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
A follower of Jesus said to be the writer of the Gospel of Matthew
One of Jesus' twelve followers who was a tax collector and is often said to have written the first Gospel
A person who was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and is believed to have written the first Gospel
One of the twelve followers of Jesus who is said to have written the first Gospel in the New Testament
A follower of Jesus who people say wrote 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'.