St. Matthew

Matthew At a Glance

• Also called Levi.

•Matthew’s name in Greek means ‘gift of God’.

•Tax collector.

•“Jesus saved a man named Matthew at the post where taxes were collected. He said, “Follow me. Matthew got up and followed Him”.

•“And Levi made him a great feast in his own house and there was a great company of tax collectors and others that sat down with them…. ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick”

•Content of his gospel had a central theme, “The kingdom of heaven”.

Small T Tradition: The Death of Matthew

Tradition holds that St. Matthew traveled to many diverse places, including Iran, Macedonia, Egypt, Syria and Ethiopia. St. Matthew preached mostly to the Jewish communities. In the first century, Ethiopia was a flourishing independent kingdom, and was where St. Matthew preached for many years. The means of his death is unclear; dying either by crucifixion or being beheaded afterward using a halberd (combination spear and battle ax).