/Bartholomew the Apostle/

Today is the feast day of St. Bartholomew the Apostle.  Saint Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles and was introduced to Jesus through St. Philip.  Unfortunately, not very much is known about St. Bartholomew compared to some of the others Apostles.  We do know that he was martyred by being flayed alive in Armenia, which means that we can assume he preached and evangelized in the area.  Here are some possible facts about the little known Apostle, St. Bartholomew.

Could St. Batholomew have written a Gospel? –  St. Bartholomew the Apostle might have written a Gospel account of the life of Jesus.  This Gospel has not survived to the present day but it is mentioned in the writings of others.  Whether or not he actually wrote the Gospel account attributed to him is a matter of debate.

 Could Nathaniel and St. Bartholomew be the same person? –  Some think that Nathaniel is another possible name of St. Bartholomew the Apostle.  If Nathaniel is the same person as Saint Bartholomew then he is from Cana.

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle is the patron saint against nervous diseases and twitching.  St. Bartholomew medals are a great way to honor the mysterious saint.  If your loved one struggles with any sort of mental issues, then a St. Bartholomew medal might ease their stress and remind them to invoke the love and grace of the Lord through the prayer and intercession of St. Bartholomew.  Who is your favorite Apostle?

A blessed feast of Saint Bartholomew! Like many of the Apostles, we don’t know all that much about the life of today’s saint. Our Tradition identifies Bartholomew with the ‘Nathaniel’ – which means ‘God has given’ – the enigmatic figure in the first chapter of Saint John’s Gospel:

When the Apostle Philip approached Nathaniel, declaring that he had found the One Who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, of whom Moses spoke, ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, the same Nathaniel is the one who asked that famous question, applied to any number of backwater villages across the world: ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’.

But along he went with Philip, and when Christ saw Nathaniel, He declared him to ‘be without guile (dolos, in Greek)’. Nathaniel was taken aback: How do you know me? Christ opaquely replied that He had seen him ‘under the fig tree’. Whatever happened under said tree, Nathaniel then makes what seems like a metaphysical quantum leap: ‘Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel‘!, echoing the confession of Faith of Peter and, later, Thomas. From whatever motive, Bartholomew-Nathaniel seems to have been converted then and there. Perhaps it was his very lack of guile, or deceit, that allowed him to be so transparent to the supernatural, and amenable to the transcendent truth of our Faith.

St. Bartholomew is in a sense the “unknown Apostle,” and for this reason, he can serve as a patron saint for almost all of us. Most of us will never become famous or important in the eyes of the world, but this matters little; all of us are perfectly known, and infinitely important, in the eyes of God. The simple, everyday lives we lead can, if we offer them to God, become ways of helping bring about His Kingdom. St. Bartholomew isn’t as well known as Peter, John, Thomas, or some of the other Apostles; what matters is that he responded wholeheartedly to God’s call.

The name (Bartholomaios) means "son of Talmai" (or Tholmai) which was an ancient Hebrew name, borne, e.g. by the King of Gessur whose daughter was a wife of David (II Kings 3:3). It shows, at least, that Bartholomew was of Hebrew descent; it may have been his genuine proper name or simply added to distinguish him as the son of Talmai. Outside the instances referred to, no other mention of the name occurs in the New Testament.

Saint Bartholomew, (flourished 1st century AD—died unknown date, traditionally Albanopolis, Armenia; Western feast day August 24; date varies in Eastern churches), one of the Twelve Apostles.

Apart from the mentions of him in four of the Apostle lists (Mark 3:18, Matt. 10:3, Luke 6:14, and Acts 1:13), nothing is known about him from the New Testament. Bartholomew is a family name meaning “son of [Hebrew: bar] Tolmai, or Talmai,” so he may have had another personal name. For that reason and because he was always associated with St. Philip the Apostle in the Gospel lists, a 9th-century tradition identified him with Nathanael, who, according to John 1:43–51, was called with Philip by Jesus. Upon seeing Nathanael, Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” This identification sought to explain how the otherwise unknown Bartholomew could be mentioned in the Apostle lists, while Nathanael, whose call is explicitly described by John, does not figure in them. His full name would then be Nathanael bar Tolmai.

The 4th-century Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea in his Ecclesiastical History relates that, when the 2nd-century teacher St. Pantaenus of Alexandria made a visit to India, he found a Hebrew copy of The Gospel According to Matthew, which had been left behind there by Bartholomew. Traditionally, Bartholomew also served as a missionary to Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia (in modern Iran), Lycaonia (in modern Turkey), and Armenia. The apostle is said to have been martyred by flaying and beheading at the command of the Armenian king Astyages. His relics were supposedly taken to the Church of St. Bartholomew-in-the-Tiber, Rome.

Bartholomew was one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus Christ. In the entire New Testament, his name only appears in the four lists of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, Acts 1:1–13). He’s never given any distinguishing qualities or titles, so aside from his name, we know almost nothing about him.

Known as “the apostles” or “ones who were sent,” Bartholomew and the other disciples witnessed Jesus’ ministry for about three years. After Jesus’ death, they began the movement which became known as Christianity. This makes Bartholomew one of the most important and authoritative leaders of the early church, and he likely helped spread the gospel to particular regions during the first century—but he’s never explicitly mentioned or singled out in any of the epistles.

Since Bartholomew is never mentioned in the Gospel of John, and a man named Nathanael (who doesn’t appear in the synoptic gospels) appears to be an apostle (John 21:1–2), some traditions have assumed Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. Many modern scholars disagree, and believe Bartholomew and Nathanael were two separate people.

One of the Twelve Apostles. Probably a close friend of Saint Philip; Bartholomew’s name is always mentioned in the Gospels in connection with Philip, and it was Philip who brought Bartholomew to Jesus. May have written a gospel, now lost; it is mentioned in other writings of the time. May have preached in Asia Minor, Ethiopia, India and Armenia; some one did, leaving behind assorted writings, and local tradition says it was Bartholomew. Martyr.

While the Bible only gives us his name, there are some details we can glean from his inclusion in the New Testament, and early church writings may give us a little bit more information.

Only four passages in the Bible explicitly name all twelve of the apostles (Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, Acts 1:1–13). Bartholomew appears in all of them. Even though he isn’t mentioned by name in any other passages, his inclusion in this group tells us he was present in most of the significant events recorded in the gospels, as the gospel writers frequently refer to the disciples as a group, and their presence is often implied from the moment Jesus called them.

As an apostle, Bartholomew personally witnessed most of Jesus’ miracles and heard most of his teachings. He lived with Jesus for about three years. When Jesus sent out the twelve apostles, Bartholomew (possibly paired with Philip) was given the power to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8).

After Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven, Bartholomew received the power of the Holy Spirit along with the other apostles (Acts 2:1).

In three of the four lists of apostles, Bartholomew appears right after Philip, which appears to suggest an association of some kind between them. Later traditions also described the two of them doing ministry together. In the apocryphal text Acts of Philip, Philip and Bartholomew were both crucified upside down, until Philip’s preaching convinces the onlookers to free them.

As we’ll see in a moment, their association is another reason many Christians believe Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. But his position next to Philip in the lists also might not mean anything—since they’re not listed together in Acts.

John’s gospel is the only one that mentions a man named Nathanael, who appears to be an apostle (John 1:43–51). John also never mentions Bartholomew. The Bible doesn’t say Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person. But there are several reasons why for centuries, many Christians have believed they were.

It was common for people in the first century to be known by two names. Sometimes it was because they were given a new name, like Simon, also known as Peter, who was also called Simon Peter. Or, maybe they were known by one name in Hebrew and another in Greek, like Paul, also known as Saul and John, also called Mark. The Bible technically calls one apostle “the Twin” . . . which probably wasn’t his actual name.

If Bartholomew was a last name meaning “son of Talmai,” then we can certainly assume he was known by another name. He could’ve been Nathanael Bartholomew. (But as we discussed above, he could’ve also just been a guy named Bartholomew.)

Since the synoptic gospels all list Philip and Bartholomew together, many scholars believe this implies a relationship between them, as the pairings often do for the other apostles (like Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee). If Nathanael is Bartholomew, then the Gospel of John makes that association more clear. Philip seeks Nathanael out (implying they knew each other) and brings him to Jesus (John 1:45–47).

Nathanael also appears to be an apostle. Jesus doesn’t explicitly call him to “come, follow me,” but in their first encounter, he does tell Nathanael, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man” (John 1:51). John also seems to include him among the apostles:

“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.” —John 21:1–2

Nathanael was skeptical of Jesus because he came from Nazareth, famously saying, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46). But after Jesus demonstrates his divinity, Nathanael proclaims, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel” (John 1:49).

After Jesus appears to his disciples, seven of them go out fishing—and Nathanael is one of them (John 21:1–3). The gospels explicitly tell us that several of the disciples—Peter, the sons of Zebedee, and Peter’s brother Andrew (who may or may not have been present)—were fishermen. Thomas, Nathanael, and the two unnamed disciples in the passage were either fishermen as well, or else they were just along for the ride and learning a new trade.

Ultimately, it’s hard to say whether Nathanael and Bartholomew are or aren’t the same person. But even if they are, it doesn’t give us much more to go on. Since he only appears in the Gospel of John, Nathanael is basically as obscure as Bartholomew.

The Greek word we translate as “apostle” is apostolos. It literally means “one who is sent.” During his ministry, Jesus sent the apostles to specific regions in pairs of two (Mark 6:7–13), and before his ascension, he commanded them to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

The Bible doesn’t tell us which nation each apostle went to, but for many of them, early church records were pretty consistent. However, traditions vary about where Bartholomew went.

“Pantænus was one of these, and is said to have gone to India. It is reported that among persons there who knew of Christ, he found the Gospel according to Matthew, which had anticipated his own arrival. For Bartholomew, one of the apostles, had preached to them, and left with them the writing of Matthew in the Hebrew language, which they had preserved till that time.” —Church History

Eusebius had access to one of the greatest libraries of the ancient world, but he also made mistakes now and then (he confused Philip the Apostle with Philip the Deacon, for example). Other traditions, some of which are much less reliable (like the Acts of Philip), claim Bartholomew preached in places like Armenia, Ethiopia, Lycaonia, Mesopotamia, and Parthia.

Like most of the apostles, Bartholomew was probably martyred—but there are several traditions about how exactly he died. The most popular and prolific tradition is that he was flayed and then beheaded, which is why most art portraying him shows him holding or wearing his skin in some way, or else associates him with flaying knives.

“There be divers opinions of the manner of his passion. For the blessed Dorotheus saith that he was crucified, and saith also: Bartholomew preached to men of India, and delivered to them the gospel after Matthew in their proper tongue. He died in Alban, a city of great Armenia, crucified the head downward. St. Theoderus saith that he was flayed, and it is read in many books that he was beheaded only. And this contrariety may be assoiled in this manner, that some say that he was crucified and was taken down ere he died, and for to have greater torment he was flayed and at the last beheaded.”

کلیسای بارتوقیمئوس مقدس یا کلیسای بارتلمیوس مقدس

ناتانائیل

ناتانائیل^[۱][۲] یا بَرتولُما یا بَرتولُمِو (در برخی انجیل‌های فارسی: نتنائیل یا لاتین: Bartholomaeus یا یونانی: Βαρθολομαῖος) یکی از دوازده حواری مسیح بود که بخاطرِ هواداری از عیسی مسیح، زنده زنده پوستش کنده و واژگون به صلیب کشیده شد.

آری اینگونه شهادت بود که حتی فکر کردن به نحوه شهادت ناتانائیل روح انسان را به درد می آورد ولی ناتانائیل با سختی و مشقت و رنج و تحمل سخت ترین شکنجه و شهادت و تصلیب به عنوان قدیس حامی شهدا و رنج او و شهادتش نمونه بزرگی در ایمانی بود که به آن درجه رسید که شهادتش و سختی های مشقت بار راهی که کشید آنگونه درس ایمانی باشد تا همه ایمانداران بدانند که چه راه و چه سختی هایی در این راه کشیده شده است.

Bartholomew

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

The identity of the apostle Bartholomew is something of a puzzle. He is listed among the Twelve in all three Synoptic gospels (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16) and also as being present at the Ascension, (Acts 1:4,12,13) — and each time he is put alongside the apostle Philip. While he is not mentioned in John, he is traditionally identified with Nathanael, who is portrayed as Philip’s friend (John 1:45-51.) Under this name, Nathanael, he is described as initially doubting that the Messiah could come from Nazareth (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”) But Jesus calls him “a man in whom there is no deception.” Some trace the enigmatic phrase “when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” to a Jewish metaphor referring to studying the Torah. At any rate, Nathanael soon recognizes Jesus as “Son of God” and “King of Israel.” He reappears at the end of the gospel (Jn 21:2) as one of those to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.

Today’s homily could focus either on the personal touch in Nathanael’s vocation — as an individual who was called by name, and one who was totally understood by Jesus; or on the general vocation of the Twelve, as the foundational group whom Jesus chose to lead and guide his church. In that case, the imagery from Revelation (twelve angels; twelve city gates; twelve foundation stones) is seen to reflect the transition from the old Israel (of the twelve tribes) to the new City of God, founded by Jesus on the faith and fidelity of his twelve original missionaries (= “apostles”).

t. Bartholomew, the apostle, went into India, which is in the end of the world. And therein he entered into a temple where an idol was which was named Astaroth, and he, as a pilgrim, abode there. In that idol dwelt a fiend that said that he could heal all manner sicknesses, but he lied, for he could not make them whole, but might better them but for a while.

And the temple was full of sick people, and could have no answer of that idol, wherefore they went in to another city whereas another idol was worshipped named Berith, and they demanded him wherefore Astaroth gave to them no answer. And Berith said: Your god is bound with chains of fire that he neither dare draw breath ne speak after that Bartholomew, the apostle of God, entered into the temple.

And they said to him: Who is that Bartholomew?

And the devil said: He is the friend of God Almighty, and he is come into this province for to avoid all the gods of India.

And then they said: Tell us some tokens and signs that we may know him and find him.

And anon he was delivered. And when Polemius, king of that region, heard this thing, which had a daughter lunatic, he sent to the apostle, praying that he would come to him and heal his daughter. And when the apostle was come to him and saw that she was bound with chains, and bit all them that went to her, he commanded to unbind her. And the ministers durst not go to her.

And he said: I hold the devil fast bound that was in her, and therefore be not afeard.

And then anon she was unbound and delivered. And then would have presented to the apostle camels charged with gold and silver and precious stones, but he could not be found in no manner. And on the morrow following, the apostle appeared to the king, alone in his chamber, and said to him: Wherefore soughtest thou me yesterday with gold and silver and precious stones? Those things be necessary to them that covet things worldly, but I desire no things terrien ne carnal.

ناتانائیل یکی از دوازده حواری مسیح هست که به طرز وحشتناک و خشنی او را به شهادت رساندند. و در شهدای مسیحی حواری به خاطر این نحوه شهادت و پوستش کنده شده در راه آرمان و عقیده و مسیح او را زنده زنده پوست کندن و سر و ته به صلیب کشیدند.برای همین به ناتانائیل قدیس حامی دباغان گویند

Bartholomew the Apostle

Do you have a good friend who truly knows and loves you? Bartholomew, one of Jesus’ Twelve apostles, discovered that Jesus knew him even before they had met for the first time.

The apostle Philip brought Bartholomew, who is also called Nathanael in the Gospels, to Jesus, telling him that Jesus was the person the prophets spoke about, the promised one of God. The moment Jesus saw Bartholomew, he praised him, saying that he could see that there was no dishonesty in his heart. Bartholomew immediately began to believe in Jesus. Jesus told Bartholomew that he would see great things because of his faith.

Jesus’ words certainly came true. Bartholomew did see and hear many great things as an apostle of Christ. He saw Jesus heal the sick and perform other signs to show people God’s love. He heard Jesus talk about the Kingdom of God that was open to everyone who lived with love. He saw Jesus suffer and die on the cross to save all people from sin, and he saw the Risen Lord, who told his disciples that they, too, could live forever if they followed him and his teachings.

After receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Bartholomew traveled to foreign lands to share the Good News about Jesus with others. He founded Christian communities in parts of India and the countries we now call Armenia and Turkey. Although he always spoke the truth about Jesus, some people did not believe him, and he died as a martyr.