Not everyone agrees in identifying Matthew with Levi, the tax collector, son of Alphaeus (the Gospels themselves do not make the identification explicit). Yet ancient Christian tradition generally supports this view.
Tradition is also not unanimous regarding his missionary work after the Ascension. Some sources speak of Parthia, others of Persia, and still others of Ethiopia (this last location is preferred in the Roman Martyrology). According to legend, Matthew converted Iphigenia, daughter of the king of Ethiopia—herself honored as a virgin saint on this same day. Clement of Alexandria records the belief that Matthew, like some of the apostles, did not die as a martyr. This contrasts with the later tradition followed by the Martyrology and its sources, which affirm that he was indeed crowned by martyrdom.
The relics of the holy Evangelist are said to have been transferred to Paestum and from there to Salerno in the 10th century. His feast on September 21 is of ancient and Western origin (already found in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum). In the Byzantine and Syriac liturgies, however, Matthew is honored on November 16, while the Coptic tradition celebrates him on October 9.
