Matthew’s Missionary Journeys

The Apostle Matthew, the son of Alphaeus, was the brother of the Apostle James. For about 15 years after Pentecost, he stayed in Jerusalem and surrounding areas preaching the Gospel and supporting the faithful there. Then he travelled extensively in Syria, Macedonia, Media, Persia, Parthia and Ethiopia. In those regions he established churches, underwent many tortures, thirst, hunger and scourgings, which he endured with the help of God.

Though it is known that Matthew went to “Ethiopia” and suffered martyrdom there around 68 AD, it should be noted that it is not modern Ethiopia that is being referred to here. The Greek word “Aethiops” refers to people with black skin, thus “Aethiopia” refers more generally to the land where the black-skinned people lived. This is most likely a reference to the area from southern Egypt to northern Sudan or even more generally, everywhere south of Egypt.

According to Church tradition, while preaching in Ethiopia, Matthew converted, and then consecrated to God, Ephigenia of Ethiopia, the virgin daughter of King Egippus. When King Hirtacus succeeded Egippus, he asked the Apostle if he could persuade Ephigenia to marry him. Matthew thus invited King Hirtacus to liturgy the following Sunday, where he rebuked him for lusting after the girl, as she was a nun and therefore was the bride of Christ. The enraged King thus ordered his bodyguard to kill Matthew while he stood at the altar.