Saint Matthew
- proper noun
- Saint Matthew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, known for his role in the New Testament.
- Saint Matthew said
Examples
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Many stories in the Bible are attributed to Saint Matthew, who is traditionally seen as the author of the first Gospel.
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In the church, we learned about the teachings of Saint Matthew and his contribution to the Gospel.
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Saint Matthew is often depicted holding a book or a pen in religious art.
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Many churches are named after Saint Matthew to honor his legacy.
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The Gospel according to Saint Matthew is the first book of the New Testament.
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The teachings of Saint Matthew are central to Christianity.
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Did Saint Matthew really write the first Gospel?
Synonyms
One of Jesus' twelve followers who was a tax collector and is often said to have written the first Gospel
A follower of Jesus said to be the writer of the Gospel of Matthew
A follower of Jesus who people say wrote the first Gospel
One of the twelve followers of Jesus who is said to have written the first Gospel in the New Testament
A person who was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and is believed to have written the first Gospel
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally clear: 'saint' (a holy person) plus the proper name 'Matthew' yields 'a holy person named Matthew', so a learner who knows both words will understand it refers to a person called Matthew who is venerated. Detailed encyclopedic facts (that he is an apostle or Gospel author) require background knowledge, but the basic referential meaning is directly derivable and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
Saint Matthew was a tax collector who became one of Jesus' followers, and tradition says he wrote the first Gospel. He is often shown in pictures holding a book, so his name is linked to him as the 'author of the first Gospel'.