Levi or Matthew?
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
One of the incongruencies of the Bible is in the identities of the Apostles. Jesus (a.s.) had twelve Apostles, but the various gospels throw up many more names. For example, we consider two identical passages, from the synoptic Gospels according to Matthew and Mark:
Matthew
9:9
9 As he passed further on his way, Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at work in the customs-house, and said to him, “Follow me”; and Matthew rose from his place and followed him.
9 Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, Μαθθαῖον λεγόμενον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, ἀκολούθει μοι. καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ.
9 Et, cum transiret inde Jesus, vidit hominem sedentem in telonio, Matthæum nomine. Et ait illi: Sequere me. Et surgens, secutus est eum.
Mark
1:14
14 And as he passed further on, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at work in the customs-house, and said to him, “Follow me”; and he rose up and followed him.
14 καὶ παράγων εἶδεν Λευὶν τὸν τοῦ Ἁλφαίου καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: ἀκολούθει μοι. καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ.
14 Et cum præteriret, vidit Levi Alphæi sedentem ad telonium, et ait illi: Sequere me. Et surgens secutus est eum.
Apologists would claim that this is
another name for Matthew, but we have no real evidence to that. Some sources have claimed that the Gospel
according to Mark was originally known as the Gospel according to Levi, but
this was changed to further distance Christianity from its Jewish roots.
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