You are strongly recommended to add to your library the excellent revised edition of Harper's Bible Dictionary titled, The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition [book review], edited by Paul J. Achtemeier, with the Society of Biblical Literature (NY: Harper Collins, 1996). It is currently the best one-volume Bible dictionary in English, and it is available at Border's Books, Christian Science Reading Rooms, http://www.borders.com, or http://www.christianbook.com.

Matthias, according to Acts 1:15-26, the successor among the Twelve Apostles to Judas Iscariot. After prayer, Matthias was chosen by lot over another candidate, Joseph called Barsabbas. According to Acts, both men had been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry until his ascension. The nt contains no other reference to Matthias.