One of the Twelve Apostles, according to the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Matthew was called by Christ while sitting at the tax collector’s booth. The Gospel of Mark (Mk 2:14-17) recounts this event:

“As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ And he rose and followed Him. And as He reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, ‘Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

The position of a tax collector was deeply despised, making the Pharisees’ astonishment understandable. Highlighting his humility, Matthew refers to himself in his Gospel as “Matthew the tax collector.”

Reliable information about Matthew’s life after Christ’s Resurrection is sparse. According to tradition, he wrote his Gospel in Aramaic in Judea. Later, he preached in Ethiopia, where, as accounts suggest, he was martyred by beheading with an axe around 60 CE. Other traditions suggest that he was martyred in Hierapolis in Asia Minor or in the Roman fortress of Apsaros, located in modern-day Gonio, Georgia.

Among the four tetramorphs (cherubim) described in the book of Ezekiel and the Revelation, Matthew is represented by the cherub with a human face, as his Gospel emphasizes the human nature of Jesus.

Iconography

Matthew is depicted in all scenes featuring the Twelve Apostles. As an evangelist, he appears on the Royal Doors, church pendentives, Gospel covers, and illuminated manuscripts. Typically, he is shown with a long, gray beard. His attributes include an angel, a Gospel book, a quill, an inkwell, an axe (sometimes a halberd), and a money bag, symbolizing his former profession as a tax collector. It is important not to confuse him with Judas Iscariot, who is also depicted with a money bag.

Mykhailo Skop

Icons of “Matthew the Evangelist”