# Matthew, The Holy Evangelist, Nailed To The Ground, And Beheaded At Naddavar, Under King Hytacus, About A. D. 70.

c. 70 · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: MATTHEW, THE HOLY EVANGELIST, NAILED TO THE GROUND, AND BEHEADED AT NADDAVAR, UNDER KING HYTACUS, ABOUT A. D. 70.

Source heading; not independently verified

MATTHEW, THE EVANGELIST, BEHEADED AT NADAVAR.

Matthew, also called Levi, the son of Alpheus,
was a publican in Capernaum. The publicans were
detested by the Jews, because the latter did not
consider themselves justly bound to pay toll or
tribute to any foreign prince. Matt. 9:9; Mark
3:18; Luke 5:29. As touching the condition of
publicans at that time, it was such that they generally
exacted more from the people than was just;
on which account they were shunned by the pious,
so that open sinners, who were separated from the
church, were compared to publicans. Matt. 9:11;
18:17.

When Matthew, or Levi, was still unconverted,
and made his living in this unjust business, Christ
met him with his grace, and commanded him to
follow him as a disciple. Obeying through an inward
impulse, he forsook the custom-house, and,
having prepared a great feast for the occasion of
taking leave of his companions, he invited his fellow-publicans,
and also the Lord Jesus; apparently for
an adieu, that they might find opportunity to become
converted through the discourse of the Lord
Jesus.

After this, Matthew immediately forsook all, and
zealously followed his Lord, who had called him,
and who, after he had more fully instructed him,
placed him among the apostles, which office he,
too, exercised among the Jews, till the death of
Christ. Matt. 10:3; Luke 6:15.

Afterwards, when he was sent out to teach among
the heathen, Ethiopia fell to his lot. But before he
left Judea, he, through the illumination of the Holy
Spirit, wrote his Gospel, in the Hebrew language,
and left it to them. Euseb. lib. 5, cap. 1. Joh. Gys.
Niceph. lib. 3, cap. 20. Secund. J. Gys.

In Ethiopia he accomplished much, with teaching
as well as with miracles; and there he also left
unto posterity after his death his written Gospel,
from which it can easily be seen what faith he maintained,
namely, the faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, that he became a real man, through the power
of the Holy Ghost, in his mother Mary. Matt. 1st
chapter, throughout.

History states that immediately after the death of
King Aeglippus, who was attached to the Christians,
his successor Hytacus, an unbelieving heathen,
persecuted this apostle, and that at a certain
time, when this pious apostle of Christ was teaching
the church of God, he caused him to be apprehended
and, as some write, nailed to the ground,
and beheaded, in Naddavar, the capital of Ethiopia,
89where he is also buried, according to Venantius
Fortunatus, who wrote, over a thousand years ago,
“For the great city Naddavar shall restore to us at
the last day the eminent Apostle Matthew.” J. Gys.
in Hist. Mart., fol. 12, col. 2. Also, Konst-tooneel
van veertig, in the life of Matthew. Also,
P. J. Twisck, Bybelsch Næmbœck, fol. 65, col. 2,
letter M. This writer states that he was fastened to
the ground with darts, whereupon death ensued.
Joh. Gys., from Venantius Fortunatus, de Gaud.
Vitæ, lib. 7.

![Illustration from Martyrs’ Mirror](/sources/martyrs-mirror/images/i0181.jpg)



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