Matthew

MATTHEW, called Levi, was the son of Alphaeus. He lived at Capharnaum on Lake Genesareth.
The first Gospel was written by Matthew in which he speaks of his call to be an Apostle. Sitting at his desk one day, he saw Christ come to him. When the Lord said to him, "Follow Me," he at once left his work and followed the Master. The people were surprised to see a Roman tax collector become one of the special friends and disciples of Jesus.
Matthew also tells us of the banquet he gave that Christ attended. It was a public farewell to his former friends. Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. Jesus said, "I have come not to call the just, but sinners."
Matthew wrote his Gospel to convince the Jews that the Messiah had come. He preached the Gospel among the Hebrews for fifteen years. He is also called the Apostle of Ethiopia. His shrine is at Salerno in Southern Italy.
Matthew the Evangelist killed with a halberd in 60 A.D.