“St. Matthias” – Peter Paul Rubens (1611).
After the defection of Judas , St. Peter’s in a “general assembly of the faithful” declared the need for a 12th apostle. This was after the Ascension. With all the questions, doubts, and dangers facing them, they chose to focus their attention on finding a twelfth apostle. Why was this important? Twelve was a very important number to the Chosen People: twelve was the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. If the new Israel was to come from the disciples of Jesus, a twelfth apostle was needed.
One hundred and twenty people were gathered for prayer and reflection in the upper room, when Peter stood up to propose the way to make the choice.
Peter had one criterion, that, like Andrew, James, John, and himself, the new apostle be someone who had been a disciple from the very beginning, from his baptism by John until the Ascension. The reason for this was simple, the new apostle would must become a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. He must have followed Jesus before anyone knew him, stayed with him when he made enemies, and believed in him when he spoke of the cross and of eating his body — teachings that had made others melt away.
Two were considered as most worthy of the dignity, Joseph, called Barsabas, and, on account of his extraordinary piety, surnamed the Just, and Matthias. Matthias was chosen by lot and we celebrate his day on Feb. 25. Clement of Alexandria says that Matthias, like all the other apostles, was not chosen by Jesus for what he already was, but for what Jesus foresaw he would become. He was elected not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy
Matthias was one of the disciples about which little was written. However, the Book of Acts records that he had been a consistent follower from Jesus baptism until the Ascension. We do know that he was present at the Pentecost.
The tradition of the Greeks is that St. Matthias spread the faith about Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a region of Turkey on the central east side known for its plateau with volcanic peaks. During the Pentecost the Cappodocians were named as one group hearing the Gospel on Pentecost in their own language.
He also was a missionary on the Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed inland body of water. Matthias worked in a region in northeast corner of the sea where the Battle of Issus has been fought between Macedonia (Greece) and Persia, 300 years earlier. The latter who had created one of the largest empires in what is today Iran were destroyed in this battle.
There is controversy about his death. One tradition is that he was stoned to death in Georgia. Alternatively, another tradition maintains that Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem by the Jews, and then beheaded According to Hippolytus of Rome, Matthias died of old age in Jerusalem. He is depicted in art holding an ax.