Bartholomew means "son of the furrow," or a plowman in literal Hebrew. Bartholomew was not the saint's given name, but it comes from the father's name, Tholomew or Tolmai. "Bar" meaning (in Hebrew) "son of." St. Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, chosen by Christ. In the Bible (Mark 3:18) he was sometimes called Nathaniel. Nathaniel was thought to have been a native of Galilee and a doctor of Jewish laws.
After being crucified, and then resurrecting from the dead, Jesus appeared to Bartholomew at the sea of Galilee. Christ greeted Bartholomew by saying: "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no guile." In amazement, Nathaniel (Bartholomew) asked Jesus how he knew him.
Christ replied:" I saw you under the fig tree before Phillip called you."
As an adult, Bartholomew returns home and cures the crippled hand of his mother after she was re-baptized. He preached the gospel in the most barbarous countries of the East. He traveled to Persia, Arabia, India, and finally Armenia, where they worshipped idols.
In Armenia Bartholomew was condemned by the governor of Albanopolis to be crucified and his skin removed (flayed). This was often practiced in Egypt, Persia, and Armenia; and it was a painful death indeed! After much suffering, Bartholomew died on the cross much like Jesus.
The relics of St. Bartholomew were taken to an unknown place, most likely by another Christian or the other apostles? (this is no clear). Sometime in the 600's, the remains of St. Bartholomew were taken to the Isle of Lipari, near Sicily, Italy. In 809, these same remains were moved from Lipari to Benevento, and in 983, to the isle of Tiber, in the Tiber River near Rome. Here they were housed in the church built in his name, the Church of St. Bartholomew.
The cult of Saint Bartholomew was especially popular in southern Italy and England. England received an acquisition, in the eleventh century. One chronicler stated that Emma, the second wife of Cnut entrusted the arm of Saint Bartholomew to Canterbury. Another chronicler thought the arm was given as a present to St. Edward the Confessor from the bishop of Benevento, and that Edward then housed it, in a place of honor, in Canterbury Cathedral. Today, you can see the stained glass portraiture on the windows in Canterbury Cathedral.
St. Bartholomew is portrayed holding a tanner's knife, the same type knife that was used to flay him. This became his emblem. He is often shown with his own hide draped over his arm...a gruesome depiction, but a reminder of his fate at the hands of the Armenians.
St. Bartholomew is the patron of Armenia, cheese merchants, tanners, plasterers, and he is invoked to cure nervous tics. http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/StBart.html
See Below from Saint of Today;
In the New Testament, Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47b). When Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree” (John 1:48b). Whatever amazing revelation this involved, it brought Nathanael to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49b). But Jesus countered with, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this” (John 1:50b).
Nathanael did see greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (see John 21:1-14). They had been fishing all night without success. In the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore though no one knew it was Jesus. He told them to cast their net again, and they made so great a catch that they could not haul the net in. Then John cried out to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When they brought the boat to shore, they found a fire burning, with some fish laid on it and some bread. Jesus asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and invited them to come and eat their meal. John relates that although they knew it was Jesus, none of the apostles presumed to inquire who he was. This, John notes, was the third time Jesus appeared to the apostles.
Comment:
Bartholomew or Nathanael? We are confronted again with the fact that we know almost nothing about most of the apostles. Yet the unknown ones were also foundation stones, the 12 pillars of the new Israel whose 12 tribes now encompass the whole earth. Their personalities were secondary (without thereby being demeaned) to their great office of bearing tradition from their firsthand experience, speaking in the name of Jesus, putting the Word made flesh into human words for the enlightenment of the world. Their holiness was not an introverted contemplation of their status before God. It was a gift that they had to share with others. The Good News was that all are called to the holiness of being Christ’s members, by the gracious gift of God.
The simple fact is that humanity is totally meaningless unless God is its total concern. Then humanity, made holy with God’s own holiness, becomes the most precious creation of God.
Quote:
“Like Christ himself, the apostles were unceasingly bent upon bearing witness to the truth of God. They showed special courage in speaking ‘the word of God with boldness’ (Acts 4:31) before the people and their rulers. With a firm faith they held that the gospel is indeed the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.... They followed the example of the gentleness and respectfulness of Christ” (Vatican II, Declaration on Religious Freedom, 11).
Posted By: Jeni Fa
Monday, August 24th 2015 at 11:33AM
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