São Matias
Apostle Matthias
Matias (também conhecido como São Matias na Igreja Católica) foi escolhido pelos onze discípulos restantes para substituir o traidor, Judas Iscariotes, antes da ressurreição de Jesus.
The scriptural recommendation was for twelve disciples, and so Apóstolo Pedro declared that they must choose another disciple to take the place of Judas Iscariotes.
Matthias foi escolhido como o décimo segundo apóstolo, pois ele estava presente com Jesus Cristo durante seu tempo na Terra, bem como por meio de sua crucificação.
Enquanto dois homens foram escolhidos para ocupar o décimo segundo lugar nos apóstolos, sortes foram sorteados e Matias foi escolhido como o décimo segundo e último apóstolo.
Quem foi São Matias?
According to the biblical “Acts of Apostles 1:21; Acts of Apostles 1:22; Acts of Apostles 1:23; Acts of Apostles 1:24; Acts of Apostles 1:25; Acts of Apostles 1:26,” Saint Matthias was a disciple chosen by the apostles as a replacement for Judas Iscariot after the latter’s betrayal of Jesus Christ. It was important that the community endured even after the crucifixion to spread the Christian faith all around the world, and it was crucial that the number of apostles remained 12, as 12 was the number of tribes of Israel and a twelfth apostle was required for the coming of the new Israel.
O próprio Jesus escolheu os 12 apóstolos originais, e o resto dos apóstolos escolheram São Matias após a Ascensão. Eles votaram por sorteio e escolheram Matias.
There is no further information about him in the New Testament. It is believed that Matthias placed his faith in Jesus Christ above everything else and was present with the other apostles at Pentecost. He embraced all the teachings of Jesus and sacrificed his life for the service of the Lord, even after being persecuted by many.
He also worked many miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus, which converted many to the Christian faith. He is a patron of carpenters, tailors, and those who are affected by smallpox.
Infância e início da vida
Saint Matthias was born in the 1st century AD, at Judaea. In his early youth, he studied the Law of God under Saint Simeon. According to the acts, it is said that Matthias had accompanied the Lord from the time of his baptism and was among the 72 disciples paired off and dispatched by Jesus.
O Evangelho de Matias
O Evangelho de Matias é um texto perdido que afirma ter sido escrito por Matias. A igreja primitiva tinha opiniões mistas sobre sua autenticidade, e só sabemos sobre isso pelos escritos de outras pessoas.
Clement of Alexandria quotes it while describing a heretical sect of Christianity known as the Nicolaitanes—whose teachings John the Revelator claims Jesus hated (Revelation 2:6)—telling us it says,
“Devemos combater a nossa carne, não dar valor a ela e não conceder a ela nada que a possa lisonjear, mas antes aumentar o crescimento de nossa alma pela fé e pelo conhecimento”.
Clement of Alexandria
Eusébio afirmou que também foi escrito por hereges. Mas sem o texto em si, é impossível dizer que valor ele teria.
Missionary
As one of the Twelve, Matthias was an apostle, which meant he was charged with preaching the gospel and helping it spread throughout the known world. The word we translate as an apostle (Apostolos) literally means “one who is sent,” and all of the apostles were sent somewhere. But where exactly Matthias went depends on which tradition you follow.
Ministry
Segundo a tradição, acredita-se que, após a descida do Espírito Santo, Matias ministrou e pregou o Evangelho em Jerusalém e na Judéia com os outros apóstolos.
De Jerusalém, foi para a Antioquia síria e esteve presente na cidade de Titânio e Sinope. Durante seu tempo aqui, São Matias foi preso, mas foi libertado milagrosamente porSanto André, o Primeiro Chamado. Depois disso, ele viajou para a cidade de Amasea, que ficava na costa do Mar Cáspio.
He accompanied Apostle Andrew during a three-year journey and was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to tradition, he preached at Pontine Ethiopia (presently known as Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was constantly persecuted by the people there but kept preaching the Gospel to them.
Em uma versão da história, os pontinos etíopes eram considerados pagãos e bárbaros e forçaram o santo a beber veneno. Mas ele permaneceu ileso porque tinha a proteção do Senhor e até mesmo curou outros prisioneiros que ficaram cegos pelo veneno.
São Matias saiu da prisão, o que enfureceu os pagãos que o procuravam em vão. Eles pretendiam matar o santo e, de acordo com a história, a terra se abriu e os engolfou.
After this, he returned to Judaea and continued enlightening his countrymen about Christ’s teachings. He also told them how he was able to perform miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus and motivated many to have faith in Christ.
Isso enfureceu o sumo sacerdote judeu Ananias, que odiava a Cristo. Ele já havia ordenado a execução do apóstolo Tiago no passado e decidiu prender Matias. O santo foi levado para julgamento perante o Sinédrio em Jerusalém.
Durante a audiência, o sumo sacerdote Ananias caluniou o Senhor com um discurso blasfemo. Mas Matias, usando as profecias do Antigo Testamento, explicou que Jesus Cristo é “o Deus verdadeiro, o Messias prometido, o Filho de Deus, Consubstancial e Coeterno com Deus Pai”.
Reflexão
Qual foi a santidade de Matias? Obviamente, ele era adequado para o apostolado pela experiência de estar com Jesus desde seu batismo até sua ascensão. Ele também deve ter sido adequado pessoalmente, ou ele não teria sido nomeado para uma responsabilidade tão grande.
Não devemos nos lembrar que a santidade fundamental de Matias foi receber com alegria a relação com o Pai oferecida a ele por Jesus e completada pelo Espírito Santo?
Se os apóstolos são os fundamentos de nossa fé por seu testemunho, eles também devem ser lembretes, mesmo que apenas implicitamente, que a santidade é inteiramente uma questão da dádiva de Deus, e é oferecida a todos, nas circunstâncias cotidianas da vida. Recebemos, e mesmo para isso Deus fornece o poder da liberdade.
Morte e Legado
De acordo com Nicéforo, São Matias foiapedrejado até a mortena Etiópia (atual Geórgia). Um copta existente “Atos de André e Matias,” valida esta história. Uma lápide colocada sobre as ruínas da fortaleza romana de Gônia afirma que o santo está sepultado naquele local.
The Synopsis of Dorotheus also talks about a similar story. It claims that Matthias was preaching the Gospel in the sea harbor of Hyssus and at the mouth of the river Phasis. He died at Sebastopolis and was buried near the Temple of the Sun.
Em outra tradição, São Matias foi apedrejado pelo povo de Jerusalém depois de enfurecer Ananias. Após sua morte, ele foi decapitado pelos judeus para esconder seu crime. Seus assassinos então o rotularam como um inimigo de César. Segundo Hipólito de Roma, o santo morreu de velhice em Jerusalém.
It is said that Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine I, brought the saint’s remains to Italy. Part of these relics was placed in the Abbey of Santa Giustina and the remaining in the Abbey of St. Matthias.
The Latin Church celebrates the feast of Saint Matthias on the 14th of May, and the Greek Church celebrates it on the 9th of August.
Key Takeaway
Matthias, whose name means “gift of God”, was the disciple chosen to replace Judas as one of the twelve Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles state that he was also one of the 72 disciples that the Lord Jesus sent out to preach the good news. Matthias was with the Lord since His Baptism, and was “a witness to Christ’s Resurrection,” according to St. Peter in Acts. He remained with Jesus until His Ascension.
De acordo com várias tradições, Matias pregou na Capadócia, em Jerusalém, nas margens do Mar Cáspio (na atual Turquia) e na Etiópia. Diz-se que ele encontrou a morte por crucificação em Cólquida ou por apedrejamento em Jerusalém.
Há evidências citadas em alguns dos primeiros pais da Igreja de que havia um Evangelho de acordo com Matias em circulação, mas desde então foi perdido e foi declarado apócrifo pelo Papa Gelásio.
He is invoked for assistance against alcoholism, and support from recovered alcoholics.
Characteristics
The remaining eleven disciples chose characteristics of Saint Matthias to replace the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, before Jesus’ resurrection. According to the characteristics of the 12 apostles, it was believed that these twelve witnesses would represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, these followers of Christ gathered together to cast lots between two candidates: Joseph called Barsabas (Justus), and Matthias.
Missionary
As one of the Twelve, Matthias was an apostle, which meant he was charged with preaching the gospel and helping it spread throughout the known world. The word we translate as Apostle (Apostolos) means “one who is sent,” and all of the apostles were sent somewhere. But where exactly Matthias went depends on which tradition you follow.
Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos was a fourteenth-century historian who built on the work of his predecessors and had access to important texts that no longer exist. He claimed Matthias preached in Judea, then Aethiopia (modern-day Georgia).
One of the Seventy
In the Gospel of Luke, we learn that Jesus appointed 70 disciples (or depending on the manuscript, 72) to spread the gospel in pairs of two; these believers were sent out to test the hospitality of the towns Jesus was heading to and gauge their receptiveness to the gospel.
They were given the authority to heal the sick and cast out demons (Luke 10:9, Luke 10:17), and they preached the gospel.
Interestingly, Luke is the only gospel writer to mention them, and he doesn’t tell us their names (that’d be about as thrilling to read as Matthew’s genealogy).
While that saves us from slogging through seventy (or seventy-two) names of people we’d likely never read about again, it also, unfortunately, prevents us from learning about these important early followers of Jesus. They were probably leaders in the first-century church.
Witness the Resurrection
The first qualification is laid out in verse 22:
‘He must become a witness with us of His resurrection.’
This is interesting phrasing as he would have witnessed the resurrection having been with Jesus from baptism to ascension.
I think the emphasis here is that he must be prepared to become united with them in their witness. Given that the atmosphere of the church was one of unity and prayer, the new person needed to commit to this and become a witness ‘with us.’ There was no space here for a different plan.
This was a group of people that would be witnessing the resurrection amidst opposition. The church would be staking its reputation on the resurrection of Jesus. This crucial doctrine was foundational teaching, and the new member of the Twelve needed to be prepared to witness this.
Purity of Heart
A shortlist of two men is drawn up. Both, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias are ideal candidates. The final decision is committed to God in prayer before lots are drawn. God is addressed as the One ‘who knows the hearts of all men’ or the ‘heart-knower, and He is asked to choose the man He wants.
Ultimately, this is both the most important characteristic of the new Apostle and the one most hidden from us. Who can know the real motives of a man’s heart? Only God. He alone knows our hidden and deep motives. The fact that Matthias is selected speaks volumes of his character.
So Matthias, a man of exemplary character and a persevering witness of the resurrection, is selected by lot and is ‘added to the eleven apostles. Exciting times are ahead for all the apostles as the church is birthed at Pentecost and established throughout the known world.
Perseverance
The last qualification is that he must be one of ‘the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us – beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us’. He must have been present throughout Jesus’ ministry.
This was a new movement and the people who were to ensure that the church got off the ground needed to be people who had seen the whole story unfold. They needed to have been part of what was going on when Jesus was conducting His earthly ministry. They needed to be people who could answer the cynics who questioned who Jesus was.
They needed to be people who could accurately report what Jesus had taught so that they could combat any dubious perversions of His teaching. They needed to be people who Jesus had commissioned to go out preaching the message of the kingdom and healing the sick.
This was an issue of credibility and was important since the new church was being established in an atmosphere of hostility. The individual who was chosen therefore needed to have proven that they had perseverance and not left Jesus when the teaching became difficult or when opposition from the authorities had come.
Summary Characteristics
Before 120 followers of Christ, Peter gave an account of the life, ministry, and death of Judas Iscariotes. Because of the loss of Judas, a replacement was to fill the gap within the original twelve disciples. It was necessary to select one who had known them since the Lord’s baptism by John to the resurrection of the Son of Man.
“And they drew lots for them, and the lots fell to Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles”
Acts 1:26
Many believe that Barsabbas and Matthias were among the seventy disciples who were sent out to proclaim the gospel (Luke 10:1). However, neither one has been mentioned again in Scripture, nor is there any account for their later ministries.
Read more about Saint Matthias in the Bible.
Resources Characteristics of Saint Matthias
https://www.exploringlifesmysteries.com/twelve-disciples/#thaddeus
https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/apostles.cfm
https://overviewbible.com/matthias-the-apostle/
Conclusão Saint Matthias
The Bible tells us almost nothing about Matthias. But what we do know is that he’d been following Jesus from the beginning despite not receiving a personal invitation, like the membros originais dos Doze. E se Matias ser um apóstolo foi o desígnio de Deus ou de Pedro, ele se tornou um líder integral na igreja do primeiro século e desempenhou um papel importante na divulgação do evangelho por todo o mundo.
Recursos
https://overviewbible.com/matthias-the-apostle/
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/saint-matthias-37245.php
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-matthias