Matthew was born 1st century AD in Capernaum, Roman Empire and he is the son of Alpheus. He was once named Levi (Mark 2:14) before his conversion. As a tax collector he would have been literate in Aramaic and Greek. Jews despised Matthew for what was seen as collaborating with the Roman occupation force. Matthew-Levi, being a tax collector for Romans (Matthew 10:3), was considered a traitor of his country; moreover, by mingling with pagans and people of bad repute, he was despised as a public sinner.
While he was sitting at the custom post of Capernaum, Jesus called him. Immediately, Matthew left everything and followed him (Luke 5:28). After his call, Matthew invited Jesus home for a feast. On seeing this, the Pharisees and Scribes criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13).
Based on the New Testament, it records that he followed Jesus and was one of the witnesses of the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. Afterwards, the disciples withdrew to an upper room (traditionally the Cenacle) in Jerusalem (Acts 1:10–14). The disciples remained in and about Jerusalem and proclaimed that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem for 15 years, before going to countries in the East. Around 1st century AD in Ethiopa, he was killed on the orders of the king while celebrating Mass at the altar.
Matthew was venerated in Roman and Eastern Catholic Church, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Church, Church of the East, Lutheranism, and Anglican Communion. The Gospel of Saint Matthew, reflecting his past experience of precise accounting, is the most complete and accurate. It was originally written in Hebrew and addressed to the Jews, and was later translated into Greek. The original Hebrew text is now lost. In art, Matthew is symobolized by a winged man, because he began his Gospel with Jesus' human genealogy; while Mark is represented by a lion, Luke is represented by an ox, and John is represented by an eagle. His feast day is on September 21.
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Book of Ancient Saints: Volume 1
Non-FictionSaints are people, who are accepted as being holy, religious, and virtuous. In Christianity, more than thousands of saints gave up their life for God or died for Jesus Christ. This volume are true-to-life stories of saints who were born between BC...
