Matthew the Apostle was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and the author of the Gospel of Matthew. Before his conversion, he was a tax collector in Capernaum, a despised profession at the time. Jesus called him to follow him, and he left everything to become his disciple. His gospel emphasizes the fulfillment of prophecies and the universal mission of Christ. After Jesus' resurrection, he is said to have preached in Ethiopia and Persia. According to tradition, he died a martyr, although accounts vary as to how. He is the patron saint of accountants and bankers. His cult spread to Lorraine and throughout Christian Europe.
Matthew (with only one "t") is a modern simplification.
