The tax collector and the priest: Matthew the Evangelist in the writings of Bede (c.673-735)

As the author of the first synoptic gospel in the Vulgate, Matthew the evangelist is one of the most important individuals in the Christian tradition. In the Middle Ages the evangelist was identified with the apostle of the same name. His focus on the teachings of Jesus was crucial for an Anglo-Saxon Church that was building its foundations. There was acute Anglo-Saxon interest in the Vulgate, particularly in Bede's monastery Wearmouth-Jarrow, as is evident from the production of three bibles under Ceolfrith's abbacy, one of which is still intact (the Codex Amiatinus). Bede was the most prolific Latin writer and foremost intellectual of the Anglo-Saxon period. This research project will explore the portrayal of Matthew the evangelist in Bede's exegetical, historical and homiletic writings. It will provide new insight into Bede's approach towards sin and conversion, as Bede interpreted Matthew's transition from tax collector to apostle as a model for contemporary sinners to emulate. Emphasis will be on the individual because Matthew had a definite personal for Bede, built up from a rich tradition of literature, especially hagiography, exegises and prefatory extexts in gospel manuscripts. In an exchange between Bede and Acca, who as bishop of Hexham was Bede's diocesan, Acca challenged Bede's association of Matthew with the symbol of the lion, which was contrary to Jerome's identification of the man, the accepted norm in Anglo-Saxon England. This exchange shows that Bede's portrayal of Matthew was a live issue in early Anglo-Saxon England. Since Bede was a crucial bridge between Late Antiquity and the Carolingian era, his theological views had a lasting impact. The project will therefore fill a gap in Anglo-Saxon studies but will also have relevance to the wider intellectual history of the Medieval Church.