August 24: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle
Bold Faith in the King of Israel
Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus to continue His mission and proclaim the Gospel to all nations. He is mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as in the Acts of the Apostles. Christian tradition also identifies him with the Apostle Nathanael, mentioned in the Gospel of John, although this identification is debated by some contemporary scholars.
The New Testament provides very little precise information about his life. In the Synoptic Gospels, he is often named alongside the Apostle Philip. Although he is one of the disciples close to Jesus, he does figure at the key events of His life as narrated in the Bible, such as the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, or the Resurrection.
The name Bartholomew is of Aramaic origin and means “son of Tolmai” (bar-Tolmaï). Nathanael derives from Hebrew and means “God has given” (Yahweh has given).
He was a native of Cana in Galilee. One day, his friend Philip enthusiastically told him:
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46)
John the Evangelist describes the encounter between Jesus and Bartholomew:
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (John 1:47-49)
This statement holds deep significance: in the time of Jesus, Jewish rabbis compared the fig tree to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To be “under the fig tree” was an expression referring to someone engaged in meditating on the Holy Scriptures.
Nathanael was deeply moved by the fact that Jesus had noticed and understood him so profoundly. He immediately passed from doubt to faith and replied: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49)
According to the tradition of the Eastern Churches, after Pentecost, the Apostle Bartholomew-Nathanael, brought the Gospel to Phrygia, along the shores of the Bosporus, and as far as Armenia.
According to some ancient traditions, Bartholomew also preached the Gospel in Arabia, Persia, and perhaps even India, together with the Apostle Thomas. He is also said to have brought Christianity to the Kingdom of Armenia.
According to the Golden Legend by the Dominican Jacobus de Voragine, written in 1266, he suffered martyrdom: he was flayed alive, then crucified, and finally beheaded.
In Christian art, Saint Bartholomew is often depicted holding his own skin in his hands—a symbol of his martyrdom—or with a knife (the instrument of his torture) or a book (symbolizing evangelization). One of the most famous representations is found in Michelangelo’s fresco of the Last Judgment (1536–1541) in the Sistine Chapel.
Many churches are dedicated to him, including the Basilica of Saint Bartholomew on the Island in Rome, which houses his principal relics.