Saint Matthew and the Angel by Guido Reni (4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.
Among the early followers and apostles of Jesus, a Matthew is mentioned in Mt 9:9 and Mt 10:3 as a former tax collector from Capernaum who was called into the circle of the Twelve by Jesus.
Early church fathers Epiphanius and Jerome mention Matthew as the author of a first gospel, the now lost Gospel of the Hebrews. However, the attested canonical gospel that came to be ascribed to Matthew's authorship by later tradition was probably originally composed in Greek and by an author who was not a direct companion of the historical Jesus, according to the majority opinion of modern biblical scholarship.
Some use the designation "Matthew the Evangelist" to refer to the anonymous gospel author, and "Matthew the Apostle" to refer to the biblical figure described. Christian tradition holds that they are the same person.
Matthew was born in First Century Judea. He was a Galilean and the son of Alpheus. During the Roman occupation, Matthew collected taxes from the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas. His Tax Office was located in Capharnaum. The Jewish citizens who became rich in such a fashion, were despised and considered outcasts. However, as a tax collector he would have been literate in Aramaic (but probably not Greek or Latin).
It was in this setting, near what is today Almagor, that Jesus called Matthew to be one of the Twelve Disciples. After his call, Matthew invited the Lord home for a feast. On seeing this, the Scribes and the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. This prompted Jesus to answer, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”.
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four Canonical gospels and is the first book of the New Testament. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from his genealogy to his Great Commission.
The Gospel of Matthew is closely aligned with first-century Judaism, and stresses how Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecies. Certain details of Jesus' life, of his infancy in particular, are only related by Matthew. His is the only gospel to mention the Church or ecclesia. Matthew also emphasizes obedience to and preservation of biblical law. Since this gospel has rhythmical and often poetical prose, it is well suited for public reading, making it a popular liturgical choice.
Origen Adamantius, c. 185–254 (an early Christian scholar and theologian of Egyptian decent, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Christian Church despite not being a Church father) said the first Gospel was written by Matthew. This Gospel was composed in Hebrew near Jerusalem for Hebrew Christians and translated into Greek, but the Greek copy was lost. The Hebrew original was kept at the Library of Caesarea. The Nazarene Community transcribed a copy for Jerome which he used in his work. Matthew's Gospel was called the Gospel according to the Hebrews or sometimes the Gospel of the Apostles
Matthew remained in and about Jerusalem and proclaimed that Jesus son of Joseph was the promised Messiah. These early Jewish Christians were thought to have been called Nazerenes. It is near certain that Matthew belonged to this sect, as both the New Testament and the early Talmud affirm this to be true.
After the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus, Matthew along with Mary, James and other close followers of the Lord, withdrew to the Upper Chamber, in Jerusalem. At about the time James succeeded his brother Jesus of Nazareth as the leader of this small Jewish sect Matthew, for 15 years, preached the Gospel in Hebrew to the Jewish community in Judea. Later in his ministry he would travel to Gentile nations and spread the Gospel to the Ethiopians, Macedonians, Persians, and Parthians. He is said to have died a natural death either in Ethiopia or in Macedonia. However Roman Catholic Church says he died a martyr on September 21 and of the Orthodox Church also says he died a martyr but on November 10.
Saint Mark by Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431 – September 13, 1506) was a North Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Roman archeology.
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark, said to be the disciple and interpreter of Saint Peter, and the follower and Apostle of Jesus Christ. According to Eusebius (church history), Mark composed a gospel embodying what he had heard Peter preach.
Tradition identifies him with John Mark mentioned as a companion of Saint Paul in Acts, who later is said to have become a disciple of Saint Peter. About 10 to 20 years after the ascension of Christ, Saint Mark traveled to Alexandria and formed what is now known as the Coptic Orthodox Church (The Coptic Orthodox church is a church from the first century founded in Egypt from the Apostle, St. Mark (the writer of the Gospel of Mark). Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Saint Mark. He became its first bishop and founder of Christianity in Africa. He died in the eighth year of Nero and was buried there, Annianus succeeding him. Annianus of Alexandria or Annianos was a monk who flourished in Alexandria during the bishopric of Theophilus of Alexandria around the beginning of the fifth century.
Coptic Church tradition additionally states that Mark is the one who hosted the disciples in his house after the death of Jesus, into whose house the resurrected Jesus Christ came (John 20), and into whose house the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost. Mark is also believed to be one of the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine (John 2:1-11), and was one of the Seventy Apostles sent out by Christ (Luke 10:1).
The Gospel According to Mark is the second book of the New Testament This Canonical account of the life of Jesus is one of the Synoptic Gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, and accordingly, its place as the second gospel in most Bibles. However, most contemporary scholars now regard it as the earliest of the canonical gospels(c 70). While other scholars now argue that the Gospel of the Hebrews actually was composed first and the basis for future gospels.
The Gospel of Mark narrates the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth from his baptism by John the Baptist to the resurrection and it concentrates particularly on the last week of his life (chapters 11–16, the trip to Jerusalem). Its swift narrative portrays Jesus as a heroic man of action, an exorcist, a healer and miracle worker. It calls him the Son of Man the Son of God and the Messiah or Christ.
Two important themes of Mark are the Messianic secret and the obtuseness of the disciples. In Mark, Jesus often commands secrecy regarding aspects of his identity and certain actions. Jesus uses parables to explain his message and fulfill prophecy (4:10-12). At times, the disciples have trouble understanding the parables, but Jesus explains what they mean, in secret (4:13-20, 4:33-34). They also fail to understand the implication of the miracles that he performs before them.
According to the Coptic church, Saint Mark was born in the Pentapolis of North Africa. This tradition adds that he returned to Pentapolis later in life after being sent by Saint Paul to Colosse (Colossians 4:10) and serving with him in Rome (Phil 24; 2 Tim 4:11) ; from Pentapolis he made his way to Alexandria. When Mark returned to Alexandria, the people there are said to have resented his efforts to turn them away from the worship of their traditional Hellenistic gods. In AD 68 they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead
His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the lion.
Saint Luke displaying a painting of Mary by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 9, 1666), best known as Guercino or Il Guercino, was an Italian Baroque painter from the region of Emilia, and active in Rome and Bologna. Guercino is Italian for squinter, a nickname that was given to him because he was cross-eyed
The Gospel of Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension. The author is traditionally identified as Luke the Evangelist.
The author, commonly understood to be writing from a Gentile perspective, is characteristically concerned with social ethics, the poor, women, and other oppressed groups. Certain popular stories on these themes, such as the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan, are found only in this gospel. This gospel also has a special emphasis on prayer, the activity of the Holy Spirit, and joyfulness.
According to the preface the purpose of Luke is to write a historical account, while bringing out the theological significance of the history. The author portrays Christianity as divine, respectable, law-abiding, and international.
The traditional view is that Luke, who was not an eye-witness of Jesus' ministry, wrote his gospel after gathering the best sources of information within his reach (Luke 1:1-4). Critical scholarship generally holds to the two-source hypothesis as most probable, which argues that the author used the Gospel of Mark and the hypothetical Q document (a postulated lost textual source for the Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Luke. It is a theoretical collection of Jesus' sayings, written in Koine Greek. Although many scholars believe that "Q" was a real document, no actual document or fragment has been found.) in addition to unique material, as sources for the gospel. This would be consistent with the author's declaration that he has drawn upon a wide-ranging investigation of all sources and witnesses, and the author's statement that many others had already written gospel accounts before Luke, of which the author was aware.
Luke was a physician in Antioch, as well as an adherent and constant companion of the Apostle Paul. Scholars know the exact time when Luke joined Paul by the "we" Sections in the Book of Acts. Throughout the Gospel of Luke and the first 15 chapters of Acts, St. Luke is editing earlier sources. Not only does he state this, but his writing style is that of a third party editor. Then, at Acts 16 his style changes from "They did that" to "We did this". He is now a first person participant. Also, the intimate detail from chapter 16 onwards shows that the author himself was traveling with Paul. These "we" sections conclude at the time during which Paul was imprisoned at Rome. Thus, many conclude that this was when the Book of Acts was written or at least concluded.
Luke was also skilled in Koine Greek. Some believe that whenever Paul writes "according to my gospel" he means the Gospel of Luke.
How St Luke died has been written and reported several ways. What has been noted was the remains of St. Luke were brought to Padua, Italy, sometime before 1177, according to tradition. In 1992, the then Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levathia (currently the Archbishop of Greece) requested from Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua the return of a "a significant fragment of the relics of St. Luke to be placed on the site where the holy tomb of the Evangelist is located and venerated today". This prompted a scientific investigation of the relics in Padua, and by numerous lines of empirical evidence (archeological analyses of the Tomb in Thebes and the Reliquary of Padua, anatomical analyses of the remains, Carbon-14 dating, comparison with the purported skull of the Evangelist located in Prague) confirmed that these were the remains of an individual of Syrian descent who died between 130 and 400 A.D. The Bishop of Padua then delivered to Metropolitan Ieronymos the rib of St. Luke that was closest to his heart to be kept at his tomb in Thebes, Greece.
John the Apostle (Aramaicܝܘܚܢܢ ܫܠܝܚܐ Yohanan Shliha; Hebrew: יוחנן בן זבדיJohn the Baptist Yohanan Ben Zavdaic. AD 6–c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. Christian tradition holds that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one not to die a martyr's death. The Church Fathers consider him the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. The tradition of many Christian denominations holds that he is the the author of several books of the New Testament .
(1) It was John that ate the scroll that the witnesses testify by.(2) He was given the measuring rod, so it was through this rod the final Christians characters were measured by to verify whether they were worthy. The rod was actually his pen he used to write the witness.(3) He was at the transfiguration, and the witnesses were given powers similar to Moses, and Elijah. The witnesses were actually represented by these two spirits.(4) He was the apostle Jesus loved. Note 'the'. What greater honour could Jesus bestow on someone?(5) Him and his brother were called Boagernes (meaning sons of thunder). What are the thunders? They're the seven angels, called the seven lampstands. And what were the witnesses? None other than the two lampstands.