Matthia
Matthia is an Old Church Slavic form of the name Matthias, itself a Greek variant of Matthew. The name ultimately derives from the Hebrew Mattithiah (מַתִּתְיָהוּ), meaning 'gift of Yahweh.' The Greek New Testament uses the form Ματθίας (Matthias) for the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:21–26). In Old Church Slavic—the oldest recorded Slavic language, used in liturgical contexts—the name was adapted as Matthia, reflecting the phonetic shifts typical of early Slavic translations of biblical texts.
Cultural and Historical Context
The name Matthias, and by extension Matthia, carries significant religious weight in Christianity. Saint Matthias, a disciple of Jesus, was chosen by lot to fill the vacancy among the Twelve Apostles. The name also appears among several kings of Hungary (in the form Mátyás), most notably Matthias Corvinus (1443–1490), who expanded the kingdom and is remembered for his cultural and legal reforms.
Related Names and Variants
Other linguistic forms of Matthia include Armenian Matevos, Basque Matia, English Matthew, German Matthias, and the biblical Hebrew forms Mattaniah and Mattithiah. The root Yahweh appears in the theophoric element of many of these names.
- Meaning: Gift of God / Gift of Yahweh
- Origin: Old Church Slavic (from Greek Matthias, from Hebrew Mattithiah)
- Type: First name (masculine)
- Usage: Historically used in Slavic-speaking Orthodox Christian communities; rare today
Roots
Other Languages & Cultures
User Submissions
Sources: Wiktionary — Matthia