Matthew, the ever-so famous tax collector (Mark 2:14). He was from the town of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 2:1). His original name before being called as a disciple by Jesus was Levi. Jesus often changed the names of those He called, i.e., Simon-Peter; Nathanael-Bartholomew; etc. The name Matthew is Greek which means, "gift of Jehovah". A contraction of his name is, Matthias or Mattathias. He is the son of a man by the name of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). This could possibly be the same father of another disciple named James, not to be confused with James the son of Zebedee. If this is the case, then Matthew quite well could be the brother of James. The identity of their mother is unknown, but possibly Mary. Matthew was a Jew and could possibly have been from the priestly tribe of Levi. As we know, Matthew was a tax collector, he was despised by the Jews because of an indirect allegiance to the Romans by collecting the Jewish people's money for taxes. Because of this he was probably an outcast from the Jewish society altogether and had a limited amount of friends. His job primarily consisted of collecting dues and customs from persons and goods crossing the Sea of Galilee, or passing along the great Damascus road which ran along the shore between Bethsaida and Capernaum. It is believed that Matthew was fairly wealthy as a tax collector. Historically speaking, the office of tax collector was sold at an auction to the highest bidder. Because of the vast amounts of money involved, usually men of great wealth were the ones who acquired these positions. In addition, the Roman government paid their tax collectors reasonably well.

Aside from being the writer of the gospel that bears his name, Matthew is most known for having a feast at his house. Many guests were invited and present. Among them, Christ himself. Fellow tax collectors and "sinners" were also present at the feast (Mark 2:15; Luke 5:29-32). This feast is also indicative of Matthew's wealth. We know he had his own home and was able to provide enough food and drink to provide for a large gathering of people at his expense.

Perhaps the most notable thing Matthew is most known for is his penning the gospel of Matthew. There has been some debate concerning the authorship of this book. But both Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.) and Irenaueus (125-202 A.D.) both confirm Matthew as the author. Much debate, however, surrounds the issue of what language it was originally transcribed in. Jerome (4th-5th century A.D.) claims it was originally written in Aramaic which supposedly still existed in his day. It was only later that it was translated into Greek. According Eusebius, 4th century bishop to Caesarea, and Papias, bishop at Hierapolis (ca. 130 A.D.) claims that he transcribed it in the Hebrew dialect. This view is rejected today by most scholars. Today, many Greek versions of the book still exist, but no Hebrew or Aramaic versions do. Many have suggested that Matthew wrote the book from the church at Antioch in Syria, while others have suggested he wrote it while in Jerusalem. Either way, it is believed that Matthew wrote this book primarily to the Jews beacause of it's numerous allusions to the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Because the book of Matthew is the first of the gospels placed in the canon of Scripture, it does not mean that it was the first gospel that was written. In fact, it is believed by many that the gospel of Mark was the first of the gospels to be written somewhere around 55-62 A.D. The book of Matthew was written somewhere between 60-65 A.D. Some have even suggested as late as 85-90 A.D., well after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. This means it was transcribed some 30 years or more after Christ's ascension. This implies that Matthew lived a fairly long life since he was the author.

Concerning his latter years, it is believed that he remained in Jerusalem for approximately 15 years after Christ's ascension. According to tradition it is believed that he then went on a multitude of missionary journeys throughout Asia and preached to the Persians, Parthians, and the Medes. Legend holds that he died a martyr in Ethiopia at an unspecified date.

Matthew, despised by many, but loved by Jesus. Loved enough to not only be called to write a gospel to be placed in the Bible forever, but loved enough to be called a disciple.