Matthew of Capernaum
- James Collazo
- Jul 11, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 19
Introduction
Matthew of Capernaum (Hebrew: Mattityahu mi-Kfar Nachum / Greek: Matthaios tou Kapernaoum) was born around AD 3 in the Roman client kingdom of Galilee. He was also known as Levi son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14; cf. Matt. 10:3). Some scholars have suggested that he may have been related to James son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18), though Scripture never explicitly identifies them as brothers. Matthew's name in Hebrew, Matityahu, means "gift of God." It comes from the Hebrew words mattat (H4991, "gift") and Yahweh (H3068). As an adult, Matthew worked as a publican (Greek: telōnēs, G5057), a tax collector employed by the Roman government in Capernaum. Because tax collectors collaborated with Rome and often collected more than was legally required, many Jewish people viewed them as traitors.
Matthew's life changed when Jesus came to his tax booth and said, "Follow me" (Matt. 9:9). Matthew immediately left his work and became one of Jesus' twelve disciples. He witnessed Jesus' teachings, miracles, crucifixion, and resurrection. After these events, Matthew helped spread Christianity, especially among Jewish communities. The Gospel of Matthew reflects the perspective of its traditional author, a former tax collector who became a devoted follower of Christ. It presents a clear and detailed portrait of Jesus, showing how an encounter with him can transform a person's life and inspire wholehearted commitment to God.
Matthew the Publican
Tax collectors were not just government revenue agents. In many respects, the tax-farming system resembled organized extortion more than a revenue service today. The Romans sold tax-collection and debt-collection contracts to publicans, who paid a hefty fee up front to secure the job. Although Roman officials supervised the system, corruption and bribery were common. Local taxes, customs duties, and tolls further increased the burden, leaving many people with an overall tax burden that may have approached 30–40 percent. Publicans frequently used pressure, intimidation, and extortion to maximize their profits, which is why John the Baptist told them, "Do not collect more than you are required to" (Luke 3:13). Both Jews and Gentiles viewed tax collectors as social outcasts who were widely regarded as morally compromised. Even the Roman statesman Cicero described tax collecting as a dishonorable job that did not suit a respectable citizen. He wrote, "First, those means of livelihood are rejected as undesirable which incur people's ill-will, as those of tax-gatherers and usurers" (Cicero, Off. 1.150).
Matthew worked at the tollhouse (Greek: telōnion, G5058) in Capernaum, which was located on the busy trade route between the Mediterranean seaports and Damascus. His life formed a sharp contrast with that of Simon the Zealot—Matthew was seen as a traitor to his people, while Simon was an ultranationalist. Jesus may have chosen both men to demonstrate that his kingdom transcended political divisions. When Matthew first met Jesus, he immediately left his tax booth to follow him. Matthew's gospel records only Jesus' words, "Follow me" (Luke 5:27), but Matthew, like the tax collector in Jesus' parable, must have prayed in his heart, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13). He had acquired wealth, status, influence, and many social connections. Yet he abandoned his career and estate, held a great banquet in honor of Jesus, and dedicated himself entirely to discipleship (Luke 5:29).
Matthew the Evangelist
Following Pentecost, Matthew would have joined the other apostles in proclaiming the gospel, though Scripture records little about his later ministry. The Talmud even refers to a disciple of Jesus named Mattai, whom the Sanhedrin planned to execute for blasphemy (b. Sanh. 43a:22). Many conservative scholars date the Gospel of Matthew to the 50s AD. Most contemporary scholars, however, think that Mark wrote the earliest gospel and that Matthew and Luke used Mark's work along with a shared collection of Jesus' Aramaic sayings. Scholars call this collection "Q," from the German word Quelle, which means "Source."
In the second century, Papias wrote, "But concerning Matthew he writes as follows: 'So then Matthew wrote the oracles [Greek: logia, G3051, "sayings"] in the Hebrew language, and everyone interpreted them as he was able'" (Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.39). Papias most likely referred to an early collection of Jesus' sayings rather than a finished biography. Many scholars conclude that the canonical Gospel of Matthew was composed using the Gospel of Mark as one of its primary written sources. According to early church tradition, Mark preserved Peter's eyewitness testimony in Rome. As a tax collector, Matthew knew both Aramaic and Greek, the common language of the eastern Roman Empire. In his gospel, Matthew presents Jesus with strong Jewish imagery—as the new Israel and the new Moses—who resisted the temptations that Israel failed to overcome (Matt. 4:1–11; cf. Num. 14:34) and who interpreted the Law of Moses in its fullest moral and spiritual sense (Matt. 5–7).
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Cicero. On Duties. Translated by Walter Miller. Loeb Classical Library 30. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1913.
Eusebius. Church History. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1890.
Commentaries
Carson, D. A. Matthew. In The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 8, Matthew, Mark, Luke. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.
Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. 3 vols. International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1988–1997.
France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.
Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. Word Biblical Commentary 33A. Dallas: Word, 1993.
Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 14–28. Word Biblical Commentary 33B. Dallas: Word, 1995.
Keener, Craig S. A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.
Luz, Ulrich. Matthew. 3 vols. Hermeneia: A Commentary on the Bible. Translated by James E. Crouch. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989–2005.
Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.
Turner, David L. Matthew. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
Monographs
Kalas, J. Ellsworth. The Thirteen Apostles. Nashville: Abingdon, 2012.
Kasdan, Barney. Matthew: Presents Yeshua, King Messiah. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2011.
Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020.
Reference Works
Attridge, Harold W., ed. The NRSV HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised and Updated with Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2006.
Dobson, Kent. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., and Duane Garrett, eds. NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
Keener, Craig S., and John H. Walton, eds. NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Journal Articles
Kirkegaard, Brad. "Rendering to Caesar and to God: Paying Taxes in the Roman World."↗ Journal of Lutheran Ethics 6, no. 4 (2006).
Online Resources
Spitzer, Jeffrey. "Taxing Times."↗ My Jewish Learning.
