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CHRISTIAN APOSTLE MATTHEW
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by
heaven; for it is God's throne
The apostle Matthew, also called Levi, was the son of
Alphaeus and the brother of the apostle James the Lesser, or,
James, son of Alphaeus. By profession, Matthew was a tax
collector before being called by Jesus to follow Him.
Matthew probably remained in the Holy Land, as tradition
says, for 15 years and after this, encouraged by the reports
of the success of other Christian leaders among the Jews
(the Diaspora) and also among the Gentiles, he went forth on
several missionary journeys. It is certain that he went to
Persia and the mysterious area in Persia known as
"Ethiopia." It is also possible that he traveled to the
Ethiopia in Africa as the Roman Catholic tradition indicates
and there is also a belief that Matthew was martyred in
Egypt upon his return from Ethiopia in Africa but this is
not certain. There is a tradition which says that Matthew
was martyred in Parthia.
Matthew was a gifted writer, an ardent disciple, and was
perhaps the best educated of any of the Twelve Apostles. He
was the writer of The Gospel of Matthew.
When summoned by Jesus, Matthew arose and followed Him and
held a feast in his house in His honor. It was at the feast
that tax-gatherers and sinners sat at the same table as
Jesus and His followers.
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Symbol - Purse (Wallet)
He was a tax collector before Jesus called him and so is depicted by
a three purses (or moneybags). St. Matthew's Day is September 21.
Traditional accounts of his death vary, some say he died a natural
death, others say he was crucified in Ethiopia and was beheaded.
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them,
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
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