Bartholomew the Apostle

Bartholomew the Apostle “Bartholomew” redirects here. For other uses, see pears at the end of John’s gospel[21:2] as one of the disci- Bartholomew (disambiguation). ples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection. Bartholomew (Greek: Βαρθολομαῖος) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified with Nathanael (alternatively spelled Nathaniel),[1] who appears in the Gospel according to John as being intro- 2 New Testament references duced to Christ by Philip (who would also become an apostle).[Jn 1:43-51] In the East, where Bartholomew’s evangelical labours According to the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox were expended, he was identified as Nathanael, in works Church, his martyrdom is commemorated on the 1st day by Abdisho bar Berika (often known as Ebedjesu in the West), the 14th century Nestorian metropolitan of Soba, of the Coptic Calendar (1st day of the month of “Thout”), [6] which currently falls on September 11 (corresponding to and Elias, the bishop of Damascus. Nathanael is men- August 29 in the Gregorian Calendar). His feast is June tioned only in the Gospel according to John. In the Syn- 11 in Eastern Christianity, and August 24 in the Anglican optic gospels, Philip and Bartholomew are always men- Communion, the Episcopal Church (United States) and in tioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in both forms of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. John’s gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together. Giuseppe Simone As- semani specifically remarks, “the Chaldeans confound Bartholomew with Nathaniel”.[7] Some Biblical scholars 1 Bartholomew reject this identification, however.[8] Bartholomew (Greek: Βαρθολομαῖος, transliterated “Bartholomaios”) comes from the Aramaic bar-Tôlmay 3 Tradition -meaning son of Tolmay[2] or son of the fur ,(בר-תולמי) rows (perhaps a ploughman). Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus in the three Synoptic gospels: Matthew,[10:1–4] Mark,[3:13–19] and Luke,[6:12–16] and also appears as one of the witnesses of the Ascension[Acts 1:4,12,13]; however, each time he is named in the company of Philip. He is not mentioned by that name in the Gospel of John. Nor are there any early acta,[3] the earliest being written by a pseudepigraphical writer who assumed the identity of Abdias of Babylon and called the Saint-Thierry Manuscript and Pseudo-Abdias Manuscripts.[4][5] Alternatively, Bartholomew has been identified with Nathanael, as presented in the Gospel of according to John. [1:45–51] Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Saint Bartholomew Monastery at the site of the Apostle’s martyr- Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about dom in historical Armenia the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can any- thing good come out of Nazareth? extquotedbl, but Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History (5:10) nonetheless, follows Philip’s invitation. Jesus immedi- states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a ately appraises him as “Here is a man in whom there is missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy no deception.” Some scholars hold that Jesus’ quote “Be- of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him fore Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, I saw you”, is based on a Jewish figure of speech refer- Parthia, and Lycaonia.[9] Popular traditions and legends ring to studying the Torah. Nathanael recognizes Jesus say that Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India, then as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel”. He reap- went to Greater Armenia.[2] 1 2 6 IN ISLAMIC LITERATURE 3.1 Mission to India 5 Miracles Two ancient testimonies exist about the mission of Saint Bartholomew in India. These are of Eusebius of Caesarea (early 4th century) and of Saint Jerome (late 4th century). Both these refer to this tradition while speaking of the reported visit of Pantaenus to India in the 2nd century.[10] The studies of Fr A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities.[10] 3.2 In Armenia Along with his fellow apostle Jude Thaddeus, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. Thus, both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Ar- Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before menia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a and after his death, two very popular ones are known by more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari. crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, The people of Lipari celebrated his feast day annually. Polymius’ brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew’s The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and execution.[11] gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it sud- a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the denly became very heavy and had to be set down. When site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in the the men carrying the statue regained their strength, they Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia (now in south- lifted it a second time. After another few seconds, it got [12] eastern Turkey). even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, walls further down- hill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all 4 Bartholomew’s relics the towns people would have been killed. During World War II, the Fascist regime (Ger- The 6th-century writer in Constantinople, Theodorus man/Italian) looked for ways to finance their activities. Lector, averred that in about 507 Emperor Anastasius The order was given to take the silver statue of St gave the body of Bartholomew to the city of Dura- Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, Europos, which he had recently re-founded.[13] The ex- and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to istence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled from Constantino- made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered ple, was explained by Gregory of Tours[14] by his body a miracle that it was not melted down. having miraculously washed up there: a large piece of his St Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles hav- skin and many bones that were kept in the Cathedral of ing to do with the weight of objects. St Bartholomew the Apostle, Lipari, were translated to Beneventum in 803, and to Rome in 983 by Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, conserved at the basilica of San Bar- tolomeo all'Isola. In time, the church there inherited an 6 In Islamic literature old pagan medical centre. This association with medicine in course of time caused Bartholomew’s name to be- The Qur'an also mentions Jesus’s disciples but does come associated with medicine and hospitals.[15] Some not give their names, referring to them as “helpers to of Bartholomew’s skull was transferred to the Frankfurt the work of God extquotedbl.[16] Muslim exegesis and Cathedral, while an arm is venerated in Canterbury Qur'an commentary, however, names them and includes Cathedral today. Bartholomew amongst the disciples.[17] 3 7 Art and literature 9 See also Christian tradition has three stories about Bartholomew’s • St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre death: “One speaks of his being kidnapped, beaten un- • conscious, and cast into the sea to drown. Another St Bartholomew’s Hospital account states that he was crucified upside down, and • Barth another says that he was skinned alive and beheaded in Albac or Albanopolis extquotedbl,[18] near Başkale, • Bertil Turkey. • Barton The account of Bartholomew being skinned alive is the most represented in works of art, and consequently • Holmes Bartholomew is often shown with a large knife, holding his own skin (as in Michelangelo's Last Judgment), • Bartholomeus or both. In Avezzano, in Abruzzo the image of the Saint who is holding his own skin has become the sym- • Maas bol of the city. Archaeological research has shown that • the cult of Saint Bartholomew began in Avezzano, be- Maes cause the previous presence of a temple dedicated to • Loomis Heracles, which is always represented in the act of holding the skin of the Nemean Lion. There is, there- fore, a solid relationship between the two iconogra- phies and the re-semantization of the symbols Hera- 10 References cles/Physical Strength/Hero and Bartholomew/Power of Faith/Hero-Martyr.[19] Bartholomew is also the patron [1] Green, Joel B.; Scot McKnight; I. Howard Marshall saint of tanners. (1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. The IVP Bible Dictionary Series. InterVarsity Press. p. 180. ISBN Bartholomew plays a part in Francis Bacon's Utopian tale 0-8308-1777-8. New Atlantis, about a mythical isolated land, Bensalem, populated by a people dedicated to reason and natural [2] Butler, Alban and Burns, Paul.

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