Matthew the Apostle

Matthew was called from his work as a tax collector to follow Jesus, joining the inner circle of twelve apostles. After the crucifixion, early Church Fathers including Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria recorded that he preached in Judea before traveling to other regions. Christian tradition identifies him as the writer of the Gospel of Matthew, the text that would become the opening book of the New Testament. His account emphasized Jesus as the promised Messiah, drawing heavily on Jewish scripture to bridge the old covenant and the new.