In Matthew 9:9 it says Jesus called Matthew a tax collector whereas in Mark 2:14 it says Jesus called Levi the son of Alphaeus. My confusion is over why there is a name difference. Are they the same? -- Verkeys & Anny Francis (Bangalore)
You are right: Levi and Matthew are one and the same! It was quite common for a Jew to have both a Hebrew name (Levi) and a Greek/Roman one (Matthew).
For more on this, may I recommend William S. McBirnie's The Search for the Twelve Apostles (Wheaton: Tyndale 1976). The book is somewhat out of date and speculative but contains many accounts of the lives, names, travels and impact of all the apostles (even Thomas' work in South India!).
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