Matthias is a biblical figure and Apostle from the New Testament. Matthias was the first Apostle who was not a martyr, which means he did not witness the Resurrection of Christ. Like Paul and Barnabas, Matthias was not selected as an Apostle directly by Christ. While Paul and Barnabas were selected as Apostles by the assembly of the Church of Antioch, Matthias was selected by an assembly of 120 Christians. The Acts of Apostles, the part of the New Testament that tells of Matthias’s selection, was written some 80 years after Christ. For Hobbes, the further the writing of Holy Scripture gets from God and Christ, the more dubious its authorship and authority becomes.
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Matthias Character Timeline in Leviathan
The timeline below shows where the character Matthias appears in Leviathan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 42: Of POWER ECCLESIASTICALL
...by Christ to be martyrs—that is, to witness his Resurrection. The first non-martyr Apostle was Matthias, who was chosen by an assembly of 120 Christians, and then there was Paul and...
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...as bishops, as was any pastor, teacher, or doctor whose calling was Christ. As Apostles, Matthias, Paul, and Barnabas were authorized by the people, not Christ. Countless bishops were authorized in...
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