Matthew

Overview

Matthew is one of the twelve apostles in the New Testament apostolic lists (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). In Matt. 9:9 Jesus calls "Matthew" from the tax booth; in the Markan and Lukan parallels the called tax collector is named "Levi" (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27), leading many readers ancient and modern to identify Matthew and Levi as the same person, though the texts themselves do not explicitly explain the name difference. The Gospel of Matthew uniquely labels the apostle in the Twelve list as "Matthew the tax collector" (Matt. 10:3), a detail often taken as a sign of remembered biographical tradition or of the evangelist's redactional interest in the apostle's former occupation. Later Christian tradition widely connected this apostle with the composition of the Gospel bearing his name, often also preserving the older tradition, known from Papias and repeated by Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome, that Matthew composed "logia" in a Hebrew or Aramaic form.

Biblical shape

Tax collector, disciple of Jesus, one of the Twelve apostles, and in later church tradition evangelist and missionary. Call from the tax booth: Jesus sees a tax collector at work and calls him to discipleship; in Matthew he is named Matthew, while in Mark and Luke he is named Levi. Banquet with tax collectors and sinners: After the call, a meal is held with tax collectors and others, drawing criticism from religious opponents and prompting Jesus' saying about calling sinners rather than the righteous. Inclusion among the Twelve: Matthew is named in all canonical apostolic lists, confirming his place in the foundational apostolic company.

Key passages

• Matt. 9:9
• Matt. 10:3
• Mark 2:14
• Mark 3:18
• Luke 5:27-29
• Luke 6:15
• Acts 1:13
• Matt. 9:9, Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27 — Jesus sees a tax collector at work and calls him to discipleship; in Matthew he is named Matthew, while in Mark and Luke he is named Levi.
• Matt. 9:10-13, Mark 2:15-17, Luke 5:29-32 — After the call, a meal is held with tax collectors and others, drawing criticism from religious opponents and prompting Jesus' saying about calling sinners rather than the righteous.
• Matt. 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15 — Matthew is named in all canonical apostolic lists, confirming his place in the foundational apostolic company.

Theological significance

In the New Testament Matthew appears as one of the Twelve (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) and, in the First Gospel, as the tax collector summoned by Jesus from the booth (Matt. 9:9), a scene paralleled in Mark and Luke under the name Levi. Second Temple Jewish texts do not discuss him directly, but the evangelist’s self-identification of a toll collector among the disciples fit broader concerns about repentance, table fellowship, and the inclusion of socially marginal figures. Patristic writers quickly linked the apostle with the Gospel: Papias, as reported by Eusebius in the Ecclesiastical History (3.39), said Matthew composed the sayings of Jesus in a “Hebrew dialect”; Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.1.1), Origen, and Jerome (De viris illustribus 3) repeated and developed this tradition. Roman Catholic: Roman Catholic tradition venerates Matthew as both apostle and evangelist. Catholic scholarship today typically distinguishes between the church's canonical attribution of the Gospel to Matthew and the complex literary… Eastern Orthodox: Eastern Orthodox tradition honors Matthew as apostle, evangelist, and saint, receiving the canonical Gospel within the liturgical and patristic life of the church. Lutheran: Lutheran tradition receives Matthew as apostle and canonical evangelist, while modern Lutheran scholarship has generally adopted critical conclusions about the Gospel's composition. Reformed: Reformed tradition has historically accepted Matthew as apostle and evangelist, though modern Reformed scholarship commonly distinguishes between apostolic tradition and final authorship.

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