24 August: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle
An Israelite without guile
Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples who followed Jesus after the Baptism in the Jordan River. His name is included in the Synoptic Gospels as one of the Apostles linked to his contemporary Philip. We know little about this Apostle, whose Feast Day is celebrated on 24 August, the day Catholic tradition dates as his martyrdom. He was originally from Cana in Galilee, near Nazareth. Jesus said of him: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (Jn 1:47). In his Gospel, John speaks of Nathanael, who is Bartholomew, at least according to the exegetes.
The fourth Evangelist refers to him in accounts of the call of the first disciples, when Jesus reveals to this Apostle that he had seen him under a fig tree before he had met him: “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Beth-sa′ida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathan′a-el, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathan′a-el said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathan′a-el coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathan′a-el said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathan′a-el answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man”.
Bartholomew’s doubts are obvious when Philip tells him he had found the Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostle was from Cana in Galilee and therefore knew the area where the Teacher lived and he did not believe that it could be possible that the Lord had chosen that place as the place to host the Saviour. After hearing the words of Jesus, however, Bartolomew changed his mind and became his disciple. John the Evangelist mentions Nathaniel again in chapter 21 when the Risen Jesus revealed himself on Lake Tiberias: “After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tibe′ri-as; and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan′a-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zeb′edee, and two others of his disciples were together”.
The Acts of the Apostles also mention Bartholomew among the disciples who gathered together in Jerusalem with Mary, Mother of God: “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:12-14).
According to tradition, he travelled extensively on mission, preaching the Good News to people in distant places: Cappadocia, Upper India, various areas of the Middle East and Armenia. However, there is no certainty about his precise itinerary. According to medieval legend, Bartholomew was skinned and beheaded. He is depicted in iconography with a knife in one hand and a book in the other and sometimes with his skin over his arm, like a cloak. Many Churches were dedicated to him throughout the centuries and he was worshipped by many faithful, who often asked for his intercession, especially for skin diseases.
According to Armenian tradition, the Apostle’s body was buried in Albanopolis where he was martyred. In 507, Emperor Anastasius had his body moved to Daras in Mesopotamia and dedicated a Church to him. In 1580, part of his mortal remains were taken to Lipari in Sicily. In 883 during the Saracen Raids, the relics were moved to Benevento and in 998 German Emperor, Otto III had a Church built in his honour on the Tiber Island, where the remains of two martyrs were laid to rest: Bartholomew the Apostle, whose remains are in the main Altar and Saint Adalbert, Bishop of Prague, killed in 997 as he evangelized pagan peoples in the far northern area of Christian Europe.