✳
Levi Matthew (in Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ matityahu, מתי matáy – “the gift of Yahweh”; in Greek Ματθαῖος matájos; also Saint Matthew; Matthew the Evangelist; Levi, the son of Alphaeus) is one of the twelve apostles, that is, the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, who became the author of the first canonical Gospel – the Gospel of Matthew.
Levi Matthew lived in Galilee, in the town of Capernaum, which was located on the road connecting two large cities – Caesarea and Damascus. In those days, in Ancient Judea, in towns such as Capernaum, there were established customs points, where “mytars” (publicans) – collectors or farmers of taxes, that is, tax inspectors and bailiffs – collected duties and taxes from all travelers and merchants passing along the road. In the modern sense, they were customs officers. By the way, in the Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages a customs officer is called “mytnik” even today.
Moreover, “mytar” originally meant also “a cunning guy, a deceiver”. The fact is that the tax collectors were in the service of the Roman procurator of Judea, and therefore they were considered traitors to the Jewish people, for which they were despised and unloved by everyone. Communication with them, at least, was not welcomed, or even considered a sin. “Mytars” were mentioned in the biblical texts of the New Testament in the Gospel of Luke, which describes the attitude towards taxes and duties collectors. They, due to the oppression inherent in the Roman fiscal system, were very wealthy people, but aroused general hatred among the entire Jewish society of that time, since they worked for the city administration, collaborating with the Roman occupation force, robbing their fellow citizens, taking their honestly earned money not only to the treasury, but also to their own pockets.
By the time Matthew met Christ, he had already heard of a man who was walking from city to city, preaching and performing miracles. When the Savior, surrounded by his disciples and those who wanted to listen to him, passed by the publican, Jesus saw him and stopped. This is how it is described in the Gospel: “After this (Jesus) went out and saw a publican named Levi sitting at the collection of duties, and he said to him: follow me. And he, leaving everything, got up and followed Him. And Levi made a great feast for him in his house; and there were many tax collectors and others who were reclining with them”. This episode is very interesting. After all, the fact that Jesus agreed to enter the house of the despicable publican and feast with him caused indignation among the Pharisees and the Scribes. They criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
After this significant meeting, Matthew left his home and his fortune and went after Christ, becoming one of his twelve closest disciples. Like the rest of the apostles, he saw the baptism of the Savior in the waters of the Jordan, witnessed his preaching, suffering on the cross, death and resurrection. Finally, he saw how Jesus ascended to Heaven, after which, on Mount Tabor, the Holy Spirit descended on Matthew, as well as on the other apostles.
The entire subsequent life of Matthew the Apostle was devoted to the preaching of Christ. We know very little about this life. Matthew preached in Palestine for eight years. Then he went through Macedonia, Syria, Persia, Parthia, Media, and bypassed all of Ethiopia. After all, it was his lot to preach in this country.
It is genuinely known that the main business of Saint Matthew’s life was the testimony of Christ as the Messiah and the Savior of the world. If the rest of the apostles carried this sermon to separate nations, then Matthew went even further. He wrote for posterity the Gospel of Matthew, which, together with three other Gospels, constituted the main Christian source – the New Testament – a document that is believed to have been dictated to evangelists by the Lord himself and which represents God’s opening of Himself and His will to people. It is not known whether faith in Christ could have become one of the main world religions if it were not for the works of Matthew and three other evangelists – Luke, John and Mark, who made up the New Testament.
Almost nothing is known about Matthew’s later life, since he was very modest and practically did not write about himself… Probably, that is why he became a Saint! Probably…, and therefore, too!
According to some sources, he preached in Ethiopia, as already mentioned, where he was martyred around AD 60. According to others, he was executed for preaching Christianity in the Asia Minor city of Hierapolis. However, according to the so-called Catalan atlas dated 1375, a building with a cross is depicted on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, and next to it there is an inscription: “A place called Issyk-Kul. In this place there is the monastery of Armenian brothers, where the body of St. Matthew, the Apostle and the Evangelist, was buried”. According to another, the most widespread today, version, the relics of Matthew in the X century were brought to the Italian city of Salerno, where they are kept to this day in the local cathedral of San Matteo, attracting Christian pilgrims from all over the world.
Well, no wonder, Saint Matthew is considered the patron saint of the city of Salerno.
Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist was often depicted on icons and works of art. Three paintings from the life of the Apostle – “The Calling of Saint Matthew”, “The Inspiration of Saint Matthew” and “The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew” by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio adorn the sidewalls of the chapel in San Luigi and belong to the outstanding art masterpieces of the world.
Saint Matthew is a character in Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” and in the film of the same name directed by Vladimir Bortko, in which the role of Matthew Levi, the tax collector and student of Yeshua, was played by Semyon Strugachyov.
Saint Matthew is also somehow connected with Pavel Vereshchagin – a character in the cult film “White Sun of the Desert”, the computer game of the same name, as well as a number of books and anecdotes (actually, if the Russians, really love some Hero, then he must be by all means depicted in such a folklore genre), personifying a positive image of a Russian customs officer, soldier of the Russian Empire, military non-commissioned officer, participant in the First World War, who served in the cavalry and was four times awarded The Order of Saint George…
By the way, this character also had a completely real prototype – Mikhail Pospelov, the facts from whose biography were borrowed by the scriptwriter of the film…
Moreover, though Vereshchagin didn’t speak much in the movie, the character gave the world such catchphrases as “I don’t take a bribe – I feel sorry for my homeland!”, or “Again you give me this caviar. I can’t, damn it, eat it every day! If only you could get some bread!”… Pavel Vereshchagin himself is considered to be a symbol of the customs service of Russia, and his song “Your Noble Highness Lady Farewell”, performed by Pavel Luspekaev, is its unofficial anthem.
Here are some other interesting facts:
- • monuments to Pavel Vereshchagin were installed in Moscow and in the city of Kurgan near the customs building;
- • in 2019, a monument to Vereshchagin and Petrukha appeared in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk;
- • on the grave of Pavel Luspekaev at the St. Petersburg North cemetery, a memorial sign “With a bow from the customs officers of the North-West” was installed, and in the Far East the patrol ship “Pavel Vereshchagin” was named in his honor…
In addition, one more sad fact – Pavel Vereshchagin was blown up by a mine, just like his namesake – artist Vasily Vereshchagin…
Well, but in honor of Saint Matthew…, on the territory of the administrative and economic complex of tax inspections in the city of Moscow, there was erected a whole church-chapel…
The former tax collector helps:
- • all officials and employees of the financial sector (from accountants to stock brokers);
- • tax inspectors;
- • customs officers;
- • bankers;
- • to everyone who asks him to be strengthened in faith;
- • to everyone who asks for protection from temptation…
Moreover, people turn to Matthew the Apostle with prayer:
- • those who were unfairly treated by the financial inspection authorities for intercession and restoration of justice;
- • those who want to get a loan;
- • those whose activities are related to the word (from copywriters and journalists to writers and screenwriters, not to mention philologists and linguists, since the Holy Apostle Matthew became an evangelist, that is, in fact, a writer) …
“Oh, I want to be such a tax collector like Saint Matthew… or at least… such a customs officer like Vereshchagin… So that I din’t take bribes and could devour caviar with a spoon… and to have peacocks in the garden…” – Sure, this is a joke, an anecdote!
Actually, it’s good to be like both of them… – honest, decent, responsible, loyal, reliable, courageous, modest and loving own homeland!
Saint Matthew’s feast day is celebrated:
• in the Orthodox Church calendar – on November 16 (29) and June 30 (July 13) (The Synaxis of the Holy Apostles);
• in the Catholic and Anglican calendars – on 21 September.
