matthias Summary and Overview

gift of God. Acts 1:23.

(gift of God), the apostle elected to fill the place of the traitor Judas. #Ac 1:26| All beyond this that we know of him for certainty is that he had been a constant attendant upon the Lord Jesus during the whole course of his ministry; for such was declared by St. Peter to be the necessary qualification of one who was to be a witness of the resurrection. It is said that he preached the gospel and suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia.

MATTHI'AS (gift of Jehovah), a disciple of Christ, and a constant attendant on his travels and ministry from their commencement until his ascension, was appointed by lot to supply the vacancy in the company of the twelve apostles occasioned by the apostasy of Judas. Acts 1:21 et seq. Of his afterlife and ministry nothing is known with certainty. According to one tradition, he preached in Ethiopia and suffered martyrdom there; according to another, he labored in Judaea and was stoned by the Jews.

Elected to the apostleship instead of Judas the traitor. One "of those which companied with Jesus' disciples all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them" (Acts 1:21-26). frontAPOSTLES.) The 120 disciples nominated ("appointed") two, Joseph Barsabas and Matthias, having the requirements. (See JOSEPH BARSABAS.) The choice between the two was committed in prayer to the Searcher of hearts; lots were then cast, in accordance with Leviticus 16:8; Proverbs 16:33, and Matthias chosen. frontLOTS.) As yet the apostles had not received the full gift of the Holy Spirit. After His descent on Pentecost casting of lots was never repeated, as "the discerning of spirits" in the church made it no longer needful. Eusebius (H. E. i. 12) and Epiphanius (i. 20) make Matthias to have been of the 70 disciples.