St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Before His Encounter with Christ  1 st Century Jew  Tax Collector  Distrusted by both Jews and Romans  Likely dishonest in his dealings

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr The Calling of St. Matthew - Caravaggio

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Conversion  Encounter with Christ changes direction of his life  Prelude to conversion  Matthew 9:1-8  Need for spiritual healing  Matthew 9:9-13  Tax-collector  “Follow me”  “He rose” - resurrection  A sinner; one who is “sick”

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Life as an Apostle  Matthew 10:3 Identified as “Matthew the tax-collector”  Only mentioned in lists of the apostles:  Calling of Apostles  Matthew 10:3  Mark 3:18  Luke 6:15  Pentecost  Acts 1:13  Witness to Christ’s public ministry  Witness to Christ’s Resurrection

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr After Pentecost  Apostles in Jerusalem until AD 42  No exact tradition regarding Matthew  Most traditions mention Ethiopia; also Persia and Syria

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr The Inspiration of St. Matthew - Caravaggio

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Writing the Gospel  Traditionally considered the first Gospel  Originally written in “Hebrew”  Audience: Jewish Christians  Purpose: Demonstrate that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies  Most quoted by the early Church  Inspired by the Holy Spirit  Represented as winged man, for it starts with human genealogy of Jesus

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr The Martyrdom of St. Matthew - Caravaggio

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Martyrdom  All apostles except John suffered martyrdom  No firm tradition  Accounts include burning, stoning or beheading  Apostles were the witnesses of the resurrection – offered their entire lives for the sake of Christ.

St. Matthew: Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr Legacy  Only Saint who is:  Apostle  Evangelist  Martyr  Only Gospel to use the term “Church”  His Gospel is foundational for Catholic understanding of the Church  Matthew 16:15-19 – Simon as “rock” of Church  Matthew 18:15-18  Various other passages only found in Matthew  Wise and foolish Virgins (25:1-13)  Judgment as division of Sheep and Goats (25:31-46)