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Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew The name Matthew comes from the Greek Maththaios, which is derived from the Hebrew or Aramaic Mattiyah. His name means “gift of Yahweh” or simply “gift of God.” Saint Matthew was one of the twelve apostles and he wrote the Gospel according to Matthew. Although he was a publican, it is said the Saint Matthew was a Jew. Before his conversion, he was a publican, which was a tax collector, by profession. Not much is really known about Matthew later on in his life. His beginning of apostolic activity started in the communities of Palestine. He wrote for his countrymen in Palestine and composed his Gospel in his native Aramaic. This is refereed to as the “Hebrew tongue” which is mentioned in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. It was written to convince Jewish readers that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. His death was uncertain. It is not known weather he died of natural causes or was martyred. 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. He is the patron of bankers and his feast day is September 21st. St. Matthew is represented under the symbol of a winged man, carrying in his hand a lance as a characteristic emblem. II. Structure and Content of Matthew’s Gospel Early Christian writers believed that the book of Matthew was the earliest of the synoptic Gospels. They believed that he wrote the Gospel in Palestine, just before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Although this opinion is still held by some, most scholars consider the Gospel According to Mark the earliest Gospel. They believe, based on both external and internal evidence, that the author of Matthew used Mark as one of his two major sources and a hypothetical collection of Jesus' sayings called Q as the second. They doubt though that the apostle Matthew wrote the book. Whoever the actual author was, he is identified as Jewish in origin, because his Gospel contains many references to Jewish Scripture, law, and ways of life. Although not clear, some authorities think it was Palestine, and others think is was another early Christian center, possibly the city of Antioch, where it was written. Matthew’s Gospel has been understood as Jewish-Christian in outlook. Matthew had a number of purposes for writing the Gospel. One was “to instruct and exhort members of his community.” He has two broad categories of material: narrative and discourse. Many scholars conclude “Matthew’s primary intent was to write a handbook for church leaders to assist them in preaching, teaching, worship, mission, and polemic.” In his Gospel, Matthew focused clearly on Jesus Christ and his kingdom as the good news of salvation. For Matthew, Jesus is not the son of David, but he is the son of Abraham. Notable in Matthew is its emphasis on Jesus as the promised Messiah and on matters pertaining to the church. Evidence that it probably was written for Jewish Christians may be found which is concerned with representing Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The deep interest in the disciples is emphasized in Matthew. Matthew gives the fullest account of how Jesus called them, how he instructed them, how they failed him, and how the risen Christ forgave them. The influence of Matthew on Christianity has been dominant ever since its composition. Some well-known sections are the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the passion stories. They are better known and more frequently read than the parallel passages in the other Gospels. Matthew’s gospel has two focuses. They are Jesus as “the Christ” and the near approach of the Kingdom of God. Matthew said that these focuses should not be separated. Matthew emphasized that the Kingdom of God is the great object of hope, prayer, and proclamation. Two other characteristic features of Matthew are his concern for the church and his use of the Old Testament. He tries to provide the community of believers with guidelines and authoritative leaders. Matthew did not mention the hierarchy of the church like the bishops and priests, but he does mention educated leaders and scribes. He believed Peter to be at God’s right hand and at the top of the line below God. Matthew believed and was convicted that one could find explanations of the puzzling aspects of Jesus’ story like his death on the cross and because of this, tensions arose. This is why many scholars tried to find a scheme of salvation history to resolve some of its tensions. There is a threefold scheme of salvation history in Matthew’s Gospel. The threefold scheme is: A period of Israel from Abraham to Jbap, the time of Jesus’ own life, and the time of the church from Jesus’ Resurrection to the end of the world. Bibliography: Wallace, Susan Helen. Saints: Second Edition, Vol. 2. Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 1995. Hoever, Rev, Hugo. Lives of the Saints. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1977.

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