Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist.

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew was also named Levi; he was one of the Twelve Apostles and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus. He was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. He lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum.

Publicans who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. They were considered traitors because they worked for the despised Roman rulers. Matthew's profession made him a social outcast in Jewish society, branded as a sinner and collaborator with Rome.

When Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: "Come, follow Me," he left everything and followed the Savior. Christ and His disciples did not refuse Matthew's invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican's friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. This event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal.

Having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. At the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands.

The Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets.

Clement of Alexandria write that Matthew ministered in Judaea for some time after Jesus' death and resurrection. He then traveled to the East, presumably to escape a persecution that began around 42 A.D. While there is some debate as to which countries were evangelized by Matthew, most ancient writers mention Ethiopia to the south of the Caspian Sea (not Ethiopia in Africa), Persia, and the kingdom of the Parthians, Macedonia and Syria.

The ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. That night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God.

Although the document is internally anonymous, the authorship of this Gospel has been traditionally ascribed to St. Matthew. The surviving testimony of the Church Fathers is unanimous in this view, and the tradition had been accepted by Christians at least as early as the 2nd century up to modern times. In addition, the title "According to Matthew" is found in the earliest codices, which date to the fourth century.

Given his background, he is considered to be the Patron Saint of Tax Collectors. Taking into account that he was a publican himself, St. Matthew is considered the patron saint for tax collectors, bookkeepers, bankers, and civil servants. He is commemorated by the Church on November 16, as well as on June 30 with the Twelve.

Matthew is recognized as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches. His tomb is located in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral in southern Italy. The relics of Saint Matthew are venerated as a source of grace and intercession for the faithful.

Matthew was originally called Levi and was the son of Alphaeus and was by profession a publican, or tax-collector, at Capernaum. 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 Christ, becoming his disciple. He changed his name to reflect his new calling. "Matthew" means "Gift of the Lord." The same day on which Jesus called him he made a "great feast," a farewell feast, to which he invited Jesus and his disciples and probably also many of his old associates.

Matthew became one of the twelve apostles who witnessed the earthly ministry, crucifixion, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it.

The holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr's death. The ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, and according to tradition, he received baptism and became a bishop. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church each hold the tradition that Matthew died as a martyr.