حسام الدین شفیعیان
وبلاگ رسمی و شخصی حسام الدین شفیعیانحسام الدین شفیعیان
وبلاگ رسمی و شخصی حسام الدین شفیعیانمتی
متی در قرن اول در حبشه درگذشت و مزارش در سالرنو ایتالیاست.
متی در کفرناحوم و در زمان هرود انتیپاس مامور سنتی و محلی برای جمع آوری مالیات بوده است، هر چند که او واقعا یک مامور رومی نبوده اما در ناحیه جلیل به خدمت مشغول بوده و احتمالا زیردست رومی بوده و برای آنان مالیات جمع می کرده است. به احتمال بسیار زیاد وی دارای تحصیلات و آشنا به زبان آرامی و یونانی برای خواندن و نوشتن بوده، که ضرورت شغل وی بوده است.
عیسی زمانیکه در کفرناحوم بود او را دید و به او گفت: «مرا متابعت کن.» و متی برخاسته و به دنبال عیسی رفت و از شاگردان وی گشت. در همان روز، متی مهمانی بزرگی داد و عیسی و شاگردانش و دوستان متی که از باجگیران و گناهکاران بودند نیز در این مهمانی شرکت داشتند.
/Matthew the Apostle/
Matthew was the son of Alphaeus born at Capernaum, a settlement on the shore of the Sea of Galilee , about a year after the birth of Jesus. One day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed Him, and became one of His twelve apostles. (See M 9:9-13 = P 2:13-17 = L 5:27-32)
Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest. The job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes. Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them.
After his calling, when Saint Matthew gave a feast in Christ's honor, the guests were drawn from among his friends—including fellow tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10-13). The Pharisees objected to Christ eating with such people, to which Christ responded, "I have not come to call the just, but sinners," summing up the Christian message of salvation.
The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.
/Matthew the Apostle/
Because of the mystery surrounding Saint Matthew's martyrdom, his feast day is not consistent in the Western and Eastern Churches. In the West, his feast is celebrated on September 21; in the East, on November 16. The origin of Feast Days: most saints have specially designated feast days and are associated with a specific day of the year and these are referred to as the saint's feast day. The feast days first arose from the very early Christian custom of the annual commemoration of martyrs on the dates of their deaths at the same time celebrating their birth into heaven.
The Gospel of Matthew was written to prove that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, the King of all the earth, and to make plain the Kingdom of God. It is the joining link between Old and New Testament, focusing on the fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew was not written to chronicle the events of Jesus' life, but rather to present the undeniable evidence that Jesus Christ is the promised Savior, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It begins by accounting the genealogy of Jesus, then his birth, baptism and public ministry. The miracles recorded in Matthew reveal Jesus' authority and true identity. Key characters in the gospel of Matthew: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, the 12 disciples, the Jewish religious leaders, Caiaphas, Pilate, Mary Magdalene.
What is the definition and the meaning of the Patron Saints and why were these people chosen to become patrons of causes, professions and countries? The term 'Patron' is used in Christian religions, including the Roman Catholic religion, to describe holy and virtuous men and women who are considered to be a defender of a specific group of people or of a country. There is a patron for virtually every cause, country, profession or special interest. St. Matthew is the patron of: accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, money managers, stock brokers, tax collectors
After Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Saint Matthew is said to have preached the Gospel to the Hebrews for as many as 15 years, during which time he wrote the Gospel in Aramaic, before heading east to continue his efforts at evangelization. By tradition, he, like all of the apostles with the exception of Saint John the Evangelist, was martyred, but accounts of his martyrdom varied widely. All place it somewhere in the East, but, as the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, "it is not known whether he was burned, stoned, or beheaded
/Matthew/
The apostle shielded himself with the sign of the cross and confidently went out to meet these beasts. The minute the dragons saw him, they fell asleep at his feet, and he said to the sorcerers: “Where is your magical power now? Wake them up if you can! If I had not prayed to the Lord, I would have turned back upon you the harm you had thought to inflict upon me.” And when all the people had gathered together, Matthew ordered the dragons in Jesus’ name to go away, and off they went, harming no one.
While this story may not have strong historical ground, often dragons are used in stories to visually portray a demonic presence. Considering that sorcerers were often associated with the worship of pagan gods and deities, it is understandable why a “dragon” would be associated with them. In this case, it is possible the story explains how St. Matthew acted as an exorcist of the Ethiopian community and cast out demons.
At the same time, since many of these dragon stories originated in the Middle East and Northern Africa (and the reality that crocodiles are dragon-like creatures that can grow up to 16 feet long), it might be possible that St. Matthew tamed a pair of crocodiles.
Either way, the story highlights the power of God over evil (and nature) and how God used the apostles to bring the light of Christ to all corners of the world.
fter Jesus ascended into Heaven, his 12 apostles preached the Gospel in various regions of the Middle East and Europe. According to tradition, St. Matthew traveled to Ethiopia where he discovered sorcerers who were causing trouble in a Christian community.
The episode is narrated in the Golden Legend, and explains how Matthew visited the eunuch of Queen Candace, the same court official who was baptized by St. Philip and featured in the book of Acts (see Acts 8).
Shortly after his arrival a sorcerer walked into town “with two dragons, which belched forth sulfurous fire from mouth and nostrils and killed many people.”
Not afraid of the dragons, St. Matthew went out to encounter them
Matthew the Apostle
Matthew was also called Levi, for the Jews sometimes had two names. And after he began to follow Jesus he remembered his friends of other days. He believed they, too, would be glad to see Jesus and to hear his words. So Matthew prepared a great feast or banquet and called many of his publican friends to the feast. He invited other people too, whom the proud Jews despised and called sinners, and then he brought Jesus and the other disciples to the feast.
The scribes and Pharisees also came to Matthew’s house that day, though they had not been invited to the feast. They stood about in the courtyard or even in the large dining-hall, looking on and talking to each other about what they saw. This was not so rude as it seems, for this was a custom among those people and Matthew was not at all surprised when they came.
These onlookers began to find fault when they saw Jesus sitting among the publicans and sinners. They felt themselves too good to keep company with despised folk, and they were surprised that Jesus should eat with Matthew and his friends. So they called Jesus’ disciples aside and asked, “How is it that you Master east and drinks with publicans and sinners?”
Jesus heard the questioning of these fault-finders, and he said to them, “It is not well people who need to call for the services of a doctor, but people who are sick. And so I have not come to call righteous people, but I have come to call sinners to repent.”
He knew the scribes and Pharisees believed themselves to be too righteous to need repentance, but he knew the publicans and sinners realized that they were not pleasing God. And they would listen to Jesus’ words, and humble their hearts. Many of them would gladly forsake their sins and follow Jesus to learn of him.
Matthew, the publican, became a very useful man for God. It was he who wrote the book called the “Gospel According to Matthew,
