Matthias the Apostle
Matthias the Apostle | |
|---|---|
 St MatthiasbyPeter Paul Rubens,c. 1611 | |
| Apostle and Martyr | |
| Born | 1st century AD Judaea,Roman Empire |
| Died | c. AD 80 Jerusalem,Judaea or Colchis |
| Venerated in | |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast |
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| Attributes | Axe,Christian martyrdom |
| Patronage | Alcoholics;carpenters; tailors;Great Falls-Billings,Montana;Trier;smallpox;hope;perseverance |
Matthias(/məˈθaɪəs/;Koine Greek:Μαθθίας,Maththías[maθˈθi.as],fromHebrewמַתִּתְיָהוּMattiṯyāhū;Coptic:ⲙⲁⲑⲓⲁⲥ;diedc. AD 80) was, according to theActs of the Apostles,chosen by God through theapostlesto replaceJudas Iscariotfollowing the latter'sbetrayal of Jesusand his subsequent death.[1]His calling as an apostle is unique, in that his appointment was not made personally by Jesus (who had alreadyascended into heaven), and it came before thedescent of the Holy Spirit upon the early Church.
Biography
[edit]There is no mention of a Matthias among the lists of disciples or followers of Jesus in the threesynoptic gospels,but according toActs,he had been with Jesus from hisbaptismbyJohnuntil hisAscension.In the days following,Peterproposed that the assembled disciples, who numbered about 120, nominate two men to replace Judas. They choseJoseph called Barsabas(whose surname was Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all [men], shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."[2]Then theycast lots,and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was numbered with the eleven apostles.[3]
No further information about Matthias is to be found in thecanonical New Testament.Even his name is variable: the Syriac version ofEusebiuscalls him throughout not Matthias but "Tolmai", not to be confused withBartholomew(which means Son of Tolmai), who was one of the twelve original Apostles;Clement of Alexandriarefers once toZacchaeusin a way which could be read as suggesting that some identified him with Matthias;[4]theClementine Recognitionsidentify him withBarnabas;Adolf Bernhard Christoph Hilgenfeldthinks he is the same asNathanaelin theGospel of John.
Ministry
[edit]The tradition of the Greeks says that St. Matthias spread Christianity aroundCappadociaand on the coasts of theCaspian Sea,residing chiefly near the portIssus.[5]
According toNicephorus(Historia eccl.,2, 40), Matthias first preached the Gospel inJudaea,then in Aethiopia (by the region ofColchis,now in modern-dayGeorgia) and was crucified.[3]An extantCopticActs of Andrew and Matthias,places his activity similarly in "the city of the cannibals" inAethiopia.[a][6]A marker placed in the ruins of the Roman fortress atGonio(Apsaros) in the modern Georgian region ofAdjaraclaims that Matthias is buried at that site.
TheSynopsis of Dorotheuscontains this tradition: "Matthias preached the Gospel to barbarians and meat-eaters in the interior of Ethiopia, where the sea harbor of Hyssus is, at the mouth of the river Phasis. He died at Sebastopolis, and was buried there, near the Temple of the Sun."[7]
Alternatively, another tradition maintains that Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem by the local populace, and then beheaded (cf.Tillemont,Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclesiastique des six premiers siècles,I, 406–7).[7]According toHippolytus of Rome,Matthias died of old age in Jerusalem.
Clement of Alexandriaobserved (Stromateisvi.13.):
Not that they became apostles through being chosen for some distinguished peculiarity of nature, since also Judas was chosen along with them. But they were capable of becoming apostles on being chosen by Him who foresees even ultimate issues. Matthias, accordingly, who was not chosen along with them, on showing himself worthy of becoming an apostle, is substituted for Judas.
Writings
[edit]Surviving fragments of the lostGospel of Matthias[8]attribute it to Matthias, but EarlyChurch Fathersattributed it tohereticalwritings in the 2nd century.
Veneration
[edit]
The feast of Saint Matthias was included in the Roman Calendar in the 11th century and celebrated on the sixth day to the Calends of March (24 February usually, but 25 February in leap years). In therevisionof theGeneral Roman Calendarin 1969, his feast was transferred to 14 May, so as not to celebrate it inLentbut instead inEastertideclose to theSolemnity of the Ascension,[9]the event after which the Acts of the Apostles recounts that Matthias was selected to be ranked with theTwelve Apostles.
The Eastern Rites of theEastern Orthodox Churchcelebrate his feast on 9 August. Yet theWestern Riteparishes of the Orthodox Church continues the old Roman Rite of 24 and 25 February in leap years.[citation needed]
TheChurch of England'sBook of Common Prayer,as well as other older common prayer books in the Anglican Communion,[10]celebrates Matthias on 24 February. According to the newerCommon Worshipliturgy, Matthias isrememberedin theChurch of Englandwith aFestivalon 14 May,[11]although he may be celebrated on 24 February, if desired.[12]In theEpiscopal Churchas well as some in theLutheran Church,including theLutheran Church–Missouri Synodand theLutheran Church–Canada,his feast remains on 24 February.[13]InEvangelical Lutheran Worship,used by theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americaas well as theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Canada,the feast date for Matthias is on 14 May.[14]
It is claimed that St Matthias the Apostle's remains were brought to Italy through EmpressHelena,mother of EmperorConstantine I(the Great); part of these relics were interred in theAbbey of Santa Giustina,Padua,and the remaining in theAbbey of St. Matthias,Trier,Germany. According to Greek sources, the remains of the apostle are buried in the castle ofGonio-Apsaros,Georgia.[citation needed][15]
Notes
[edit]See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910)..A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture.B. Herder.
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^Acts 1
- ^Acts 1:24–25
- ^abJacque Eugène.Jacquier, "St. Matthias."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 10 August 2014
- ^StromataBook 4 Ch 6 The New Advent Translation says "It is said, therefore, that Zaccheus, or, according to some, Matthew, the chief of the publicans, on hearing that the Lord had deigned to come to him, said, Lord, and if I have taken anything by false accusation, I restore him fourfold;" but theGreekhas 4.6.35.2 Ζακχαῖον τοίνυν, οἳ δὲ Ματθίαν φασίν, ἀρχιτελώνην, ἀκηκοότα τοῦ κυρίου καταξιώσαντος πρὸς αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, ἰδοὺ τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μου δίδωμι ἐλεημοσύνην φάναι, κύριε, καὶ εἴ τινός τι ἐσυκοφάντησα, τετραπλοῦν ἀποδίδωμι. ἐφ' οὗ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ εἶπεν· can just about be read as "by some said to be Matthias" )
- ^Butler, Alban."Saint Matthias, Apostle",The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints,D. & J. Sadlier, & Company, 1864
- ^See "Egyptian Colony and Language in the Caucasus and its Anthropological Relations," by Hyde Clarke, 1874,https:// jstor.org/stable/2841305
- ^ab
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Jacquier, Jacque Eugène (1911). "St. Matthias".In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^"The Traditions of Matthias".Earlychristianwritings.Retrieved12 May2011.
- ^"Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 92; cf. p. 117
- ^"The Prayer Book Society of Canada" The Calendar ".The Prayer Book Society of Canada.16 October 2013.
- ^"The Calendar".The Church of England.Retrieved27 March2021.
- ^"web site".Oremus.org.Retrieved12 May2011.
- ^"Misc. Info. on Minor Festivals – The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod".Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2011.
- ^Evangelical Lutheran Worship,(Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2007), 15
- ^Kakhidze, Emzar (2008)."Apsaros: A Roman Fort in Southwestern Georgia".In Bilde, Pia Guldager; Petersen, Jane Hjarl (eds.).Meetings of Cultures – Between Conflicts and Coexistence. Black Sea Studies. 8.Aarhus University Press. pp. 303–332..
External links
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