Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [1] 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. The thesis that the first canonical Gospel was published under the name of a pseudonym is defended by George D. Kilpatrick. He was a man of moderate wealth, the only one of any means belonging to the apostolic corps. Supported by: Levi had to keep very accurate records. [21] Krzinger, Papias, 1214, 2122, 5256; Gundry, Matthew, xxixxii, 61820; idem, Pre-Papian Tradition, 6364, 6768. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing this, Jesus said,It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 3.39.17. The diversity of text-forms evident in Matthews biblical citations and allusions, however, disproves the notion that the evangelist was reliant on one testimonium source. The tax collector had already counted the cost.Sandra Sweeny Silver, Slaves Were Lifeless Tools in Ancient Rome, The Exotic Animal Business in Ancient Rome. [8] See Barnabas Lindars, Matthew, Levi, Lebbaeus and the Value of the Western TextNTS 4 (1957-58): 220-22; Bruce Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 3rd ed., (London: New York, 1975), 26, 81; Brent Nongbri, Matthew and Levi (and James), Variant Readings (blog), May 21, 2018, https://brentnongbri.com/2018/05/21/matthew-and-levi-and-james/. 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. Despite the pain and agony of the cross, Jesus chose to die for the sins of the world because He loves us. 1.31.124), see Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Essays on the Work Entitled Supernatural Religion: Reprinted from the Contemporary Review (London: Macmillan, 1893), 17077; Bacon, Studies in Matthew, 443-51; T. W. Manson, Studies in the Gospels and Epistles (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1962), 6975; Krzinger, Papias, 5051; France, Evangelist and Teacher, 58-60; Krtner, Papias, 15167; Gundry, Matthew, 617; Norelli, Papia, 5980; Gundry, Pre-Papian Tradition, 6467; Sim, R. [22] Krzinger, Papias, 22; Gundry, Matthew, 619; Pre-Papian Tradition, xxi, 68; cf. Fellow citizens considered him a social outcast who was a traitor to their nation. ; ; ; ; () Brezhoneg; Catal; etina; Dansk; Deutsch; Eesti Teilband 1, ed. I. [42], It was not until Epiphanius (Pan. John P. Meier even entertains the option that the evangelist wanted to replace Levi with any of the apostles and Matthew was chosen at random for this aim. For example, the Valentinian theologian Heracleon differentiated Levi from Matthew (cf. Pelag. Both books are addressed to the same persona man named Theophilus. He was one of the earlier followers of Jesus Christ. 3.2) that the Gospel according to the Hebrews was associated with Matthew. The final option is that a non-extant Jewish Gospel stands behind Papiass reference to Matthews oracles or, at least, the New Testament Gospel that bears the name Matthew was mixed up with a Jewish Gospel circulating in Papiass milieu. How Did Jesus Spend the Last Week of His Life? [32] The diversity of text-forms evident in Matthews biblical citations and allusions, however, disproves the notion that the evangelist was reliant on one testimonium source. Matthew was an accurate counter. 4 Macc 12:7; 16:15; Acts 21:40; 22:2; 26:14; Josephus, A.J. [26], Krzingers and Gundrys proposals have varying degrees of persuasiveness, but most scholars have not been swayed by their contention that Papiass words on Matthew have been misread through the centuries. Vose Seminary David: That's right, in the larger church. 3.27.4; 3.39.17; 4.22.8). Updates? had his name changed from Levi to Matthew likely by Jesus Himself who changed Simons name to Peter.(Matt. [39] Edwards (Hebrew Gospel, 210) identifies Matthews oracles in h.e. [27] For instance, see Ulrich Krtner, Papias von Hierapolis: Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des frhen Christentums, Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments 133 (Gttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1983), 203206; Davies and Allison, Matthew IVII, 16; Black, Rhetorical Terminology, 3334, 38; France, Evangelist and Teacher, 57; Hagner, Matthew 113, xlv; Morris, Matthew, 1314; William R. Schoedel, Papias ANRW 2.27.1 (1993): 257, 263; Carson, Matthew, 13; Armin Baum, Ein aramischer Urmatthus im kleinasiatischen Gottesdienst. Levi - who the Bible tells us was also named Matthew - was a Jew and a tax collector. Matthew's " original name, Levi, suggests that he was a man of the priestly tribe." Levi means " adhesion ." But Matthew was re-Christened " gift " or "given," a profound switch for a tax. [37] See B. H. Streeter, The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins (London: MacMillan, 1924). [18] Josef Krzinger and Robert Gundry have tried to line up Papiass testimony with the academic consensus. Matthew (also known as Levi) doubtless was one of the tax collectors who responded to John the Baptist's call to repentance. Even so, most readers of the New Testament throughout history have taken the identification of Levi with Matthew for granted. From the place where he collected taxes near the Sea of Galilee (probably on the outskirts of Capernaum), Matthew may often have heard Jesus speak and must have known about his many miracles. Matthew, who is also Levi, and who from a publican came to be an apostle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ in Judaea in the Hebrew language and characters for the benefit of those of the circumcision who had believed. [36] Dennis MacDonald, Two Shipwrecked Gospels: The Logoi of Jesus and Papiasss Exposition of Logia about the Lord (Atlanta: SBL, 2012), 15. According to Luke 5:29, the aforementioned dinner was given by Levi in his house after his call. ; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 56869. Saint Matthew made a very small decision at the time that ended up not only affecting his life, and the people of his time, but he made a choice that affected all of mankind in the future as well. 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. Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew). The Patristic Traditions about the Evangelist Matthew. "Meet Nathanael in the Bible, the 'True Israelite'." Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/nathanael-the-true-israelite-701068. There are a number of Patristic and Medieval quotations that purportedly derive from a text that was commonly dubbed as the, James R. Edwards has revived the older position that Matthew was the author of the, Conversely, Papias may not have known the. 3.39.17). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They kept it for themselves and became very rich. (vv. After Jesus grants Peter the keys to the kingdom (see below), Jesus explains . 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. 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. [30] For instance, see France, Evangelist and Teacher, 6466; Morris, Matthew, 14; Carson, Matthew, 13 Osborne, Matthew, 34; Brown and Roberts, Matthew, 16. [18] B. C. Butler, The Originality of St Matthew: A Critique of the Two-Document Hypothesis (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1951), 16566; Albright and Mann, Matthew, XXXVIXLVIII; Powers, Progressive Publication, 4749. CLICK HERE for Jesus and the Constant Crowds article. 12.13; Is. Matthew 9:9-13 begins with Jesus calling Matthew, a tax collector, to follow Him as His disciple. Jesus could have walked up to Matthew and said sarcastically, "I bet your mother is really proud you!" Jesus was considered a rabbi. High priest Aaron and his sons were descendants of Levi (Exodus 4:14), Levi being a son of Jacob (Genesis 29:34). And many followed him ( Mark 2:15 ). Ancient and modern scholars have been perplexed by the fact that the name of the toll collector in Matthew 9:9 differs from its synoptic counterparts. Magi, or "wise men," were royal counselors. 3.39.1, 15), which subtly contrasts with an exclusive interest in the Lords logoi or sayings (3.39.14). Matthew (also known as Levi in the Gospels of Luke and Mark) was a Jewish tax collector, or publican, living in Capernaum. Perhaps most plain is the calling of the disciple Matthew, also known as Levi the tax collector. 1.7; Irenaeus, haer. [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. The First Disciples [Matthew 4:18-22, Luke 5:1-11, John 1:35-51] . Vielhauer and Strecker, Jewish Christian Gospels, 167; Klijn. If Jesus proclaimed the 'Kingdom of God," sneered Pilate, let him die as "King of the Jews" (Mark 15:2,9,12,18,26). T/F, 5. Impossible!"[3]. Acts 1:1-2 appears to tie the two books to the same author. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 166; Hagner, Matthew 113, 238; Carson, Matthew, 224; Ben Witherington III, Matthew (Macon: Smyth & Helywys, 2006), 197; Osbourne, Matthew, 334; Powers, Progressive Publication, 2829. [41], Papiass notice that Matthew addressed a Palestinian Jewish audience in their own vernacular language (i.e., Aramaic) was repeated in subsequent Patristic literature (e.g., Irenaeus, haer. Acts 1:19; 2:6, 8; 21:40; 22:2; 26:14);[22] Krzinger enlists Irenaeus in support of his reading of Papias, despite the fact that Irenaeus used the article when affirming that Matthew wrote to the Hebrews in their dialektos (cf. DepartmentBldg Tucson, AZ 85721 TEL 520-621-6897 FAX 520-626-9014. It is touching that Matthew, gift of Yahweh loved his new name, probably given to him by Jesus. [8] 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. Neither Matthew 9:9 nor 10:3 advances an explicit authorial claim. Hence, Eusebius corrected Irenaeus by substituting the Gospel according to the Hebrews as the Ebionitess preferred Gospel (h.e. 3.39.16). There is no indication that Matthew wrote anything (contra John 21:24; 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. [16] This English translation of the Greek text is taken from Michael W. Holmes, editor, The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (rev. [20] Matthew Black, The Use of Rhetorical Terminology in Papias on Matthew and Mark JSNT 37 (1989): 32; Bauckham, Eyewitnesses, 222. [23] Krzinger, Papias, 24, 3342; cf. Levi: Luke 5:27, "And after that He went out, and noticed a tax-gatherer named Levi, sitting in the tax office, and He said to him, 'Follow Me.' ". St. Matthew, also called St. Matthew the Evangelist, St. Matthew the Apostle, or Levi, (flourished 1st century ce, Palestine; Western feast day September 21, Eastern feast day November 16), one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and the traditional author of the first Synoptic Gospel (the Gospel According to Matthew). h.e. Legend differs as to the scene of his missions and as to whether he died a natural death or a martyrs. The next disciple that Jesus called was Levi (Matthew). But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew is the ONLY one of the Gospel writers who uses his changed name from Levi to Matthew. 3.24.6; Origen, in h.e. [5] On the other hand, after scrutinizing the onomastic data compiled by Tal Ilan,[6] Richard Bauckham makes it clear why these examples may be irrelevant to this case: "[I]f Matthew and Levi were the same person, we should be confronted with the virtually unparalleled phenomenon of a Palestinian Jew bearing two common Semitic personal names (Matthew: ninth most popular, 62 occurrences; Levi: seventeenth most popular, 25 occurrences). There were what the Jews called publicans aka tax collectors like Matthew who collected taxes for customs or tolls on imports, exports, and merchants who came to buy or sell in Israel. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [42] Luomanen, Jewish-Christian Sects, 21, 123; Frey, Die Fragmente des Ebionerevangeliums in Antike christliche Apokryphen in deutscher bersetzung. 2:1-10; Acts 8:9-24). Richard Bauckham makes it clear why these examples may be irrelevant to this case: "[I]f Matthew and Levi were the same person, we should be confronted with the virtually unparalleled phenomenon of a Palestinian Jew bearing two common Semitic personal names (Matthew: ninth most popular, 62 occurrences; Levi: seventeenth most popular, 25 occurrences). When Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. Matthew had a lucrative, though dishonest, tax collecting business for the occupying Roman government. How do we know that Matthew changed after Jesus called him? 18) or Origen (cf. B. James son of Alphaeus is traditionally identified as James the Less and James the brother of Jesus. Mark 2:1, 1314). 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. However, Bacons hypothesis depends on his suppositions that the source of Matthew 10:24 was not simply Mark 3:1619 and that the author of Matthews Gospel did not just alter Marks order by moving Thomas before Matthew. Wilhelm Schneemelcher, trans. Tax collectors were rich people. [40] Conversely, Papias may not have known the Gospel according to the Hebrews at all, instead learning about the woman who was accused of many sins before the Lord from his oral informants in Asia Minor, and Eusebius may have been the one who discovered that this tale was included in the version of the Gospel according to the Hebrews that circulated in his own day. However, Mark . CHICAGO (RNS) The first time the Rev. They contend that the conjunction. Levi asked Jesus to come to dinner at his home. Gundry, Matthew, xxii. Another option is that Papias was referring to a lost source. 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. "And Peter was the chief . praef. For two reasons *Jews did not like the men who did that work. Zavada, Jack. Slaves Were Lifeless Tools in the Ancient World, Meaning of Names, Places & Things in the Bible, Gardens and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, The Roman Phalanx & Hannibals Pincer Movement. It is the contracted name of Mattathias. Krzinger and Gundry insist that dialektos would be preceded by an article if a language was intended (cf. The important take-away from this detour through the Patristic testimonies was that the oldest tradition was that the evangelist Matthew published a text in Aramaic and left it to more qualified translators to translate it into the form that we have today as the Greek Gospel according to Matthew. Levi was happy to accept! Rather, he plainly states, So Matthew composed the oracles in the Hebrew language and each person interpreted them as best he could (in Eusebius, At first sight, this description seems like a poor match for the extant text entitled the. Many people were surprised when Jesus sat down to eat with Levi, but they learned that Jesus' message of salvation is for everyone. T/F, 3. Jesus' death by crucifixion was the worst death that anybody would have to endure. Logion could be translated as an oracle or divine utterance. For a recent effort to argue that plural Aramaic and Greek sources underlie the double tradition, see Maurice Casey, An Aramaic Approach to Q: Sources for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017), 1089; cf. 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 . Jefferson himself believed that a person's religion was between them and their god. Religion is "a matter between every man and his maker, in which no other, & far less the public, [has] a . This creates space between Peter and the church's rock. Jesus does not say "On you I will build my church" but "on this rock ." "This rock" is distinct from Peter, although connected to him. 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). Mark 10:35) and swapped Salome for her in another (Matt 27:56; cf. However, Jesus Christ is of the tribe of Judah. The account in the three Synoptics is identical, the vocation of Matthew-Levi being alluded to in the same terms. As Jesus was having a meal in Levi's home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples . [14] Nevertheless, it is conceivable that the two verses in Matthew 9:9 and 10:3 were the basis for why this Gospel was later ascribed to Matthew. 29.9.4; 30.3.7; 30.13.2; 30.14.3) and Jerome (Epist. The Identification of the Toll Collector as Matthew. He left Judea and carried the Gospel to Ethiopia where he was martyred while celebrating a mass at the altar of a small church he had started. haer. It was to that man, the most despised of the despicable, to whom Jesus said, "Follow Me!" Ps. Christoph Markschies und Jens Schrter (Tbingen: Mohr Siebeck 2012), 6089; Kok, Gospel according to the Hebrews, 5253; Gregory, Gospel according to the Hebrews, 181. The whole crowd came to him, and he taught them. Epiphanius and Jerome later confused the traditional account of the authorship of Matthews Gospel with the origins of the Gospel according to the Hebrews. 2.12.87; Didymus, Comm. 1. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collectors booth. A survey of the ancient traditions about how the evangelist Matthew wrote his Gospel in Aramaic for a Jewish audience before it was translated into Greek suggests that the modern assumptions about the Apostles fluency in Greek or education in rhetorical composition may not have necessarily been shared by the Patristic intelligentsia. He was a tax collector who was sitting at his booth. Early Christian CommunionWine or Mingled Wine? Krzinger and Gundry re-read the Papian fragment through the lens of rhetorical categories. [19] Yet our access to Papias is mediated through Eusebius, so it is uncertain whether Eusebius interrupted an interconnected statement about both evangelists or juxtaposed two separate excerpts from Papias together. The meaning in Hebrew of the word day always means a 24 hour period of time. Yet our access to Papias is mediated through Eusebius, so it is uncertain whether Eusebius interrupted an interconnected statement about both evangelists or juxtaposed two separate excerpts from Papias together. After all, a toll collector may have at least needed functional literacy to perform certain tasks. [29] Thus, some scholars who otherwise defend the traditional authorship of Matthews Gospel admit that Papias erred in his belief about the original language in which it was written. Even if this guy gets over the fact that I'm a tax collector, how could he ever be interested in me? ill. 3; Tract. 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. [1] 184.9-10) and Eusebius regarded the text as disputed but not unorthodox (h.e. At worst, they were charlatans, sycophants, and brutes (cf. Levi's work was to take the money. 16.13). Mark 10:35) and swapped Salome for her in another (Matt 27:56; cf. 2.9.45.5; Origen, Jo. A few scholars have likened Papiass oracles to a testimonium source or collection of prophetic proof-texts from the Hebrew Bible that were translated and integrated into the Gospel of Matthew. Omissions? This English translation of the Greek text is taken from Michael W. Holmes, editor, Matthew Black, The Use of Rhetorical Terminology in Papias on Matthew and Mark. At best, they were learned and prudent. This is very possible, as scholars point to Simon (Peter) and Saul. T/F, 4. Papiass notice that Matthew addressed a Palestinian Jewish audience in their own vernacular language (i.e., Aramaic) was repeated in subsequent Patristic literature (e.g., Irenaeus, As for Jerome, he boasted that he translated the, The majority position among the experts is that the fragments Jerome inherited from the Nazarenes do not derive from the. Matthews relics were reputedly discovered in Salerno (Italy) in 1080. Calling of St. Matthew by Alexandre Bida, 1875. Many commentators compare Matthews two names with other first-century Jews who had a Greek or Latin cognomen. Jesus invited Matthew (Levi) to follow him (Lk 5:27-32). All the names for our week days come from Roman and Norse/Anglo-Saxon gods. summer | 4.2K views, 92 likes, 102 loves, 53 comments, 67 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Ramp: His presence is here, worship with us at Summer. The double tradition is mostly comprised of sayings, but there are a couple of narratives (e.g., Matt 4:111/Luke 4:113; Matt 8:513/Luke 7:110). This quote from Powerss monograph on the Synoptic Problem may presume too much about the literary skills, and psychological motivations, of a relatively low-level functionary operating a toll booth on the outskirts of the Galilean village of Capernaum (Matt 9:1, 9; cf. Ps. [9] In both instances, certain copyists of Marks Gospel were unaware of the conflation of Levi with Matthew in Matthew 9:9 and 10:3, yet still turned the character in Mark 2:14 into an apostle. While He was on the cross, He cried out, "Eloi Eloi Lama Sabachthani," which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Epiphanius added to the confusion when he imagined that the Gospel that he managed to get a hold of, which skips over the virgin birth and commences at Jesuss baptism (Pan. For objections against this view, see Meier, The Vision of Matthew, 25n.26; Luz, Matthew 820, 32. Hist. He being a Hebrew wrote in Hebrew, that is, his own tongue and most fluently; while things which were eloquently written in Hebrew were more eloquently turned into Greek. Jerome, 382 AD On Illustrious Men, Book V. This writer will go with the early church writers who were within a few hundred years from Matthew and the other people who knew Jesus rather than with unproven theories several thousands of years away from sources. It is beyond the scope of this paper to determine why Matthew was substituted for Levi. Some Patristic interpreters guessed that the evangelists Mark and Luke called Matthew by his less popular name Levi out of deference for his apostolic status, while Matthew himself had the humility to confess that he was once employed in a disreputable profession under his better-known name (e.g., John Chrysostom, When Origen of Alexandria searched for a parallel for why Saul was surnamed Paul in the preface of his. Some Patristic interpreters guessed that the evangelists Mark and Luke called Matthew by his less popular name Levi out of deference for his apostolic status, while Matthew himself had the humility to confess that he was once employed in a disreputable profession under his better-known name (e.g., John Chrysostom, hom. But Levis guests were of his social ilksinners and other tax collectors.The Pharisees (we get our word pharisaical meaning self-righteous; hypocritical from this sect in ancient Judaism) were always watching whatever Jesus did and said and they followed him to Levis house and were appalled to see Him eating and talking with tax collectors and sinners.Several of Jesus other disciples were near. This could be a good possibility for the changing of the names. [47] Luomanen, Jewish-Christian Sects, 103119; Kok, Gospel According to the Hebrews, 4143; Gregory, Gospel according to the Hebrews, 1417; 4352. Mark 16:1). Why is Matthew called Levi? [10] Even so, most readers of the New Testament throughout history have taken the identification of Levi with Matthew for granted. 1.9.9). Mark 3:18). 3.27.4). Perhaps most plain is the calling of the disciple Matthew, also known as Levi the tax collector. The answer is very simple. 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. Q. The story of Matthew's calling shows us the amazing power of God's grace and how it transforms people and become extraordinary servants of our Creator. He may call peop News and Interpretations on the Bible and Ancient Near East History.

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