Early Life:

The man whom the world came to know as St. Matthew was a native of Cana. Cana, it must be remembered, was also the scene of Jesus' first miracle, namely that of changing water into wine at the Wedding Feast. Matthew's original Hebrew name was Levi. The fact of one man having two names is of frequent occurrence among the Jews. The Bible gives the example of Joseph-Caiaphas, Simon-Cephas, etc, who had two Greek names; likewise, Matthew was called Levi in Hebrew.

Another apostle and evangelist, St. Mark has mentioned in his Gospel that Matthew was the son of Alpheus (Mark 2:14) and was a Galilean. Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, St. Matthew was in the inglorious profession of a Tax Collector for the Roman Government. At the time of Jesus, the people were taxed to excess and therefore a tax collector was hated, dreaded and despised against as a servant of the corrupt government. As tax-gatherer at Capernaum, St.Matthew collected custom duties for Herod Antipas, and, although a Jew, was despised by the Pharisees, who hated all publicans. References to the profession of St. Matthew can be found in Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27, as "sitting at the receipt of custom". It is however probable that Matthew, meaning "Gift of God", was the name conferred upon the tax-gatherer by Jesus Christ when He called Matthew to the Apostolate- and henceforth, this apostle was known as Matthew among his Christian brethren.

How He Came to Follow Jesus:

Jesus was traveling on the Mediterranean-Damascus road when he came upon Matthew who was stationed there in his pursuit of collecting taxes. Standing at a lake near the city of Capernaum, Matthew's gaze met the Lord's and Jesus spoke to him, uttering only two words: "Follow me."

The Bible records that when summoned by Jesus, Matthew arose and followed Him and tendered Him a feast in his house. On this occasion, tax-gatherers and sinners sat at table with Christ and His disciples. This brought about a protest from the Pharisees. However, Jesus rebuked them with the words: "I came not to call the just, but sinners". The divine insight of Christ saw in this man, which He beckoned to His service, a spark of greatness invisible to the rest of the world.

Matthew is spoken of five times in the New Testament; first in Matthew 9:9, when called by Jesus to follow Him, and then four times in the list of the Apostles, where he is mentioned in Luke 6:15, Mark 3:18, Matthew 10:3, and Acts 1:13.

Key Events of His Life with Jesus:

Becoming a disciple and an Apostle, Matthew thereupon followed Christ, accompanying Him up to the time of His Passion. Matthew was also one of the witnesses of Jesus' Resurrection in Galilee. Further, Matthew was amongst the Apostles who were present at the Ascension and afterwards withdrew to an upper chamber, in Jerusalem, praying in union with Mary, the Mother of Jesus and with his brethren (Acts 1:10 and 1:14).

Personality Traits:

Matthew was well-to-do, with a good understanding of money and the affairs of business. Compared to most of the apostles, who were fishermen or men of meager means, he could afford to give a banquet at his house. It is recorded that he had at least two places of dwelling, before taking up the mantle of Christ's follower-ship. One was a commercial firm, a tax collector's abode, where business was conducted. The other was a spacious villa in the city of Capernaum, where Matthew gave a feast upon being called to Christ.

Matthew also had many friends and social contacts among the publicans and men of higher society. He was skilled in reading, writing, arithmetic, making accounts and apportioning value to various articles that were brought before him for valuation. Thus he might have been the one who valuated the worth of the fish caught at sea by the apostles.

An interesting observation can be made in the differences of Matthew’s and Judas’ approach towards money- while Matthew having left his wealth behind had little use for it, Judas’ position as treasurer for the apostles served to endear him to money. Matthew interestingly records the fate of Judas after he received the thirty pieces of silver- in fact he is the only one that writes about these events in detail, right up to the point where Judas hangs himself when he realizes that he had betrayed Jesus.

Strengths & Weaknesses:

As Jesus Himself said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God". Therefore it must have been rather difficult for Matthew to give up his seat at the tax collector's table and follow Christ, all in the spur of a moment. What is more, Matthew did this just upon a simple two-word request from Christ, "Follow Me". It is quite possible that Matthew was called towards Christ by a divine insight that made him feel that though the riches that Christ had to offer were of a different kind, nevertheless they had far more significance than the riches of the world. And so Matthew followed Jesus dutifully, without complaint. He had made a choice and was the happier for it. The road was difficult, but the reward was worth it.

Matthew's interest in money can be realized from the fact that he is the only one who goes into details while narrating the Parable of the Talents i.e. money given to the servant by the Master of the House and how it was used and what was the outcome. It has been noted that his gospel contains the most references to money. This parable also brings out Matthew's interest in justice, mercy and compassion, as well as respect for authority and a sense of duty. Thus all these qualities can be attributed to his personality.

Matthew was also one of the knowledgeable and educated apostles. It is noted that he wrote the Gospel for his countrymen in the native Aramaic, the Hebrew tongue mentioned in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Thereafter St. Jerome presumably translated this Gospel into Greek.

Matthew’s writing of the Gospel is not very descriptive- in fact it is the least appealing because of its simplicity and lack of detail. Matthew wrote simply and objectively, just the details without flourish. It was a huge change for the writer, who was used to the pomp, ceremony and embellishments of higher society. indicates that after taking up the task of preaching Christianity, Matthew lived on a frugal diet, touching not meat or vegetables, but subsisting simply on grains. On the other hand, Matthew wrote as a great respecter of tradition and the Law. He saw Jesus as the answer to the Jews’ predicament, a Savior as foretold by the books of the Old Testament. Therefore at many times we find Matthew referring to the Old Testament in the sense that the prophecy had been fulfilled by Jesus’ coming. Matthew records the Father-Son relationship between Jesus and God in his account of the Gospel. He also sees Jesus as the One who has the Power in Word and Deed to bring about Man’s Eternal Salvation, regardless of their cast or creed. God desires us to live ethical and upright lives- we will be held accountable for our actions on the Day of Judgment- when the good will be separated from the bad. Following Jesus’ ministry is not easy- it involves much sacrifice, rejection and disdain. For Matthew, encountering Jesus was an event through which he accepted his own sinfulness, and asked for God’s forgiveness. In Matthew’s terms, even Prayer should be direct and simple, in one’s own words- it should also be heartfelt and humble.

That Matthew has respect for authority can be seen from the fact that he goes into some detail while narrating the facts of Jesus’ formally making Peter the Head of the Church. Matthew records and respects this judgment. Matthew’s Gospel also gives much importance to the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus gave us the Beatitudes.

There is also some doubt as to whether St. Matthew himself wrote the first Gospel or copied it from St. Mark’s writings. There is much to suggest that the accounts are very much similar, but St. Matthew invariably puts in his own touch by using a vaster vocabulary than would be known and understood by St. Mark or indeed, any of the other apostles.

Of Matthew's subsequent career we have only inaccurate or legendary data. St. Irenaeus tells us that Matthew preached the Gospel among the Hebrews, St. Clement of Alexandria claiming that he did this for fifteen years. Eusebius maintains that, before going into other countries, he gave them his Gospel in the mother tongue. Ancient writers are not in agreement as to the countries evangelized by Matthew, but almost all mention Ethiopia to the south of the Caspian Sea (not Ethiopia in Africa), and some Persia and the
Kingdom of the Parthians, Macedonia and Syria.

How and When He Died:

There is a disagreement as to the place of St. Matthew's martyrdom and the kind of torture inflicted on him, therefore it is not known whether he was burned, stoned, or beheaded. According to Heracleon, who is quoted by Clement of Alexandria, Matthew did not die a martyr, as he did not want to stand "before the judges to testify." This opinion implies that he did not want to suffer martyrdom but wanted to die a natural death, as did the apostles Philip and Thomas; Clement of Alexandria also held with this tradition, and passed it on. Other legends on the contrary, explained that Matthew was stoned or burned to death. But the most repeated legend maintains that he was beheaded.
The Roman Prayer Book, borrowing from the more recent “Passio Matthaei”, a detailed record of the Ethiopic legends concerning him. In this account the apostle was reported to have converted the royal family and the entire district under its rule by working the miracle of raising Iphigenia, the daughter of King Aeglippus, from the dead. Nevertheless, Hirtacus, the brother and neighbor of the converted king, had Matthew killed by the sword because the apostle had opposed his intention to marrry Iphigenia, his niece.

However, the common belief is that he was martyred by the pagans of Ethiopia. The Roman Martyrology simply says: "S. Matthaei, qui in AEthiopia praedicans martyrium passus est".

St. Matthew remained twenty-three years in Egypt and Ethiopia, and it is said that he perished in the year 90 A.D, under Domitian; but the manner of his death is uncertain; according to the Greek legend, he died in peace, but according, to the tradition of the Western Church, he suffered martyrdom either by the sword or the spear.
The remains of Matthew supposedly were taken from Ethiopia first to Paestum, an Italian village on the gulf of Salerno, and in the tenth century to Salerno itself, where they are honored today.

The Latin Church celebrates the feast of St. Matthew on 21 September, and the Greek Church on 16 November. St. Matthew is represented under the symbol of a winged man, carrying in his hand a lance as a characteristic emblem.