Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

Apostle and Martyr
(1st century)

Saint Bartholomew is numbered among the twelve Apostles in all four lists given in the New Testament, and most scholars identify him with Nathanael, the disciple whom Philip brought to Jesus in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. When Philip told Nathanael that they had found the one about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael responded with the famous question, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip simply answered, Come and see.

When Nathanael approached, Jesus greeted him with the words, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit. Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, and Jesus said he had seen him under the fig tree before Philip called him. This mysterious remark moved Nathanael to a sudden and complete confession of faith: Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel. Jesus responded with a promise that Nathanael would see greater things than this, even the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

After the Ascension, Bartholomew is said by ancient tradition to have carried the Gospel to India, Persia, Armenia, and other regions of the East. The most consistent tradition places his martyrdom in Armenia, where he is said to have converted the king's brother and to have been seized by pagan priests who had him flayed alive and then beheaded or crucified. The manner of his martyrdom, flaying, makes him the patron of tanners and of all who work with leather and skins.

His relics are venerated on the island of San Bartolomeo all'Isola in the Tiber in Rome, in a church built on the site of a temple of Asclepius. He is the patron saint of Armenia, where the Apostolic Church he founded still flourishes. His feast is celebrated on August 24th.