Saint Matthew the Holy Apostle & Evangelist

Troparion in Tone 3
O Apostle Matthew,
Thou didst hear the Voice of the Word
and receive the light of faith.
Thou didst abandon the office of publican
And proclaim Christ God's Self-emptying.
Ask that those who praise thee
may receive forgiveness and great mercy.

Troparion in Tone 4
O first-enthroned of the Apostles,
Teachers of the Universe:
Entreat the Master of all
To grant peace to the world,
And great mercy to our souls!

Kontakion in Tone 2
Today Christ the Rock glorifies with highest honor
The rock of Faith and leader of the Apostles,
Together with Paul and the company of the twelve,
Whose memory we celebrate with eagerness of faith,
Giving glory to the one who gave glory to them!

Matthew the Evangelist (מתי "Gift of the LORD", Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew Mattay; Septuagint Greek Ματθαιος, Matthaios) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew was the son of Alphaeus, and was a publican or tax-collector at Capernaum. On one occasion Jesus, coming up from the side of the lake, passed the custom-house where Matthew was seated, and said to him,

"Follow me."

Matthew arose and followed him, and became his disciple (Matthew 09:09).

He is called Levi in Luke (05:27). Although Mark calls him Matthew in his list of the apostles, when recounting the story how the publican is called to be a disciple, he calls him Levi (02:14). Some explain this discrepancy by saying he formerly was known as Levi, but then he changed it, possibly in grateful memory of his call, to Matthew. The same day on which Jesus called him he made a "great feast" (Luke 05:29), a farewell feast, to which he invited Jesus and his disciples, and probably also many of his old associates. The last notice of him in the New Testament is in Acts 1:13. He is one of the few disciples mentioned by name in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, suggesting he was of more importance in the early church than surviving evidence indicates. The time and manner of his death are unknown.

Some traditions say that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia, others say that he was martyred in Hierapolis of Parthia. According to Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, Matthew the Evangelist was martyred in Hierapolis, and the Matthew who replaced Judas Iscariot among the twelve apostles is the one who died in Ethiopia.

He is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The Eastern Orthodox celebrate his feast day on November 16, whereas September 21 is observed in Latin churches.

Matthew, the tax-collector, followed Christ (Mt. 9:9). After Pentecost, he preached the gospel in Ethiopia. He wrote his Gospel in Aramaic. It was soon translated into Greek. The Aramaic original was lost. He consecrated Plato as bishop and retreated to a mountain. Matthew baptized the wife and son of the prince, which enraged the prince. When the prince went to arrest him, he was struck blind. Matthew prayed for his sight and it was restored. He still tortured him, twice lighting fires on his chest. St. Matthew remained unharmed, but finally prayed for Christ to receive his soul. The prince put the Apostle's body in a leaden casket and buried it at sea. Plato miraculously recovered his body. At this the prince converted and took the name Matthew and served as a priest.

St. Matthew (meaning "gift of God") was identified as a tax collector (Matthew 9:9; 10:3) and was of Jewish race. In the other accounts of his meeting with Jesus (Mark 2:13, 14; Luke 5:27-29), he is called Levi. This use of two different names has led some scholars to argue for two different persons, due to the absence of Levi from the apostolic lists. Others, however, have argued that Matthew had a double name, because the Jews frequently carried two names - such as Simon/Peter and Saul/Paul. When he was called by Jesus (Matthew 9:9), Matthew renounced the position of tax collector and became His disciple. According to Christian tradition, after Pentecost Matthew, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel in many places, especially to the Jews.

The Gospel of Matthew, though it has come down to us in Greek, has a Jewish/Hebraic flavor, which is evident in its Aramaic expressions and forms, and its use of numerous quotations and arguments from the Old Testament. Furthermore, Matthew gives details of Jewish religious observations, and often uses Jewish style and techniques of argument. God's final judgment, pictured in apocalyptic images common in Jewish writings, is also emphasized. Papias, a second-century Christian author, preserves the tradition that Matthew wrote the sayings of Christ in Aramaic, the common language of the Jews at the time of Christ, and that others later freely translated this work into Greek.

Though the Gospel does not name Matthew as the author, all the early manuscripts attribute authorship to Matthew, one of the twelve disciples listed in the New Testament. His authorship is attested by the universal witness of the ancient Church.

Matthew's usual emblem as an evangelist is a man, because his genealogy emphasized the family ties of Christ. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on November 16.