Matthew the Apostle

Life events

1. Other

   Matthew, also called Levi son of Alphaeus, worked as a tax collector (telones) at a customs post in Capernaum in Galilee before his call to discipleship. His identification with Levi rests on the parallel accounts in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27.

2. Other

   Jesus called Matthew from his seat at the receipt of custom in Capernaum; the call narrative is recorded in Matthew 9:9, with parallel accounts in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 that name the tax collector as Levi rather than Matthew.

3. Other

   Matthew is listed among the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13, establishing his place within the inner circle of Jesus's disciples.

4. Other

   After the Ascension, Matthew was among the disciples who withdrew to the upper room in Jerusalem (Acts 1:10-14), traditionally identified as the Cenacle, where they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit.

5. Wrote

   Early Church Fathers, including Papias of Hierapolis (citing an oral tradition recorded by Eusebius), Irenaeus, and Origen, attributed the first canonical gospel to Matthew, with Origen specifying it was composed in Hebrew for Jewish Christians near Jerusalem. Most modern scholars hold that the gospel was written anonymously in Greek and the attribution was added in the second century.

6. Other

   Church Fathers Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.1.1) and Clement of Alexandria record that Matthew preached the gospel to the Jewish community in Judea before traveling to other countries; ancient sources differ on the subsequent destinations but almost universally mention Ethiopia.

7. Martyred

   According to tradition held by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Matthew was martyred while preaching in Ethiopia. The account preserved in hagiographic sources describes him being killed at the altar by a bodyguard of King Hirtacus after rebuking the king for seeking to marry the consecrated virgin Ephigenia.

8. Translated

   Matthew's relics are venerated in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral in southern Italy, where his tomb is located.

Relationships

Documented claims

• Matthew is identified with Levi son of Alphaeus on the basis of parallel call narratives in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27, though the two names are never directly equated within the New Testament text itself. (likely)
• Three paintings of Matthew by Caravaggio in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome — depicting his call from the tax-gatherer's table — are among the landmark works of Western religious art. (certain)
• In Christian iconographic tradition, Matthew the Evangelist is represented by the winged man — one of the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7 — distinguishing him from the other three evangelists who are associated with the eagle, ox, and lion. (certain)
• The earliest extant attribution of the first gospel to Matthew comes from Papias of Hierapolis (c. AD 60–163), preserved by Eusebius: 'Matthew collected the oracles [logia] in the Hebrew language, and each one interpreted them as best he could.' (likely)
• The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a) names 'Mattai' among five disciples of 'Jeshu' and appears to record an execution, a passage the Catholic and Orthodox traditions read as corroboration of Matthew's martyrdom. (plausible)