Today, August 24, we celebrate the feast day of
Saint Bartholomew (also known as Saint Nathanael, first century), Martyr of the Church and Apostle of Christ. In the Gospel of John, Bartholomew (Nathanael) is introduced as a friend of Philip. Initially skeptical of anything good coming out of Nazareth—let alone the Messiah—Nathanael becomes a faithful disciple of Christ. Jesus, for His part, immediately recognizes the truth in Bartholomew, and his readiness to answer the call. From his dialogue with Jesus, we recognize the character of Saint Bartholomew—one of a good Jew, honest and innocent, a just man, who devoted much time to quiet reflection and prayer - "under the fig tree." Bartholomew was awaiting the Messiah, the Holy One of God, and upon meeting Jesus, his heart leaps and he exclaims,
“You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1: 45-51)
Indeed, Bartholomew is with the disciples throughout the ministry of Jesus, and is among those He appears to on the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.
12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 18who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil[a] spirits were cured, 19and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (Luke 6: 12-19)
Little is known for sure about the life of Bartholomew after the
Ascension of Jesus. But tradition has it that he preached with great apostolic zeal throughout the East, traveling to India, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, and Armenia—where a monastery remains on the site of his martyrdom. Relics of his ministry, including a hand-written copy of the Gospel of Matthew, were found in Ethiopia by Saint Pantaenus, and recounted by
Saint Eusebius.
Saint Bartholomew died a martyr’s death in Armenia by the elder brother of King Astayages of Bablyon, who had him flayed alive (the removal of the skin) and subsequently beheaded. According to tradition, Bartholomew converted the king by casting out a demon from the chief idol in the temple and then destroying all of the remaining idols. In a rage, the king's older brother ordered Bartholomew executed. Due to the gruesome nature of his death, Saint Bartholomew is often depicted in art wearing or holding his own skin.
According to tradition, the relics of Saint Bartholomew made their way from Armenia to the Isle of Lipari (near Sicily) in the seventh century. From there, they were moved to Benevento, in Campania, northeast of Naples, in 809, and finally came to rest in 983 in the Church of Saint Bartholomew-in-the-Island, on the Isle of Tiber in Rome.
Saint Ambrose on Saint Bartholomew (Nathanael):
“Because there is now a union of love, the bridegroom caresses her and says, "Under the apple tree I raised you up. There your mother brought you forth, there she brought you forth who bore you." (Cant. 8.5 LXX) Good is the soul that rests under the tree that is fruitful and especially the tree of a good fragrance. For if good Nathanael, in whom there was not any guile, was seen under a fig tree, surely the soul is good that was raised up by her bridegroom under an apple tree. It is a greater thing to be raised up than to be seen, and greater still to be raised up by the bridegroom. For although Nathanael was seen under a tree, still his soul was not a bride, for he came to Christ secretly because he was afraid of the Jews. She was not beautiful as the moon, choice as the sun, (cf. Cant. 6.10) for she was in the shadow, whereas the bride is married in the day and declares it openly. And so the one was under an apple tree, the other under a fig tree, because the one spread the fragrance of her profession of belief over a wider area, the other possessed the sweetness of purity and blamelessness but did not possess fragrance of spirit.”
The life of Saint Bartholomew reminds us of how little we know of the twelve apostles of Christ. We get small glimpses of their personalities here and there, but after His
Death,
Resuurection, and
Ascension into Heaven, we often lose track of their lives. What we do know of the lives of the apostles is centered on Christ, just as their lives were. Their individual personalities, missions, and works become less important than their focus on Our Lord, their apostolic zeal for spreading His Gospel, and their unequivocal sacrifice to earn the martyr’s crown. We might be inspired today, as we contemplate Saint Bartholomew, to take stock of our own lives—what are we centered on? What will we be remembered for after our deaths?
Lord,
sustain within us the faith
which made Saint Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ.
Let your Church be the sign of salvation
for all the nations of the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Life of Saint Bartholomew, from the Golden Legend:
Saint 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 the devil said to them: He hath his hairs black and crisp, his skin white, eyes great, his nostrils even and straipht, his beard long and hoar a little, and of a straight and seemly stature. He is clad in a white coat, and a white mantle, which in every corner hath gems of purple and precious stones therein. And it is sith twenty-six years that his clothes never waxed old ne foul. He prayeth and worshippeth God on his knees a hundred times a day, and a hundred times by night. The angels go with him, which never suffer him to be weary ne to be an hungered, he is always of like semblant, glad and joyous. He seeth all things tofore, he knoweth all things, he speaketh all manner languages, and understandeth them, and he knoweth well what I say to you. And when ye seek him, if he will he may show himself to you, and if him list not, not shall ye find him. And I pray you, when ye find him, that ye pray him that he come not hither, that his angels do not to me as they have done to my fellow. Then they went and sought him diligently and busily two days, and found him not.
On a day, one that was beset with a devil cried, and said: Apostle of God, Bartholomew, thy prayers burn me. And the apostle said: Hold thou thy peace and come thence. 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. Then Saint Bartholomew began to say many things, and inform the king of our redemption, and among other things how Jesu Christ vanquished the devil by marvellous and convenable puissance, justice, and wisdom. For it was convenable that he that overcame the son made of the earth, that was Adam, while he was yet a virgin, should be overcome of the son of the virgin. He overcame him then mightily, when he threw him puissantly out of his lordship which had thrown out by force our forefather. And thus, as he that overcometh some tyrant, sendeth his fellows tofore for to set up his sign over all, and to cast out tyrants, in like wise Jesu Christ sent his messengers over all for to take away the honour and the worshipping of the devil righteously. For it is right that he that vanquished man by eating, and held him, that he should be overcome by a man fasting, and hold man no longer. For it is rightful that he which by the art of the devil was despised, that by the art of Jesu Christ he should be vanquished. And like as the falcon taketh the bird, right so took he Jesu Christ in desert because he fasted, and would assay if he had hunger; and if he had hunger, that he might have deceived him by meat, and if he had no hunger, then knew he well without doubt that he was God. But he might not know him, for he had hunger, and consented nothing to him ne to his temptations.
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