Matthew was the apostle of the twelve. Before his conversion to Christ, Matthew served as a tax collector for Rome. When he heard the voice of Jesus Christ: "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9), he left his position and followed the Savior. Having received the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Matthew first preached in Palestine. Before leaving to preach in distant lands, at the request of the Jews who remained in Jerusalem, the apostle wrote the Gospel. 
In the series of books of the New Testament, the Gospel according to Matthew stands first. It is written in Hebrew. Matthew sets forth the Savior's speeches and deeds in accordance with the three sides of Christ's ministry: as a Prophet and Lawgiver, a King over the invisible and visible world and a High Priest offering Sacrifice for the sins of all people.
The Holy Apostle Matthew traveled with the gospel to Syria, Media, Persia and Parthia, ending his preaching labors with a martyr's death in Ethiopia. This country was inhabited by cannibal tribes with rude customs and beliefs. The Holy Apostle Matthew, by his preaching here, converted several idolaters to faith in Christ, founded a Church and built a temple in the city of Myrmena, and appointed his companion Plato as bishop in it. When the apostle earnestly prayed to God for the conversion of the Ethiopians, during prayer the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a young man and, giving him a rod, ordered him to plant it at the door of the temple. The Lord said that a tree would grow out of this rod and bear fruit, and a spring of water would flow from its root. Having washed in the water and tasted the fruits, the Ethiopians will change their wild disposition, become kind and meek. When the apostle was carrying the rod to the temple, he met on the way the wife and son of the ruler of this country Fulvian, possessed by an unclean spirit. The Holy Apostle healed them in the name of Jesus Christ. This miracle turned many more pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and stop worshipping pagan gods. He accused the apostle of witchcraft and ordered his execution. St. Matthew was laid face down, covered with brushwood and set on fire. When the bonfire broke out, everyone saw that the fire did not harm St. Matthew. Then Fulvian ordered to add firewood to the fire, pouring resin over it and placing twelve idols around it. But the flames melted the idols and scorched Fulvian. The terrified Ethiopian turned to the saint with a plea for mercy, and at the prayer of the apostle, the flames subsided. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord (60). The ruler Fulvian bitterly repented of what he had done, but did not leave his doubts. He ordered the body of St. Matthew to be placed in an iron coffin and thrown into the sea. At the same time, Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew preserves the apostle's body in water, as he preserved it in fire, then this One True God should be worshipped. That same night, the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Plato in a dream vision and ordered him to go with the clergy to the seashore and find his body there. Fulvian and his retinue also came ashore. The coffin carried out by the wave was honorably transferred to the temple built by the apostle. Then Fulvian asked Matthew for forgiveness, after which Bishop Plato baptized him with the name Matthew, which he gave him at the behest of God. Fulvian subsequently accepted the bishopric and continued the work of educating his people.