Church marks August 24 feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle and martyr

The Church celebrates St. Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, on August 24 each year. The Gospels give almost no information about his life, but his encounter with Christ and the ancient traditions about his mission and death describe a man who moved from skepticism to giving his life for the Gospel.

His name appears in the lists of the Twelve in the synoptic Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles. In a general audience devoted to the apostle, Pope Benedict XVI said the name "Bartholomew" probably comes from the Aramaic bar Talmay and means "son of Talmay." Beyond those mentions, Benedict XVI said, "we have no relevant information about Bartholomew," since he never appears under that name as the central figure of a Gospel account.

Bartholomew and Nathanael: an identification handed down by tradition

Christian tradition has identified Bartholomew with Nathanael, the disciple from Cana whose meeting with Jesus is described in detail in the Gospel of John. Benedict XVI presented the identification carefully: Nathanael appears alongside Philip in the account of his call, in the same position Bartholomew occupies next to Philip in the lists of apostles in the other Gospels. Nathanael's name also means "God has given."

One of the episodes traditionally linked to St. Bartholomew comes through Nathanael. Philip goes to him after meeting Jesus and tells him they have found "the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets too: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

Nathanael's first reaction is far from a profession of faith. He answers with a skeptical question:

"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Behind those words Benedict XVI saw "a rather strong prejudice." Given Jewish expectations, he said, it was hard to imagine that the Messiah could come from a place as unimportant as Nazareth. But he found a first lesson in that reaction: God can confound human expectations by "showing himself precisely where we would not expect him."

"Come and see": the meeting that changed Nathanael

Philip does not answer Nathanael's skepticism with a long explanation. His reply is much simpler: "Come and see." Nathanael accepts the invitation and goes to Jesus himself.

When Christ sees him coming he says: "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit." Nathanael asks how Jesus can know him, and Jesus answers: "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

The Gospels do not say what had happened under that fig tree. Benedict XVI said that "we do not know what had happened," though he noted it must clearly have been a decisive moment for Nathanael. Those words were enough for the man who had just doubted that anything good could come from Nazareth to make one of the clearest confessions of faith at the beginning of the Gospel:

"Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel."

Benedict XVI called this "a first and important step on the journey of adherence to Jesus." Nathanael recognizes both Christ's unique relationship with God, by calling him Son, and his messianic identity, by calling him King of Israel.

One of the Twelve who remained with the apostles

Bartholomew belongs to the group of twelve apostles chosen by Christ. His name appears in the lists given by Matthew, Mark and Luke, and again in the Acts of the Apostles after the Ascension.

Acts places him with Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Matthew and the other apostles when they return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. There they remain united in prayer, together with some women and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

From that point on, the biblical sources say nothing more about what he did. The distinction matters: his membership among the Twelve and his presence with the apostles come from the New Testament, while the details of his later missionary work come from ancient traditions and do not carry the same historical certainty.

How far did St. Bartholomew travel to preach the Gospel?

The traditions about Bartholomew describe extensive missionary work in the East. He is said to have preached the Gospel in regions from Mesopotamia to India, and later in Armenia. Vatican News reports these traditions, but explicitly warns that events after those recorded in the New Testament "are no longer reported by reliable historical sources."

Benedict XVI made a similar point. "We have no precise information about the later apostolic activity of Bartholomew-Nathanael," he said. But he recalled a report preserved by the Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea: in the fourth century, Pantaenus is said to have found signs in India of an earlier presence of Bartholomew.

Tradition also places the apostle in Armenia. There he is said to have preached and won many converts, including, according to accounts handed down later, King Polymius and his wife. His preaching is said to have drawn opposition from the priests of local pagan cults and to have led to his condemnation.

The martyrdom of St. Bartholomew

There are different traditions about the apostle's death as well. Benedict XVI noted that later accounts speak of his death in Armenia, and that some versions hold that he was flayed alive before being beheaded. That tradition explains one of the most recognizable features of the iconography of St. Bartholomew: the knife associated with his martyrdom, and the images in which he holds his own skin.

Vatican News places his martyrdom, according to tradition, in Albanopolis around the year 68, while presenting these events as part of later accounts rather than as facts documented with the same certainty as the Gospel material.

Over the centuries, different traditions also grew up around his relics. One holds that they eventually reached Rome and are now kept in the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island.

The lesson Benedict XVI found in St. Bartholomew

Setting aside the historical uncertainties about his travels and his death, Benedict XVI found a lesson for today in the meeting between Nathanael and Christ. It begins with Philip's witness. Philip is the one who speaks to his friend about Jesus, but he does not try to overcome his doubts with arguments alone. He simply says: "Come and see."

For Benedict XVI, that detail shows that faith cannot rest only on what others say about Christ. The witness of other people matters, and he said Christian life normally begins with a message received from others. But a personal encounter must follow.

"Our knowledge of Jesus needs above all a living experience."

Nathanael comes to Christ because of Philip's words, but his confession of faith comes after he has met him in person. The man who had first asked "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" ends by telling Jesus: "You are the Son of God."

Benedict XVI summed up that path by saying that every Christian must become personally involved "in an intimate and deep relationship with Jesus."