Matthew the Apostle
c. 20* – c. 80 · Galilee
Also known as Levi · Matthew the Evangelist
Feast: 21 September (Catholic) · 16 November (Orthodox)
Tax collector called by Jesus, one of the Twelve, traditionally the author of the Gospel of Matthew (originally in 'the Hebrew dialect' per Papias).
Highlights
- Main contribution
- Matthew stands at the point where Jesus' story is read through Israel's scriptures.
- Primary source
- Gospel of Matthew 9:9
Matthew stands at the point where Jesus' story is read through Israel's scriptures. The apostle was a tax collector when Jesus called him, and early Christian tradition associated him with the Gospel that bears his name. That Gospel became one of the church's main teaching texts because it gathers Jesus' words into great discourses and presents him as the fulfilment of law, prophets, kingdom, and covenant. Whether one is asking about discipleship, mercy, judgement, or the church, Matthew gave later Christians a primary map.
Primary sources
- ·Gospel of Matthew 9:9
- ·Papias, Fragment in Eusebius HE 3.39.16
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