Catalogues of Origen, Eufebius, Athanafius, Cyril, that_of the Council of Laodicea, Epiphanius; Gregory Nazianzen, Philaftrius, Jerome, Auftin, Ruffin, that of the third Council of Carthage, and the works of Dionyfius the Areopagite, which I have collected in the first Volume, Part I. Ch. VIII p. 60, &c. CHA P. I. Who Matthew was. Heracleon, Origen, and Grotius, miflaken in fuppofing Matthew and Levi to be the Names of two Perfons. He was a few. In what Countries he preached, and where he died: mentioned in the Talmud. The occafion of St. Matthew's writing his Gospel. EFORE I come to the Gofpels themselves, and the proof BEFOR of their authority, it feems to me neceffary, that fome account be given of the author. Accordingly, I fhall now begin with fome fhort relations or accounts concerning St. Matthew, the author of this Gofpel. Befides what we have in the Canonical Gospels, there is not much that can be depended upon now left concerning him. The Popish legends, and the fabulous writers of later ages, will afford us accounts fufficiently particular; but difregarding all these, I fhall only mention such things as feem to be more credible, and built upon better foundations. The account we have of him in his Gospel is, that Jefus at Capernaum faw a man named Matthew fitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me; and he arofe and followed him. Matt. ix. 9. The other Evangelifts (viz. Mark ii. 14. and Luke v. 27, 28.) relate the fame history; only they, instead of Matthew, give him the name of Levi, which feems to have been his furname, or another name, by which he was as commonly called. It is a thing well known, that the Jews were wont to call a person by by more names than one; e. g. Mofes's father in law is called Jethro, Exod. iii. 1. and Num. x. 29. he is called Hobab; and David's fon, who is called 2 Sam. iii. 3. Chileab, goes under the name of Daniel, 1 Chron. iii. 1. Simon was also called Peter, Matt. x. 2. Lebbeus was furnamed Thaddeus, ver. 3, &c. which furname, or fecond name, feems to have been added to diftinguish them from others, who had the fame first name. I have mentioned this, because fome, both antient ⚫ and modern writers, have imagined Matthew and Levi to have been two different perfons: thus Heracleon, an early heretick of the second century, and a remarkable perfon in the school of Valentinus, speaking of those disciples of Christ, who were not called to a publick acknowledgment or confeffion of Christ (by Martyrdom), names Matthew, Philip, Thomas, and Levia; and Origen, difcourfing particularly of Christ's Apostles, first mentions Matthew the publican, and afterwards names Levi the publican, but denies him to have been an Apoftle; Ἔσω δὲ καὶ ὁ Λεβὴς τελώνης ἀκολυθήσας τῷ Ἰησές ἀλλ ̓ ἔτι γε τὸ ἀριθμὸ τῶν ἀποτόλων αὐτῇ ἦν, εἰ μὴ κατά τινα τῶν ἀντιypáþwv tõ natà Mágnov evœystnís», Levi also the publican, who followed Jefus, but was not of the number of his Apofiles, unless (we follow) fome copies of Mark's Gofpel. Among the moderns, Grotius is of this opinion; but it is easy to refute it, by observing not only that the circumstances of the fact are fo exactly the fame as related by the three Evangelifts, but that they agree precifely as to the time, and all that which happened immediately before and after his call by Christ, viz. all the three Evangelifts agree, that this call was as our Saviour was going out of Capernaum immediately after the curing of the paralytick; and the feveral hiftories, which St. Matthew relates to have happened after his call by Christ (viz. that Christ went to eat with publicans and finners, the Pharifees cenfuring him for it, his juftification of himself, the difciples of John coming to Chrift with a question about fafting, Christ's answer, c.), are all related by St. Mark and St. Luke after the call a Apud Clem. Alexand. Stromat. 1. 4. p. 502. P. 48. b Adv. Celf. 1. 1. of of Levi; and this affords us the highest evidence, that Matthew and Levi were the fame perfon, It is ftrange indeed that Heracleon and Origen fhould fall into fuch a mistake; but this is very rationally accounted for by Cotelerius and Mr. Dodwell; to whom, together with Dr. Whitby's remarks on this opinion of Grotius, I refer the reader, who has a mind to examine farther into this matter. The two names of this Evangelist, as alfo that of his father (viz. Alpheus, Mark ii. 14.), evince him to have been originally a Jew (it being certain that the Romans very frequently put the natives of the conquered provinces into fuch offices, under the principal officers who were generally Romans), although I obferve, that in two antient manuscripts which Cotelerius (in Conftit. Apostol. 1. 2. c. 63.) has published out of the French King's library, Numb. 1789 and 1026, which recite the country and parents of the twelve Apostles, there is the following account of Matthew, Ματθαῖος ὁ καὶ Λευῒς, τελώνης τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα, ἐκ πατρὸς Ρώκο, μητρὸς δὲ Χαιροθείας, ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, i. e. Matthew, called alfo Levi, a publican, whose father was Rucus, and mother Charotheia, born in Galilee; both which are plainly Gentile names. After he was called to be an Apoftle, he continued in that office till our Saviour's afcenfion in Judea; and if there be any credit to be given to the accounts of the antients, he continued there eight years afterward; whither he then went is not certain: Ruffin affirms that he went into Ethiopia, and in this he is followed by the writers of fucceeding ages, Socrates, Simeon Metaphraftes, Abdias Babylonicus, &c. which laft has given us a very particular account of his preaching, miracles, and fuccefs in the converfion of multitudes there; his building a church there (viz. at Nadabbar, the capital city), and calling it the Refurrection, because the raifing of the fon of King Æglippus from the dead was the occafion of it. He preached Chrift in Hierapolis, a city of Syria, and fuffered • Annot. in Constit. Apost. 1. 8. C. 22. b Differt. I. in Iren. §. 24. Annot. on Luke v. 27. See alfo Dr. Mill on Mark ii. 14. d Hift. Eccl. l. 1. c. 9. с e Vid. Abdiæ Hiftor. Certam. Apoftol. 1. 7. per tot. martyrdom martyrdom there, according to a Greek manuscript under the name of Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre (who lived in the beginning of the fourth century), which was tranfcribed by Mr. Dodwell, and by him given to Dr. Cave, who has published it with a Latin Verfion, and fome Notes upon it; though, according to the common editions of the Synopfis of Dorotheus, he died a natural death, and was buried with great honour at Hierapolis, a city of Parthia; and this, viz. his dying without martyrdom, is plainly intimated in the paffage of Heracleon above cited out of Clemens Alexandrinus. I have nothing farther to add under this head, but that which the Father laft cited tells us of St. Matthew's great temperance and abftemiousness, viz. that he eat no flesh, but that his ufual food was acorns, feeds, and herbs; and that, according to Dr. Lightfoot, there is mention of him in the Talmud Bab. Sanhedr. fol. 43. 1. The Rabbins fay, that Jefus had five difciples, .viz מתאי נקאי נצר זבוני ותודה which are there called by them Matthai (or Matthew), Nakai, Nezer, and Boni, and Thodah. Thefe (they say there) were all punished with death. By thefe five difciples Dr. Lightfoot fuppofes they meant those disciples who were moft converfant in Judea, viz. Matthew, who wrote his Gospel there, Peter, James, John, and Jude . The caufe or occafion of St. Matthew's writing his Gofpel is generally agreed upon by the antient writers, who have made any mention of the matter, viz. that he wrote it at Ferufalem for the fake of the convert Jews, who defired him to write it, when he was about to travel to the Gentile countries, to preach the Gospel. So Origen f; "The first Gospel "was written by Matthew, firft a publican, then an Apoftle "of Jefus Chrift, and published among the converted Jews in 121. Hift. Lit. vol. i. p. 114, & Doroth. de vit. ac mort. Prophet. et Apoftol. Biblioth. Patr. vol. vii. ad voc. Matth. Pædagog. 1. 2. c. 1. p. 148. Σπερμάτων, καὶ ἀκροδρύων, καὶ λαχάνων, ἄνευ κρεῶν μετελάμβανεν. Hor. Hebr. in Matth. ix. 9. e According to Abdias Babylonicus, lib. 7. cap. 14. he was run through the back in the Temple at Nadabbar in Ethiopia, by a foldier, by the order of the King Hyrtacus, whofe marriage with Iphigenia, his brother's Daughter, St. Matthew oppofed, the being a Nun. Expofit. in Matth. apud Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. 1. 6. c. 25. "Hebrew." "Hebrew." Eufebius is more particular; he tells us, "That "the Apostles were not much inclined to write books.→→→→ "That Paul wrote only a few fhort Epiftles.-That of all " our Lord's disciples Matthew and John only have left us 66 any written memoirs, and it is said, they were compelled by "fome fort of neceffity to write what they did; for Matthew "having first preached to the Hebrews, when he determined "to travel into other countries, publifhed his Gospel in the "language of his country, and left it with them to fupply the "want of his own prefence among them." To the fame purpofe Jerome "; " Matthew, furnamed Levi, was the first who "published a Gospel, and that in Judea, in the Hebrew language, principally for the fake of those Jews who were con"verted, and did not regard the truth of the Gospel (but ob"ferved the Law alfo), though the Law, as being but a fha"dow, was abolished." CHA P. II. St. Matthew's Gospel of Canonical Authority. It is in all the antient Catalogues of Sacred Books. It is cited by the primitive Fathers; viz. feven times in the Epistle of Barnabas, twice in the first Epistle of Clemens Romanus to the Corinthians, eight times in the Fragment of the fecond, eight times in the Shepherd of Hermas, fix times in Polycarp's fmall Epistle to the Philippians, twice in a Fragment of his Refponfiones, and feven times in the Leffer Epiftles of Ignatius. HA AVING given some account of the Author of this Gofpel, I proceed now to establish its authority, which I hope will be effectually done by the following arguments. ARG. I. St. Matthew's Gospel is of Canonical authority, because it is in all the Catalogues of Canonical books which we a Hift. Ecclef. 1. 3. C. 24. Præf. in Comm. in Matth. |