Logion could be translated as an oracle or divine utterance. Fellow citizens considered him a social outcast who was a traitor to their nation. All of the harsh and disapproving things He could have or should have said to Matthew would have been justified as far as the culture around them was concerned. Hence, Eusebius corrected Irenaeus by substituting the Gospel according to the Hebrews as the Ebionitess preferred Gospel (h.e. Regardless of how this name change is explained, this toll collector may have been trained in accounting and documenting records and may have been functionally bilingual or trilingual in order to converse with travellers moving between the territories of Philip and Antipas. It is touching that Matthew, gift of Yahweh loved his new name, probably given to him by Jesus. Ward Powers enthusiastically endorses this line of reasoning in the following bold claim: "To have this evidence about the apostle Matthew his background, training, and employment in the Roman administration; his response to the call to follow Jesus; his appointment to the role and responsibility of apostle and to believe that he would. [47] Whatever the case, Jerome slowly distanced himself from his earlier confident declarations that the Nazarenes had the original Matthean Gospel in their possession (cf. 3.2) that the Gospel according to the Hebrews was associated with Matthew. The Western reading attested in Codex Bezae that switched Thaddaeus with Lebbaeus, the Latinized form of Levi, in the list of the twelve apostles in Mark 3:18, influenced the textual transmission of Matthew 10:3. Hist. Supported by: 4 Macc 12:7; 16:15; Acts 21:40; 22:2; 26:14; Josephus, A.J. In the Christian Bible, he was cited as one of the Jesus' apostles. Some have also argued that he's the Apostle Matthew 's brother. 4.9). Gundry, Matthew, xxii. 3.2).[48]. The text of Matthew in its final form, on the other hand, may be a better point of contrast for Marks narrative, and Q would not have an advantage over it if Q originated in Greek as well. 6.14.2; Epiphanius, Pan. March 2020. "Meet Nathanael in the Bible, the 'True Israelite'." Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/nathanael-the-true-israelite-701068. Say, Jesus saw Levi and knew that Levi and the other tax collectors needed to know the good news. Ps. The Testimonium Flavianum Question (My Two Cents), The Bible is Accurate Manuscript Evidence, Sayings From the Bible in the 21st Century, Colors & Dyes For Clothing in Ancient Rome, Thanksgiving: First Foods, First Friends1620, Ancient Ossuaries Uncover Biblical Truths. ill. 3) and, after comparing it to the textual fragments that he received from Jewish Christ-followers living in Beroea known as the Nazarenes, would translate the entire work. 4. 16.13). Francis Watson, Gospel Writing: A Canonical Perspective (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 126. As Brent Cunningham expressed it the changing of the names represented Jesus' ownership of them. All the names for our week days come from Roman and Norse/Anglo-Saxon gods. St. Matthew (Matthew 9:10) modestly says, "in the house," keeping himself as much as possible in the background.St. It is not surprising he watched Jesus carefully and wrote down the first of the four Gospels, the biographies of Jesus of Nazareth. Matthias was the only one who was not chosen by Jesus . It was to that man, the most despised of the despicable, to whom Jesus said, "Follow Me!" Jesus sent out 70 Disciples to preach His Good News. I. Curiously, Origen answered the philosopher Celsuss criticism that Jesus assembled a motley crew of toll collectors and sailors by stressing that Matthew was the sole toll collector within the apostolic circle and that Levi was not numbered among the twelve apostles except for in select manuscripts of Marks Gospel (Cels. I. Assuming that the identification of Matthew with Levi is correct, Matthew (probably meaning "Yahweh's Gift") would appear to be the Christian name of Levi (called by Mark "Levi the son of Alphaeus"), who had been employed as a tax collector in the service of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. [10] For the debate over whether Mark 2:14 and 3:18 refer to the same individual or to two different individuals named Alphaeus, see Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, 87n.17. There is no indication that Matthew wrote anything (contra John 21:24; Gos. [13] Moreover, Matthew hardly features more as a character in the narrative than in the other two Synoptic Gospels to be the key source of the Matthean traditions. Dr. Beth Harris: In the Contarelli Chapel. It's unclear why Matthew/Levi was called by both names. Tax collectors were not very respected people in Jesus' time because many of them stole from the people. Rather, he plainly states, So Matthew composed the oracles in the Hebrew language and each person interpreted them as best he could (in Eusebius, h.e. After Jesus grants Peter the keys to the kingdom (see below), Jesus explains . Jesus ate a meal at Levi's house and . In Matthew's parabolic aside, the wisest advice Pilate got that day -- our Good Friday -- was from his wife: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man" (27:19). ; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 56869. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners., CLICK HERE for Jesus and the Pharisees article. 1.62), though these observations contradict Origens argument in his commentary above. Vir. At best, they were learned and prudent. Luke, with greater fullness, says that "Levi made him a great feast in his house."From this it appears that Matthew at once marked the . However, Jesus Christ is of the tribe of Judah. CHICAGO (RNS) The first time the Rev. though this example differs slightly from Matthew 9:9 inasmuch as the woman is left unnamed. Vielhauer and Strecker, Jewish Christian Gospels, 15465; Klijn. While He was on the cross, He cried out, "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani," which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Impossible!"[3]. The Calling of Matthew is an episode in the life of Jesus which appears in all three synoptic gospels, Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-28, and relates the initial encounter between Jesus and Matthew, the tax collector who . Neither Matthew 9:9 nor 10:3 advances an explicit authorial claim. Ein Beitrag zur Lsung eines alten Problems ZNW59 (1968): 4056; Mark Kiley, Why Matthew in Matt 9:913Biblica65.3 (1984): 34751; Michael J. Kok, Re-naming the Toll Collector in Matthew 9:9: A Review of the Options JGAR (forthcoming). Zavada, Jack. My theory is that for one thing John and Peter were closer to Jesus. The next disciple that Jesus called was Levi (Matthew). According to Luke 5:29, the aforementioned dinner was given by Levi in his house after his call. 29.9.4; 30.3.7; Jerome, Vir. Answer (1 of 3): In Mark, the first New Testament gospel written, Matthew and Levi are very definitely two different people. prol.) [36] Ultimately, the identification of Matthews oracles with Q or M may depend on a given scholars acceptance or not of the Four Source theory as classically formulated. Modern Persecution of Christians in China, Patriarch Jacobs Well & St. Philoumenous, Slaughter of the Theban Legion C. 286 AD, LapsiChristians Who Lapse/Abandon Their Faith, Evodias Named Followers of Christ Christians. Christ redeemed the priesthood of Levi back unto himself and redeemed Matthew the . One theory is that Matthew went by the name Levi, or was simply of the tribe of Levi, and was re-named by Jesus as Matthew upon his call. 29.7.4). There is no evidence that any of the Patristic authorities made any inferences about Matthews proficiency in Greek or level of education in rhetorical composition based on Matthews former occupation alone. [48] Frey, Die Fragmente des Nazorerevangeliums, 626; Gregory, Gospel according to the Hebrews, 50, 50n.35. ed. The Gospel According to Matthew consequently emphasizes Christ's fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (5:17) and his role as a new lawgiver whose divine mission was confirmed by repeated miracles. Volume I: Introduction and Commentary on Matthew IVII, ICC [Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1988], 1.12) acknowledge the difficulties in determining whether a text was a translation in the ancient world and the Patristic tradition about Matthew even persuaded an accomplished textual critic like Origen. In Mark 2:14, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector and son of Alphaeus, to follow him, much as Jesus calls other disciples, and at first Levi does follow Jesus. The Calling of St. Matthew, by Vittore Carpaccio, 1502. He was honored that His Lord considered him such a gift, But as Levi he had immediately joined his life to Jesus and His Mission. Both are true because Matthew and Levi are two names for the same person. Several theories have been offered to account for why the toll collector Levi was re-named Matthew in Matthew 9:9 (cf. Thom. It would be psychologically impossible that such a man as Matthew, trained and experienced in writing records and reports he was a Roman official and such work was requisite for him since it went with the job would not have recorded things Jesus said. Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew). To follow Jesus requires renouncement. Or Levi was having a lot of friends over for dinner that night and asked Jesus if He would come, too. [23] Krzinger, Papias, 24, 3342; cf. His symbol is an angel, and he is a patron saint of tax collectors and accountants. Alternatively, the textual variant that has James instead of Levi as the son of Alphaeus in Mark 2:14 in a handful of manuscripts was plausibly motivated by a desire for uniformity by having a single son of Alphaeus (cf. Even so, most readers of the New Testament throughout history have taken the identification of Levi with Matthew for granted. Curiously, Origen answered the philosopher Celsus's criticism that Jesus assembled a motley crew of "toll collectors and sailors" by stressing that Matthew was the sole toll collector within the apostolic circle and that Levi was not numbered among the twelve apostles except for in select manuscripts of Mark's Gospel (Cels. 2) Jesus explains his action in having a meal with tax collectors and sin-ners by saying "Go and learn what it means 'I desire mercy and not sacri-fice'" (Matt 9,13; Hos 6,6). Follow me, Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. Das Papiaszeugnis zur Entstehung des Matthusevangeliums ZNW 92 (2001): 257272; Nolland, Matthew, 3; Enrico Norelli, Papia di Hierapolis: Esposizione degli Oraculi del signore: I Frammenti (Milan: Figlie di San Paolo, 2005), 32829; David H. Sim, The Gospel of Matthew, John the Elder, and the Papias Tradition: A Response to R. H. Gundry HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 63.1 (2007): 290; Monte Shanks, Papias and the New Testament (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2013), 196; Michael J. Kok, Did Papias of Hierapolis Use the Gospel according to the Hebrews as a Source? JECS 25.1 (2017): 32; Bauckham, Eyewitnesses, 223; Jeannine K. Brown and Kyle Roberts, Matthew (Two Horizons; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018), 1516.