St matthew biography for kids
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St. Matthew
Little is known about St. Matthew, except that he was the son of Alpheus, and he was likely born in Galilee. He worked as a tax collector, which was a hated profession during the time of Christ.
According to the Gospel, Matthew was working at a collection booth in Capernaum when Christ came to him and asked, "Follow me." With this simple call, Matthew became a disciple of Christ.
From Matthew we know of the many doings of Christ and the message Christ spread of salvation for all people who come to God through Him. The Gospel account of Matthew tells the same story as that found in the other three Gospels, so scholars are certain of its authenticity. His book is the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament.
Many years following the death of Christ, around 41 and 50 AD, Matthew wrote his gospel account. He wrote the book in Aramaic in the hope that his account would convince his fellow people that Jesus was the Messiah and that His kingdom had been fulfilled in a
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Jesus chose twelve men to be His companions during his public ministry on earth. These were the apostles, one of whom was called Matthew, also known as Levi, son of Alpheus. He was an accountant! How did Matthew, a Jew, end up dealing with money?
At the time, Palestine was ruled by the Romans who demanded the payment of taxes from all Jews. These taxes were sums of money demanded from all money earned, supposedly for the benefit and upkeep of the province. The men employed by the Romans to collect these taxes were called tax-collectors or publicans. These men were considered as traitors and sinners because besides being considered as collaborators with the Romans, many of them charged their fellowmen more money in taxes that were due. Then, they would keep the extra money for themselves!
Matthew was one of these men. Life changed for Matthew when Jesus passed the booth where he was collecting taxes. (Matt.9, 9-13) Matthew’s eyes met the eyes of Jesus, followed by the dramatic call,
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Matthew the Apostle facts for kids
Matthew the Apostle, also known as Saint Matthew and as Levi, was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. According to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, a claim rejected by the majority of modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."
The New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus, and was one of the witnesses of the Ascension of Jesus. Later Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries.
In the New Testament
Among the early följare and apostles of Jesus, Matthew fryst vatten mentioned in Matthew 9:9 and Matthew 10:3 as a publican (KJV) or tax collector (NIV)