listen)) according to the Julian calendar, in the Catholic Church and other Western churches - September 21
Mentions
Mentioned in the lists of apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (), Mark (), Luke (), as well as in the Acts of the Holy Apostles (). Sometimes the Gospels call him Levi Alpheus, that is, the son of Alpheus.
About the life of Matthew
The only reliable fact reported by the Gospels is that Matthew Levi was a tax collector, that is, a tax collector. In the text of the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle is called “Matthew the Publican,” which perhaps indicates the author’s humility, since publicans were deeply despised by the Jews. The Gospel of Mark () and the Gospel of Luke report the calling of Levi Matthew:
The Gospel of Matthew himself reports the calling of Levi Matthew:
Almost nothing is known about Matthew's later life. According to some sources, he preached in Ethiopia, where he was martyred around the year 60; according to others, he was executed for preaching Christianity in the Asia Minor city of Hierapolis. Another version speaks of the execution of the apostle in the Roman fortress of Apsaros, which is located in Georgia, in the city of Gonio. According to one version, the tomb of the apostle is located there, in Gonio. However, according to the so-called Catalan Atlas, dated 1375, on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, a building with a cross is depicted, and next to it there is an inscription: “A place called Issyk-Kul. In this place is the monastery of the Armenian brothers, where the body of St. Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist resides.”
According to another, the most widespread version today, the relics of Matthew in the 10th century were brought to the Italian city of Salerno, where they remain to this day in the local cathedral (English)Russian, attracting Christian pilgrims from all over the world.
In art
The holy apostle and evangelist Matthew was often depicted in icons and works of art. Three paintings from the life of the Apostle by Caravaggio belong to the outstanding masterpieces of painting.
Matthew is a character in the novel The Master in the novel Mich. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita".
Memorial Days and Patronage
- In the Orthodox church calendar: November 16 (29) according to the Julian calendar and June 30 (July 13) (Council of the Twelve Apostles).
- In Catholic: September 21.
- In Anglican: 21 September.
Considered the patron saint of the city of Salerno in Italy, as well as accountants, customs officers and all financial services.
Quickly in the semi-darkness they dismantled the horses, tightened the girths and sorted out the teams. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving the last orders. The party's infantry, slapping a hundred feet, marched forward along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya held his horse on the reins, impatiently awaiting the order to mount. Washed with cold water, his face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, a chill ran down his back, and something in his whole body trembled quickly and evenly.
- Well, is everything ready for you? - Denisov said. - Give us the horses.
The horses were brought in. Denisov became angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, scolding him, sat down. Petya took hold of the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite his leg, but Petya, not feeling his weight, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars who were moving behind in the darkness, rode up to Denisov.
- Vasily Fedorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please... for God's sake... - he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about Petya’s existence. He looked back at him.
“I ask you about one thing,” he said sternly, “to obey me and not to interfere anywhere.”
During the entire journey, Denisov did not speak a word to Petya and rode in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, the field was noticeably getting lighter. Denisov spoke in a whisper with the esaul, and the Cossacks began to drive past Petya and Denisov. When they had all passed, Denisov started his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their hindquarters and sliding, the horses descended with their riders into the ravine. Petya rode next to Denisov. The trembling throughout his body intensified. It became lighter and lighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Moving down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack standing next to him.
- Signal! - he said.
The Cossack raised his hand and a shot rang out. And at the same instant, the tramp of galloping horses was heard in front, screams from different sides and more shots.
At the same instant as the first sounds of stomping and screaming were heard, Petya, hitting his horse and releasing the reins, not listening to Denisov, who was shouting at him, galloped forward. It seemed to Petya that it suddenly dawned as brightly as the middle of the day at that moment when the shot was heard. He galloped towards the bridge. Cossacks galloped along the road ahead. On the bridge he encountered a lagging Cossack and rode on. Some people ahead - they must have been French - were running from the right side of the road to the left. One fell into the mud under the feet of Petya's horse.
Cossacks crowded around one hut, doing something. A terrible scream was heard from the middle of the crowd. Petya galloped up to this crowd, and the first thing he saw was the pale face of a Frenchman with a shaking lower jaw, holding onto the shaft of a lance pointed at him.
“Hurray!.. Guys... ours...” Petya shouted and, giving the reins to the overheated horse, galloped forward down the street.
Shots were heard ahead. Cossacks, hussars and ragged Russian prisoners, running from both sides of the road, were all shouting something loudly and awkwardly. A handsome Frenchman, without a hat, with a red, frowning face, in a blue overcoat, fought off the hussars with a bayonet. When Petya galloped up, the Frenchman had already fallen. I was late again, Petya flashed in his head, and he galloped to where frequent shots were heard. Shots rang out in the courtyard of the manor house where he was with Dolokhov last night. The French sat down there behind a fence in a dense garden overgrown with bushes and fired at the Cossacks crowded at the gate. Approaching the gate, Petya, in the powder smoke, saw Dolokhov with a pale, greenish face, shouting something to the people. “Take a detour! Wait for the infantry!” - he shouted, while Petya drove up to him.
“Wait?.. Hurray!..” Petya shouted and, without hesitating a single minute, galloped to the place from where the shots were heard and where the powder smoke was thicker. A volley was heard, empty bullets squealed and hit something. The Cossacks and Dolokhov galloped after Petya through the gates of the house. The French, in the swaying thick smoke, some threw down their weapons and ran out of the bushes to meet the Cossacks, others ran downhill to the pond. Petya galloped on his horse along the manor's yard and, instead of holding the reins, strangely and quickly waved both arms and fell further and further out of the saddle to one side. The horse, running into the fire smoldering in the morning light, rested, and Petya fell heavily onto the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet pierced his head.
). He was a publican, that is, a tax collector for Rome, for the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. He lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew, hearing the voice of Jesus Christ: “Follow Me” (), left his position and followed the Savior. Christ and His disciples did not reject Matthew’s invitation and visited his house, where they shared a meal with the publican’s friends and acquaintances - publicans and sinners, just like the owner. This event greatly amazed the Pharisees and scribes. Publicans, collecting taxes from their fellow tribesmen, did this with great benefit for themselves. People were selfish and cruel; they were considered by the Jews to be traitors and traitors to their homeland and religion. The word “publican” sounded to the Jews the same way as the words “sinner” and “idolater.” Talking to a tax collector was considered a sin, communicating with him was considered desecration. But the Jewish teachers could not understand that the Lord “came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” ().
Matthew, realizing his sins, compensated those whom he had previously robbed fourfold, distributed the rest of his property to the poor, and, together with the other apostles, followed Christ. Saint Matthew listened to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, saw His countless miracles, went with the 12 apostles preaching to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (), witnessed the suffering, death and Resurrection of the Savior and His glorious Ascension into heaven.
Having received the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit who descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Matthew first preached for 8 years in Palestine. Before leaving to preach in distant countries, at the request of the Jews who remained in Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew captured in the Gospel the earthly life of the Savior of the world - the God-man Jesus Christ and His Teaching.
Among the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. The place where the Gospel was written is called Palestine. The Gospel was written by Saint Matthew in the year 42 (after the Nativity of Christ) in contemporary Hebrew and translated into Greek. The Hebrew text has not reached us, but many linguistic and cultural-historical features of the Greek translation of the text remind us of it.
The Apostle Matthew preached among a people who had very definite religious ideas about the Messiah. His Gospel is clear proof that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, prophesied by the prophets, and there will be no other (). The evangelist sets out the speeches and deeds of the Savior in three sections corresponding to the three sides of the service of the Messiah: as Prophet and Lawgiver (), King over the visible and invisible world () and High Priest, offering Sacrifice for the sins of all people (). The theological content of the Gospel, in addition to the Christological theme, also includes the teaching about the Kingdom of God and the Church, which the Lord sets out in parables about internal readiness to enter the Kingdom (), about the dignity of the servants of the Kingdom in the world (), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in souls human (), about the humility and simplicity of the heirs of the Kingdom (; 1; ; ;), about the eschatological revelation of the Kingdom at the Second Coming of Christ and in the everyday spiritual life of the Church (). The Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely linked in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (;)
The Holy Apostle Matthew traveled with the gospel to Syria, Lydia, Persia, and Parthia, ending his preaching labors with his martyrdom in Ethiopia. This country was inhabited by cannibal tribes with rude customs and beliefs. The Holy Apostle Matthew, with his preaching here, converted several idolaters to faith in Christ, founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena and installed his companion named Plato as bishop.
When the holy apostle earnestly asked God for the conversion of the Ethiopians, during prayer the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a young man and, giving him a staff, ordered him to place it at the door of the temple. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this rod and bear fruit, and a source of water would flow from its root. Having washed in the water and tasted the fruits, the Ethiopians will change their wild disposition and become kind and meek. When the holy apostle was carrying the staff to the temple, he met on the way the wife and son of the ruler of this country Fulviana possessed by an unclean spirit. The Holy Apostle healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ. This miracle converted many more pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and stop worshiping pagan gods. He accused the apostle of witchcraft and ordered his execution. They laid Saint Matthew face down, covered him with brushwood and set him on fire. When the fire flared up, everyone saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian ordered to add brushwood to the fire, dousing it with resin, and place 12 idols around the fire. But the flame melted the idols and scorched Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with a prayer for mercy, and, through the prayer of the martyr, the flames subsided. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord († 60).
Ruler Fulvian bitterly repented of his deeds, but still did not leave his doubts. By his order, the body of Saint Matthew was placed in an iron coffin and thrown into the sea. At the same time, Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew preserves the body of the apostle in water, as he preserved it in fire, then this One, True God should be worshiped.
That same night, the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Plato in a dream vision and commanded him to go with the clergy to the seashore and find his body there. Together with the bishop, Governor Fulvian and his retinue came to the seashore. The coffin carried out by the wave was honorably transferred to the temple built by the apostle. Then Fulvian asked the holy Apostle Matthew for forgiveness, after which Bishop Plato baptized him with the name Matthew, which he gave him, obeying the command of God. Soon Saint Fulvian-Matthew renounced power and became a presbyter. After the death of Bishop Plato, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to lead the Ethiopian Church. Having accepted the bishopric, Saint Matthew-Fulvian worked hard in preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.
Iconographic original |
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Serbia. XIII.Ap. Matthew. Icon. Serbia. The end of the XIII - the beginning of the XIV century. 105 x 56.5. Ohrid. Macedonia. |
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(Council of the 12 Apostles), November 16.
Matthew, also called Levi(Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27), apostle of the twelve (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), brother of the Apostle James Alpheus (Mark 2:14). He was a publican, that is, a tax collector for Rome, for the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. He lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew, hearing the voice of Jesus Christ: “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9), left his position and followed the Savior.
Christ and His disciples did not reject Matthew’s invitation and visited his house, where they shared a meal with the publican’s friends and acquaintances - publicans and sinners, just like the owner. This event greatly amazed the Pharisees and scribes. Publicans, collecting taxes from their fellow tribesmen, did this with great benefit for themselves. People were selfish and cruel; they were considered by the Jews to be traitors and traitors to their homeland and religion. The word “publican” sounded to the Jews the same way as the words “sinner” and “idolater.” Talking to a tax collector was considered a sin, communicating with him was considered desecration. But the Jewish teachers could not understand that the Lord “came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13).
Matthew, realizing his sins, compensated those whom he had previously robbed fourfold, distributed the rest of his property to the poor, and, together with the other apostles, followed Christ. Saint Matthew listened to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, saw His countless miracles, went with the 12 apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6), witnessed the suffering, death and Resurrection of the Savior and His glorious Ascension into heaven.
Having received the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit who descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Matthew first preached for 8 years in Palestine. Before leaving to preach in distant countries, at the request of the Jews who remained in Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew captured in his Gospel the earthly life of the Savior of the world - the God-man Jesus Christ and His Teachings.
The Holy Apostle Matthew traveled with the gospel to Syria, Lydia, Persia, and Parthia, ending his preaching labors with his martyrdom in Ethiopia. This country was inhabited by cannibal tribes with rude customs and beliefs. The Holy Apostle Matthew, with his preaching here, converted several idolaters to faith in Christ, founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Myrmene and installed his companion named Plato as bishop.
When the holy apostle earnestly asked God for the conversion of the Ethiopians, during prayer the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a young man and, giving him a staff, ordered him to place it at the door of the temple. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this rod and bear fruit, and a source of water would flow from its root. Having washed in the water and tasted the fruits, the Ethiopians will change their wild disposition and become kind and meek. When the holy apostle was carrying the staff to the temple, he met on the way the wife and son of the ruler of this country, Fulvian, possessed by an unclean spirit. The Holy Apostle healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ. This miracle converted many more pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and stop worshiping pagan gods. He accused the apostle of witchcraft and ordered his execution. They laid Saint Matthew face down, covered him with brushwood and set him on fire. When the fire flared up, everyone saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian ordered to add brushwood to the fire, dousing it with resin, and place 12 idols around the fire. But the flame melted the idols and scorched Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with a prayer for mercy, and, through the prayer of the martyr, the flames subsided. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord (+).
Initially, the holy Apostle Matthew bore the name Levi. He was the son of Alpheus, and by occupation he was a publican, that is, a tax collector. One day, when Matthew was collecting taxes, Jesus passed by, and a whole crowd gathered behind Him, eagerly listening to His teaching. The Lord turned His gaze to Matthew and said to him: “Follow Me!” The publican immediately got up and followed Jesus, without a moment’s hesitation and without even looking back at the place he was leaving.
Matthew hosted a great feast, at which Jesus and his disciples were present, as well as many tax collectors and sinners. Since the Pharisees were outraged by this circumstance, the Savior told them: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5: 31-32; cf. Matt. 9: 13; Mark 2: 17).
Accompanying Christ throughout Palestine, Matthew witnessed His teachings and miracles both before the crucifixion and after the Resurrection. On the day of Pentecost, having been filled, together with the other apostles, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Matthew was sent to preach the Good News to his fellow Jews. Therefore, eight years after the Ascension, he was the first to write the Gospel - a statement of the teachings and deeds of the Savior, intended for peoples to whom this teaching had not reached in oral form. It is believed that several years later this Gospel was translated into Greek by St. James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and rewritten by the Apostle Bartholomew. Soon this Greek version completely replaced the original Aramaic text, which has not survived to this day in a single copy.
Later, the Apostle Matthew went to preach the Good News to the lands of the Parthians, where he suffered many misadventures from the pagans. After this, he went to Hierapolis, on the banks of the Euphrates. There he managed to convert many idolaters by preaching. Having reached a venerable age, the apostle departed to the Lord.
According to another legend, after the Parthians and Medes, who opposed the truth, treated the holy apostle very badly, he withdrew high into the mountains. In complete solitude, he devoted his days to asceticism and spiritual contemplation.
In the mountains, the Lord appeared to him in the form of a child and handed him a stick, ordering him to plant it near the church in the city of Mirmena.
Bishop Platon of Myrmen, together with the clergy, solemnly met Matthew. As soon as the apostle planted the stick in the ground, it sprouted, and then fruits appeared, from which delicious honey oozed - as a prototype of the blessings of heaven. In addition, a refreshing spring bubbled up at the foot of the tree, and everyone who immersed himself in it came out freed from the passions and darkness of paganism.
Despite all the good deeds that Matthew did for the Parthians and even for the royal family itself, King Fulvian subjected the apostle to cruel torture and then sentenced him to be burned. However, later the tyrant nevertheless turned to faith thanks to many miracles that occurred from the holy relics of the apostle. When the king was baptized, he demanded to name him Matthew. The newly baptized one overthrew all the pagan idols in his kingdom and led the entire people to faith. When Bishop Plato died, the king abdicated the throne in favor of his son, and he himself became a bishop, as the holy Apostle Matthew predicted.
There was no such Parthian king. We are probably dealing with a distortion of the name of one of the vassal kings who ruled within the Parthian Empire.
The Christian religion is a great field for study. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ had twelve disciples, followers, and apostles. Each of them, before meeting the Savior, lived his own life, performed duties, and played a certain role in society. The life stories of the apostles are extremely interesting. In this article we will talk about the life of the Apostle Matthew. The Akathist to the Apostle Matthew is read in all churches on Memorial Day - November 16.
Matthew before meeting the Savior
During the Roman Empire, people often had two names. So, the Apostle Matthew had another name - Levi. Matthew Levi was the son of Alphaeus and the brother of James - another of Jesus Christ. Matthew lived in his own house in the city of Capernaum, which was located on the coast of Judea, like other residents of the territories conquered by the Roman Empire, were obliged to pay taxes to the treasury of the empire. Tax collectors collected taxes. It is not surprising that people did not like those who held such a position, because very often tax collectors oppressed the people, abusing their official duties, and showed cruelty and unmercifulness. One of the tax collectors was Matthew Levi. Thanks to his position, he made a decent fortune. But Matthew, although he was a publican, still did not lose his human appearance.
How Matthew became a disciple of the Savior and an apostle
Matthew more than once heard the sermons of Christ, who settled in the same Capernaum, and saw the miracles he performed. The calling of the Apostle Matthew as a disciple occurred because the Lord saw how Matthew related to him, his teaching, and saw his readiness to believe and follow him. Jesus, accompanied by people, one day left the city and went to the sea. Just to the place where Matthew was collecting taxes from passing ships. Approaching the future apostle, the Lord told him to follow him. The Apostle Matthew, who strived for Christ with his heart and soul, did not hesitate to follow the Teacher. Matthew Levi, not believing himself that Jesus, a sinner, had chosen him, prepared a treat in his house. Everyone was invited to the celebration. Among the people present at the apostle’s house were tax collectors, as well as all his friends and relatives. Jesus sat down at the same table with publicans and sinners in order to give them a chance to repent and be saved with his word. The Apostle Matthew himself confirmed by his example the divine destiny of the Teacher, who said that he came to save sinners, but not the righteous. The future apostle left all his property and followed the Lord. Soon Matthew was added to the number of the twelve apostles.
Apostle and Evangelist Matthew
Matthew was a faithful disciple. Together with the rest of the apostles, he saw all the miracles performed by Jesus, listened to all his sermons, and accompanied him everywhere. Matthew himself went to people, trying to convey to them the teachings of Christ, and thereby giving them the opportunity to be saved.
The apostles, including Matthew, his brother Jacob Alpheus, as well as the Apostle Andrew, with a shudder of heart saw the arrest of the Teacher, His torment, death, and then the ascension. After the Lord ascended into heaven, the apostle, together with the rest of his disciples, preached the teachings of Christ - the Gospel - to the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. When the time came for the apostles to disperse throughout the world and convey the teachings of Christ to all nations, the Jews, the rest of the disciples and the Apostle Andrew, the very first of the called disciples of Jesus, expressed to Matthew their desire in writing to carry the teaching further. Matthew Levi, following the general desire, wrote his Gospel - the Gospel of Matthew.
This was the very first Gospel of the New Testament. This book was aimed primarily at conveying the teaching to the inhabitants of Palestine, and was written in Hebrew.
Conversion of people to faith by the Apostle Matthew
After the apostle left Jerusalem, he visited Syria, Persia, Parthia, Media, Ethiopia or India preaching the Gospel. Here he tried to convert a wild people of cannibals (anthropophagi) with animal customs and morals. (The Akathist to the Apostle Matthew is read on the day of his death in Ethiopia, November 16.) In a city called Mirmenah, at the very beginning of his stay in Ethiopia, the holy Apostle Matthew converted several people to the Christian faith, appointed a bishop and built a small temple. He prayed all the time for the whole tribe to convert. And then one day Matthew was on a high mountain in fasting and prayer. God appeared to him in the form of a young man and handed the apostle a rod, telling Matthew to stick the rod more firmly at the temple. A tree with juicy and tasty fruits should have grown from the staff, and a source of clear water should have appeared from the base of the tree. Everyone who tasted the fruit was supposed to become meek and kind, and after drinking from the source, gain faith. The Apostle Matthew began to descend from the mountain with a rod, but the demon-possessed wife and son of the owner of the city, Fulvian, began to hinder the apostle, shouting that the apostle wanted to destroy them. Matthew cast out demons in the name of Christ. Both Fulvian's wife and son followed the apostle, becoming humble.
Miracle performed by the Apostle Matthew
In the city, near the temple, the apostle firmly stuck the rod, and a miracle happened before everyone’s eyes.
As the Lord told Matthew, a huge tree grew, unprecedented fruits appeared on the tree, and a stream began to flow from the foot of the tree. People gathered from all over the city to see this miracle, taste the fruits and drink water from the stream. The apostle stood on the dais and began to preach a sermon. Everyone who was nearby believed and was baptized in water from the spring. Fulvian's wife and son were also baptized. Fulvian, who at first treated him with respect and surprise, became very angry when he realized that the new faith was ridding the people of idols. And the owner of the city decided to kill the Apostle Matthew.
Attempts to capture the Apostle Matthew
At night, Jesus himself appeared to the apostle and encouraged him, saying that he would not leave him in the torment that Matthew would have to go through. When Fulvian sent his soldiers to the temple to bring Matthew, they were surrounded by darkness, so much so that they could barely find their way back. Fulvian became even more angry and sent many more soldiers after the apostle. But even those soldiers could not grab Matthew, since the heavenly light that illuminated the apostle was so bright that the soldiers threw down their weapons and fled in horror. Then Fulvian himself and his escort came to the temple. But he suddenly became blind and began to ask Matthew to have mercy and forgive his sins. The apostle baptized the evil ruler. He gained the ability to see, but decided that this was only Matthew’s sorcery, and not the power of the Lord. Fulvian decided to burn the apostle.
The end of the life of Saint Matthew
Matthew was grabbed and nailed to the ground by his hands and feet with large nails. By order of the cruel Fulvian, branches, brushwood, sulfur, and resin were placed on top, believing that the apostle would burn.
Instead, the flame died out, and the holy Apostle Matthew, alive and unharmed, glorified the name of the Lord. Those present were horrified and also praised God. All except Fulvian. By his order, they brought even more branches and brushwood, placed it on top of the apostle, and poured resin on it. Fulvian placed twelve golden idols around the supposed fire, which he worshiped. He wanted to burn Matthew with their help. But Matthew, under the blazing flames, fervently prayed that the Lord would show his power and ridicule those who still trusted in idols. The flame turned towards the idols and melted them, scorching those standing nearby. Then he escaped from the flame and headed towards Fulvian, who wanted to run away in fear. Seeing the futility of trying to avoid the serpent, Fulvian prayed to Matthew, asking him to save him from death. The apostle extinguished the flame. The ruler wanted to receive Saint Matthew with honor, but the apostle offered a prayer to the Lord for the last time and died.
How Fulvian became Matthew
Fulvian ordered the unharmed body of the apostle to be dressed in expensive clothes and brought into the palace, but doubts about faith forced him to order to forge an iron ark for the remains and, having sealed it, lower it into the sea. The ruler decided that if God, who saved the apostle from the fire, did not allow the body to drown, then he would believe and renounce idols. At night, the bishop saw Matthew, who gave instructions on where to find his relics brought ashore by the sea. Fulvian also went to see this miracle, and, finally convinced of the power of the Lord, was baptized with the name Matthew. Thus, the calling of the Apostle Matthew by the Lord to become a disciple converted an entire people to the faith.
The exploits of the apostles are invaluable for the development of Christianity. Thus, with his life, the Apostle Matthew set an example for those around him. An icon with his image will remind every Christian of perseverance and feat in the name of the Lord. The life of the Apostle Matthew is an instructive story for everyone.