What Do We Know About Matthias?

An individual once asked me, “Do you know of any sources of information about Matthias? The Bible doesn’t say anything about him outside of Acts 1. This is always something I’ve wondered about, and it just struck me to ask.”

Matthias was the apostle elected to fill the place of the traitor Judas (Acts 1:26). Beyond that fact, we know that he had been a constant disciple of the Lord during the course of His ministry, and was a witness of His resurrection – being one of the conditions of election (Acts 1:21-22).

Tradition numbers him among the 70 (Luke 10:1), and says that he preached the gospel and suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia.

The following additional sources will add some information regarding Matthias:

• ISBE - Matthias
• The “Twelve”?
• Answers.com – Saint Matthias

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets