CHOSEN IN PLACE OF JUDAS

Matthias

“the lot fell upon Matthias”

Chosen by lot to take Judas's place among the Twelve.

VERSES THAT NAME HIM

RECORD OF FOLLOWING JESUS

NAMED BESIDE HIM

SOURCES OUTSIDE SCRIPTURE on how it ends

HIS LIFE IN FOUR PARTS

How much does Scripture tell?

Chosen by lot to take Judas's place among the Twelve. Scripture gives no years for his life, so the ring is divided by how much is recorded: 3 records of what he did or what was said to him, one bead each. The last part is tradition and is drawn dashed. Choose a part to read it.

III · ACTS AND THE LETTERS

The church in Acts

  • Numbered with the eleven Acts 1:26
  • Never named again Acts 2:14

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER

Where is he named?

One square for each chapter of the books that name Matthias: 2 verses in 1 chapter. The darker the square, the more verses in it name him. Choose a chapter to read what happens there.

THE GOSPELS AND ACTS

ACTS 1

2 verses name him

And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

WHAT HAPPENS HERE

  • With Jesus from John's baptism to the ascension (the condition he met)
  • Numbered with the eleven

No verse in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John names him.

CHAPTER I · BEFORE THE CALL

Before Acts 1

Home, trade and family · nothing recorded

HOME, TRADE AND FAMILY

Scripture gives no home, trade or family for him

Scripture never names Matthias in the Gospels; Peter's condition implies he had followed Jesus from John's baptism to the ascension (Acts 1:21-22).

CHAPTER II · WITH JESUS

The condition he met

Only the condition Peter set (Acts 1:21–22) · 1 record

SCRIPTURE · ACTS 1:21–22

With Jesus from John's baptism to the ascension (the condition he met)

Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

NAMED WITH HIM

John the Baptist

PASSAGE

Acts 1:21–22

CHAPTER III · THE CHURCH IN ACTS

Chosen by lot

Acts and the letters · 2 records

SCRIPTURE · ACTS 1:26

Numbered with the eleven

And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

He “was numbered with the eleven apostles”.

PASSAGE

Acts 1:26

FROM THE TEXT · ACTS 2:14

Never named again

¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

From then on Acts speaks of Peter “standing up with the eleven” and of “the twelve” (Acts 2:14; 6:2), a number that now includes him, but it never names him again.

PASSAGE

Acts 2:14·Acts 6:2

CHAPTER IV · AFTER SCRIPTURE

After Scripture

Tradition, by who said it and when · 5 sources

SCRIPTURE FIRST

What Scripture says of his end

Scripture does not mention him after Acts 1:26.

From the text Acts 1:26

THEN TRADITION · 5 SOURCES, EARLIEST FIRST

  • c. 200 Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.13; quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.29.4 Early church
  • c. 325 Eusebius, Church History 1.12.3 and 3.25.6 Early church
  • 8th c. Acts of Andrew and Matthias (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8) Later tradition
  • 4th c. The Contendings of the Apostles (Ethiopic), trans. Budge, pp. 289-294 Later tradition
  • date unknown Nicephorus Callistus, as reported by McGiffert Later tradition

Each is labelled with who said it and when; none is blended into Scripture.

THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM

Who was with him?

Every record of Matthias in Scripture, in story order (the Gospels in the order of Robertson's harmony, then Acts and the letters). A person counts as "with him" only where a verse of that record names them both. 1 person in all.

named in the passage from first to last mention Point at a column to see what happens; click it to keep it (click again to let go); choose a name to follow that person.

II · WITH JESUS

With Jesus from John's baptism to the ascension (the condition he met)

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

NAMED WITH HIM HERE

  • John the Baptist Acts 1:22

SIDE BY SIDE

One moment, several accounts

No moment of Matthias's story is told by more than one book: Acts alone tells how he was chosen.

And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

NEAR AND FAR

Where was he?

3 places named in his story, with what happened there and how far each lies from Jerusalem. Tradition's places are dashed, with who placed him there and when. Choose a card or a pin.

Scroll to zoom · drag to move · the map stays on his places Land outline: the Atlas (Natural Earth)

OPEN QUESTIONS

What readers still ask

2 questions the reviewed sources leave open for Matthias, with the answers given and who gives them, and 3 things Scripture does not say, in italic. Choose one.

AN IDENTIFICATION THIS PAGE RELIES ON · THE IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

Was Matthias Nathanael?

Hilgenfeld identified Matthias with Nathanael, as Kerr reports (ISBE, 1915). This page does not rely on that link.

Scholars C. M. Kerr, 1915

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