To begin with, Bartholomew had two names! In Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels he is called Bartholomew, but in John’s gospel he is referred to as Nathaniel. But biblical scholars believe that Bartholomew / Nathaniel is the same man. He was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus. His name Bartholomew is the Greek form of the Aramaic "bar-Tolmay" meaning "son of Tolmay" (Ptolmy). The biblical references in the first three gospels usually pair Bartholomew with Philip and list them as two or the original twelve chosen by Jesus. In John’s gospel (chap 1 v.43) we are told that Jesus called Philip who went to Nathaniel who was sitting under a fig tree at the time and told him that he had met the one who was spoken of by the prophets and that his name was Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth. The reply was "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" The gospel goes on to say that when Jesus saw Bartholomew coming towards him, he said "Here is a young Israelite; there is nothing false in him". Bartholomew then asked Jesus how he knew him and he was told that Jesus had seen him under the fig tree before Philip had called him. Bartholomew/Nathaniel then acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. Bartholomew was also with the others in the boat on the Sea of Tiberius when Jesus appeared and caused the empty fishing net to be filled. He appears too, in the Acts of the Apostles, after the Ascension.

The details of his life after the death of Jesus are somewhat vague. The historian Eusebius states that after the Ascension he went on a missionary tour to India where he left behind a copy of St Matthew’s gospel. Other sources maintain he served as a missionary in India, Mesopotamia, Parthia and Lycaonia. A strong tradition, however, is that along with his fellow apostle Jude he took Christianity to Armenia during the first century and both saints are considered patrons of the Armenian Apostolic Church. There is a local tradition that he was martyredin Baku in Azerbaijan by being flayed alive and then crucified upside down. The tradition goes that his remains/relics were washed up on the isle of Lipari which is off the coast of Sicily where they resided in the cathedral dedicated to him. In 983 the Emperor Otto II removed his remains to Rome (or at least some of them). Others are believed to be in Frankfurt and Canterbury Cathedral! In this instance it was an arm given to the cathedral by Emma the queen of King Cnut who ruled in the eleventh century. This acquisition was at the time worth a fortune and greatly contributed to the spread of his cult throughout England. The church in Rome had inherited an old pagan medical centre or hospital and in due cause St Bartholomew became associated with medicine and hospitals.

Several of the miracles associated with him have to do with weights of objects. In particular that of the statue of the saint which is housed on Lipari where he was washed up. Since that time the islanders have celebrated his feast day annually by removing the solid gold and silver statue from the cathedral and parading around the town. The story goes that the people were taking the statue down the hill towards the town when it became so heavy that they had to set it down. It was lifted a second time but again became too heavy. On a third attempt, after a rest, they lifted it but again could not carry it and again set it down. At this point, the walls of the town further downhill collapsed. Had the procession carried on uninterrupted and therefore not been delayed, there would have been many casualties. Another instance occurred when Lipari was invaded and the statue became one of the spoils of war. The invaders ordered its removal from the cathedral in order to be melted down. It was taken away and weighed when it was found to weigh only a few ounces. The invaders believing it to be hollow decided that it wasn’t worth the effort and it was returned to the cathedral. It actually weighs several tons!

In art he has been portrayed by Michelangelo in his painting "The Last Judgement" and in literature by Ben Jonson in his play "Bartholomew Fair". Down the years 165 churches have been dedicated to Bartholomew in England but I suppose the dedication that most often springs to mind is the hospital in London affectionately known as Bart’s - a centre of excellence and medical scholarship. His feast day is August 24th and on June 11th in the Orthodox churches. Because of his unpleasant martyrdom, he is the patron saint of tanners and anyone who deals with skins.

Several of the names of the apostles and saints are popular as names for baby boys. Not many are called Bartholomew (although I did know a Nathaniel). Perhaps, it is too long a name for today’s tastes. Any child so called / burdened? can pride himself with the fact that he is named for a friend and follower of Jesus Christ.