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Saint Matthew

Saint Matthew

1 4.7
One of Jesus's twelve followers in the Bible, often shown holding a book
  • proper noun
translation icon : San Mateo
  • Saint Matthew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, known for his role in the New Testament.
  • Saint Matthew said

Examples

  • Many stories in the Bible are attributed to Saint Matthew, who is traditionally seen as the author of the first Gospel.

  • In the church, we learned about the teachings of Saint Matthew and his contribution to the Gospel.

  • Saint Matthew is often depicted holding a book or a pen in religious art.

  • Many churches are named after Saint Matthew to honor his legacy.

  • The Gospel according to Saint Matthew is the first book of the New Testament.

  • The teachings of Saint Matthew are central to Christianity.

  • Did Saint Matthew really write the first Gospel?

Synonyms

Levi
vsSaint Matthew
61 7.9

A follower of Jesus said to be the writer of the Gospel of Matthew

uses a title form instead of the original personal name
Matthew
vsSaint Matthew
26 1.7

One of Jesus' twelve followers who was a tax collector and is often said to have written the first Gospel

uses the honor title instead of the simple personal name
Saint Matthew the Apostle
vsSaint Matthew
7.0

A person who was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and is believed to have written the first Gospel

uses a title form rather than specifying the disciple role
St. Matthew the Apostle
vsSaint Matthew
7.6

One of the twelve followers of Jesus who is said to have written the first Gospel in the New Testament

uses the longer honor name instead of the abbreviation
St. Matthew
vsSaint Matthew
4.1

A follower of Jesus who people say wrote the first Gospel

uses the more formal full label rather than the informal form

Surface Forms

Morphology

saint + Matthew

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'.