Editing Matthew the Apostle (section)

== In the Druze faith ==
[[Druze]] tradition honors several "mentors" and "prophets", and Matthew the Apostle is honored as a [[prophet]].<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> In the Druze tradition and doctrine, Matthew the Apostle is respected for his contributions to spiritual knowledge and guidance.<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> Druze doctrine teaches that [[Christianity]] is to be "esteemed and praised", as the [[Gospel]] writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.commentary.org/articles/ray-alan/on-the-horizon-the-strange-world-of-the-druzes/ |title=On the Horizon: The Strange World of the Druzes |date=20 January 1956 |magazine=Commentary Magazine}}</ref> 

The number 5 contains an unstated significance within the Druze faith; it is believed in this area that great prophets come in groups of five. In the time of the ancient Greeks, these five were represented by [[Pythagoras]], [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Parmenides]], and [[Empedocles]]. In the first century, the five were represented by [[Jesus Christ]],<ref name="Hitti 1928 37">{{cite book|title=The Origins of the Druze People and Religion: With Extracts from Their Sacred Writings| first= Philip K.|last= Hitti|year= 1928| isbn= 9781465546623| page =37 |publisher=Library of Alexandria}}</ref><ref name="Dana 2008 17">{{cite book|title=The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status| first= Nissim |last= Dana|year= 2008| isbn= 9781903900369| page =17 |publisher=Michigan University press}}</ref> [[John the Baptist]],<ref name="auto1">{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of the Druzes| first= Samy |last=Swayd|year= 2015| isbn= 978-1442246171| page =77 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield}}</ref> Saint Matthew, [[Saint Mark]], and [[Saint Luke]].<ref name="S. Swayd 2009 109"/> In the time of the faith's foundation, the five were [[Hamza ibn Ali|Hamza ibn Ali ibn Ahmad]], Muḥammad ibn Wahb al-Qurashī, Abū'l-Khayr Salama ibn Abd al-Wahhab al-Samurri, Ismāʿīl ibn Muḥammad at-Tamīmī, and [[Al-Muqtana Baha'uddin]].