Gift of God.

Known before his conversion as Levi, son of Alphaeus (Mark 2: 14). He was a tax gatherer at Capernaum, probably in the service of Herod Antipas, in whose tetrarchy Capernaum was. Soon after his call he gave a feast to his old associates (Matt. 9: 9-13; Mark 2: 14-17; Luke 5: 27-32) at which the Lord was present, and was in consequence blamed by the Pharisees. Matthew was probably [most assuredly] a thorough Jew with a wide knowledge of the O.T. scriptures, and able to see in every [great] detail of the Lord’s life the fulfillment of prophecy. His Gospel (see Gospels) was written from a decidedly Jewish perspective to and for the use of Jewish persons in Palestine, and uses many quotations from the O.T. His chief object is to show that Jesus is the Messiah from the Jewish perspective, of who Jesus had to be to satisfy that perspective, and of whom the prophets acceptable to the Jews spoke. He also emphasizes that Jesus is the King and Judge of men. His Gospel was probably written in Aramaic, but is known to us by a Greek translation. Of the apostle’s later life little is known for certain. A tradition asserts that he died a martyr’s death.