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By Tyson Thorne

May 7, 2014
 
 

Matthias large

Little is known about the man who took Judas’s place among the 12. From Acts chapter one we know that he was a follower and disciple of Jesus from the beginning, though not one of the 12 called by Christ. He witnessed the baptism of the Savior and partook in his public ministry. Early church historians Jerome and Eusebius both maintain that Matthias was among the 70 whom Jesus sent out in pairs to prepare surrounding cities for his arrival, though he is not named in this context by the gospel writers. In fact he is not mentioned by name before or after this singular event. I suppose when replacing someone who was infamous for all the wrong reasons, it may be best to have a low profile. Even so, as important as this appointment was one would think we’d have heard a little more of his story.

It may be that Luke doesn’t mention Matthias because the newest apostle stayed behind in Jerusalem to attend to the ministry there, while Luke joined others on their missionary journeys. Luke would not have been privy to the work Matthias contributed as a result of these travels.

While not mentioned by name, we know of at least two important disputes in the early church that Matthias would have weighed in on. In Acts 11 and in Acts 15 we can presume Matthias is among the “apostles” consulted when opposition arose to the Gentiles receiving the gospel and when some pious Messianic Jews attempted to require the Gentiles to adhere to the Mosaic Law. The decisions reached in these cases may well attest to the wisdom of Matthias.

What happened to Matthias later in life is likely lost to history. There are three stories about his fate, the least authenticated states he remained in Jerusalem preaching the name of Jesus and was stoned by devout Jews. If Matthias did indeed stay in Jerusalem, this is a likely fate. However, the other two tales agree that Matthias eventually left Jerusalem on his own missionary journey into what is modern day Turkey and the shores of the Caspian Sea. There he ministered to a civilization of cannibals performing many miraculous signs including drinking snake venom without adverse effect, healing those who were also forced to drink the venom, and even vanishing from his captors sight. As for his death, one account says he was crucified, the other that he was beheaded and dismembered. Since crucifixion is a Roman form of execution, this is an unlikely form of death for the region he was ministering in. The last account fits the culture of the area and age of the northeastern region of Turkey, as the halberd was a common weapon. A halberd is something like a spear, with the end holding a sharpened blade for stabbing, and two blades protruding from either side – one for chopping the other for slicing. Unfortunately the Bible does not give us an account so any story regarding his life and death is suspect.

AncientHalberd
The business end of an ancient halberd. This
would have been slid over the end of a long
pole and used as a spear or in hand-to-hand
combat. It was also useful as a staff when
traveling and a tool when camping or hunting.