called him. The Lord’s compassionate voice touched his heart at the very moment when he was, so to speak, in the midst of his work as a tax collector.

“Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and he, as the Gospel briefly notes, arose and followed Him. In his own Gospel, in listing the names of the apostles, he mentions, among other things, his former occupation and calls himself a publican, whereas Mark and Luke are silent about this. Further, we see from the Gospel that after his conversion to Christ he made a great feast for the Lord in his own house, and that at this feast many publicans and sinners came and sat down with the Lord and His disciples.

Afterward the apostle Matthew appears among the twelve chosen disciples of the Lord, whom He sent out to preach in the cities of Judea. After the Lord’s ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, the apostle Matthew, remaining for a long time in Palestine, preached the gospel to the Jews, and then went to preach to other nations (according to some, he preached in Ethiopia and among the Parthians; according to others, among the Persians and the Medes).

Before his departure, the believing Jews asked him to leave them in writing what he had preached to them by word of mouth, and so he wrote for them the Gospel known under his own name, which occupies first place among the sacred books of the New Testament. The testimonies of church historians concerning his death do not agree. Some maintain that he died a martyr’s death by fire in Ethiopia; others, that he ended his life in peace. His memory is kept by the Church on November 16 and June 30.