21 September - Matthew, is a Jewish character linked to Galilee who appears for the first time in the Synoptic Gospels, where he is called either Matthew or Levi. He is the son of Alpheus. Matthew is a publican (tax collector) in Capernaum.

He must have a higher education than the fishermen of the lake, Peter and Andrew or James and John, the sons of Zebedee. However, because of his profession, he is frowned upon by the other Jews. The publicans were perceived, if not as traitors, at least as agents of the Roman occupation. Jesus calls him, however, to become one of his twelve apostles (Mt 9, 9; Mk 2, 13-14; Lk 5, 27-28). He appears one last time in Acts 1, 13.

According to a tradition that appears in the Virtutes Apostolorum (in the 6th century, repeated in the 13th century in the Golden Legend), he set out to evangelise Ethiopia, where he was assisted by the Queen's eunuch (the baptised Minister of Finance referred to by the deacon Philip). Two sorcerers, Zares and Arfaxar, told the king that they could not save his son Euphranor, who was dying, but the eunuch brought Matthew to the court, who managed to resurrect him. The king and his family converted, promoting the Christianisation of the country. The next king Hyrtakus wanted to marry Iphigenia, a virgin consecrated to Christ, but Matthew refused. After 23 years of mission in Ethiopia, he died a martyr in Naddarer in 61, after the king had sent one of his soldiers to pass the apostle by the sword. The Roman martyrologe took up the legend of the Ethiopian tradition and developed a new tradition according to which his body was transferred to Salerno, where a basilica have been built over his remains.