Readings & Reflections: Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, August 24,2019
Bartholomew, the “son of Tolmai,” one of the Twelve in the synoptic lists of the Apostles, is traditionally identified with Nathanael of John’s Gospel of whom Jesus says, “Here is a true Israelites. There is no duplicity in him”(Jn 1:47). This revelation moves Nathanael to confess: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Pope Benedict XVI said, “stands before us to tell us that attachment to Jesus can also be lived and witnessed to without performing sensational deeds. Jesus himself, to whom each of us is called to dedicate his or her own life and death, is and remains extraordinary.” It is said that after the Resurrection he preached the Gospel in India and greater Armenia, where his zealous preaching and command over demons earned him the ire of the pagan priests. He was beaten, flayed and beheaded under King Astyages. The faithful of Armenia hail Bartholomew as the founder of their Church. Saint Pantaenus testified that Bartholomew had brought a copy of Saint Matthew’s Gospel to the people of this vast region. His token in the Church’s art is an oddly-shaped knife, the tool for the removal of his skin, or the sink itself. In his Final Judgment in the Sistine Chapel the artist Michaelangelo painted his own face on Bartholomew’s skin.
AMDG+
Opening Prayer
“Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened the way to heaven for us. As you revealed yourself to your beloved Patriarchs and Apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may glorify You in my daily life. May I always find joy in your presence and never lose sight of the kingdom of heaven.” In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.
Reading 1
Rv 21:9b-14
The angel spoke to me, saying,
“Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Gospel
Jn 1:45-51
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
But Nathanael said to him,
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection 1 – From despair to hope in God
Let me share with you a short story about a man who is sick and is slowly being healed by the Lord.
For quite a long time John was out of commission from his normal day to day activities. For more than a year, his illness which was diagnosed as terminal brought him to the point of despair. He was not able to attend to his roles and responsibilities as father and husband and as a distinct part of God’s church. He was totally incapacitated. He lost hope of ever living longer. He could not see through why this had to happen to him. He was hurting and practically gave up the very essence of his existence. He was pitiful. Amidst the façade he showed people, hopelessness and helplessness became his daily companions. His family suffered with him. The peace and the joy that once prevailed among his family members could hardly be felt.
However as John surrendered his life and all his cares to God, everything changed. Just as he was about to totally give up, things started to change. As he secretly prayed to God and allowed His healing Hand to touch him, somehow his despondency slowly drifted to hope. He started to feel the love of God and slowly life ‘though not perfect became tolerable and worth going through.
In spite of the emptiness that somehow still clings to him, the thought that there is someone beside him and caring for him and loving him, has started to influence his attitude in life. The love that he thought was lost, somehow, is slowly coming back. He is not totally healed yet from his illness but the peace and joy of God has started to work from within. He is not yet at his best but God’s presence within Gerry can certainly be felt.
As he fights the dreaded disease that has hit mankind today, he regained hope in our Lord. With it came the reassurance that he did not have to rely on his own strength but has someone more powerful who will do it for him despite all that he has done in the past. Indeed he has God whose love is constant, will never change and whose faithfulness is great, greater than anyone can imagine.
Today, John continues to thank the Lord for his life and what he has gone through and what he is going through. For a long time, he felt overwhelmed and lost. But as he opened his heart to God, hope surged through him, bringing him new life again!
Healing has started to flow into John-physically, spiritually and emotionally. Joy and peace have now become his daily companions as he allowed God to take control and take possession of his cold heart, to warm and care for.
Today, he continues to give thanks to our Lord with all his heart, [for He has heard the words of his mouth]. In the presence of God’s people, he sings his praises and worships God in His holy temple!
Gerry’s life changed as he BELIEVED and allowed God to work on him. Today, he continues to claim God’s promise that he will see much greater things than that and complete healing will be upon him!
Direction
Faith in God is the only alternative just as Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life. Always turn to our Lord when feeling weak and without hope.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, in your kindness always strengthen my FAITH. In Jesus, I hope and pray. Amen
Reflection 2 – Come and See
We do not know much about Bartholomew or Nathanael as he is called in John’s Gospel. Nathaniel acclaims Jesus as Messiah and King, the Lamb of the heavenly Jerusalem. He was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus and said to have preached the gospel in India and Armenia where, according to tradition he was flayed alive and crucified upside down.
At the age of 20, Vipul, a Hindu, was sent by his parents to study at aCatholic University in the United States. Vipul knew a few Catholics in India, but not many. While studying at college, however, that changed. The longer he hung out with Catholics, the more curious he became about them. One day, a Catholic friend invited Vipul to join him at Mass. “What do you do at Mass?” asked Vipul. “Come and see!” replied his friend. Vipul went, and from that day forward he felt a call to follow Jesus as a Catholic. Sometimes, all it takes for us to do good in our lives is to hear an invitation from another.
This story is the story of Nathaniel who at first saw Jesus in doubt that there was nothing good of Nazareth but was converted to see Jesus as “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (Jn 1:49) when Jesus saw Nathaniel under the fig tree (Jn 1:48,50).
What is the significance of Jesus revelation of seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree? The fig tree was a symbol of God’s blessing and peace. It provided shade from the midday sun and a cool place to retreat and rest. It is possible that Philip spoke with Nathaniel about the Messiah under the shade of the fig tree. Nathaniel accepted Jesus as Messiah and Lord because Jesus spoke to the need of his innermost being – his desire to know God personally and to be united with him in his glory. Jesus’ response to Nathaniel’s new faith is the promise that he himself will be the “ladder which unites earth with heaven” (see Gen 28:12-17).
Everyday we are invited to “Come and see” something in this Church. For those who come daily for Mass, what we see may seem quite ordinary, but when we reflect upon what is truly present, we hear Jesus own words, “truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” God is in our midst every time we gather as community and celebrate around this table.
All it took for Vipul and St. Bartholomew to encounter Jesus was an invitation. Let’s invite someone who do not know Jesus and tell them, “Come and see.”
Reflection 3 – “Come and see”
How can we know with certainty that Jesus is truly who he claims to be – the Son of God and Savior of the world? Philip was eager to tell his friend Nathaniel (who is also known as Bartholomew in Matthew 10:3 and Luke 6:14) about his decision to be a disciple of Jesus. Philip tried to convince his friend that Jesus was the Messiah, whom Moses and the prophets had foretold. Nathanial was very skeptical because he didn’t think it was possible for the Messiah to come from Nazareth, a town in Galilee. Nathaniel not only disliked the town of Nazareth, he despised its residents as unworthy of religious toleration. “How could anything good come from such a place?”
Nazareth was at the crossroads of the ancient world where people from different cultures and religions would pass through. Perhaps Nathaniel thought its religious teachers were not orthodox in their understanding and interpretation of the law of Moses. Besides, how could the Messiah come from Galilee when the prophets said he would come from Bethlehem of Judaea? Aren’t we all a bit like Nathaniel? We are skeptical when someone tries to convince us of the truth until we can comprehend it for ourselves.
A skeptical but earnest searching for God’s truth
So what kind of proof did Philip offer to Nathanael? Rather than argue with his friend, Philip took the wiser strategy of inviting Nathanael to “come and see” for himself who this Jesus claimed to be. Clever arguments rarely win people to the gospel; but an encounter with the person of Jesus Christ can change one’s life forever. When people are receptive to the word of Christ and when they see his love in action, the Lord Jesus himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, touches their hearts and opens their minds to God’s revelation.
When Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, Jesus did something which only God could do! He opened Nathanael’s heart and his innermost thoughts and desires to God’s revelation. Jesus called Nathanael a true “Israelite in whom there is no guile.” God had chosen Jacob, who was given the name Israel, over his twin brother Essau, because Jacob was a man of faith, without guile or cunning like Essau (Genesis 25:27). Nathanael, like Jacob, hungered for God and believed in God’s promises. Nathanael knew the scriptures; he had read the law and the prophets. And like Jacob he was waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people Israel. Nathanael was an earnest seeker of God. He not only sought to grow in understanding of God’s word, but he sought an intimate personal relationship with God as well. That is why he was willing to meet Jesus, to see if perhaps this miracle worker from Galilee might be the long-awaited Messiah and Savior.
God’s word brings blessing and refreshment for those who reflect on it
What is the significance of Jesus’ revelation of seeing Nathanael “under the fig tree”? For the people of Israel, the fig tree was a symbol of God’s peace and blessing (1 Kings 4:24b-25, Micah 4:4). It provided shade from the midday sun and a cool refreshing place to retreat, pray, and reflect on God’s word. Rabbis often gathered their disciples under the shade of the fig to teach them the wisdom and revelation of God from the Scriptures. The rabbis had an expression for comparing the fig tree to being nourished with God’s word in Scripture, “He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit.”
Jesus offers the greatest gift possible – peace and friendship with God
It is very likely that Nathanael had been thinking about God “under his fig tree” and reflecting on God’s promise in the Scriptures to send a Messiah King who would free his people from sin and oppression and usher in God’s kingdom of righteousness and peace for the whole world. Perhaps Nathanael dozed off for a midday nap and dreamt of God’s kingdom like Jacob had dreamt when God gave him a vision of a great ladder which united earth with heaven (see Genesis 28:12-17). Through the gift of revelation Nathanael recognized that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the everlasting “Son of God and King of Israel” (John 1:49). The Lord Jesus offered to Nathanael the greatest gift possible – the gift of friendship with God and free access to God’s throne in heaven.
Jesus promises that we will dwell with the living God
What does Jesus mean when he says “you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man”? One of the most remarkable revelations recorded in the bible is the dream of Jacob (Genesis 28:12-17). God had opened a door for Jacob that brought him and his people into a new relationship with the living God. In Jacob’s dream God revealed his angelic host and showed him the throne of heaven and promised Jacob that he and his descendants would dwell with the living God.
Jesus, the Son of God, unites earth and heaven in himself
Jesus’ response to Nathanael’s new faith is the promise that Jesus himself will be the “ladder which unites earth with heaven.” Jesus proclaims that he is the fulfillment of the promise made to the Patriarch Jacob and his descendants. Jesus is the true ladder or stairway to heaven. In Jesus’ incarnation, the divine Son of God taking on human flesh for our sake, we see the union of heaven and earth – God making his dwelling with us and bringing us into the heavenly reality of his kingdom through his Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus gives us free access to God’s presence
Jesus’ death on the cross, where he defeated sin and won new life for us through his resurrection, opens the way for each of us to come into a new relationship with God as his adopted sons and daughters. The Lord Jesus opens the way for each one of us to “ascend to heaven” and to bring “heaven to earth” in the daily circumstances of our lives. God’s kingdom is present in those who seek him and who strive to do his will. Through the gift of faith God opens a door for each one of us to the heavenly reality of his kingdom. Do you see with the “eyes of faith” what the Lord Jesus has done for us?
“Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened the way to heaven for us. As you revealed yourself to your beloved patriarchs and apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may recognize your presence with me and know the power of your kingdom at work in my life. May I always find joy in your presence and never lose sight of your kingdom.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/aug24.htm
Reflection 4 – Getting beyond first impressions
We’ve all heard the adage: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Today’s Gospel presents a twist on that saying. Nathanael’s initial impression of Jesus is actually the result of some prejudice on his part and comes even before he has actually met the person he’s denigrating. Hearing that Jesus is from Nazareth, Nathanael immediately forms an opinion based on his negative feelings about that “backwater”village in Galilee. Then, within seconds of actually meeting Jesus, Nathanael does what we call a “one-eighty” and makes a profound declaration of faith, acknowledging Jesus as “Son of God” and “King of Israel.” This is the result of Nathanael’s amazement at what Jesus knows about him; in a sense, he’s impressed the way one might be with a magic trick. It actually seems a bit of a stretch that he would jump from that to his extraordinary faith profession. In addition to mildly rebuking Nathanael for this, Jesus promises that he will see “much greater things.”
Many of us probably cannot recall our “first impression” of Jesus. We were most likely taught by folks who were overwhelmingly “Christian,” so our impression was favorable. Like Nathanael, we may have been impressed and even amazed at what Jesus was able to do. But what about the “greater signs” mentioned by Jesus? Have we moved beyond the superficial first impression to a deeper, more intimate knowledge of Jesus himself? In John’s Gospel, all the “signs” point to Jesus as the ultimate meeting of God and humanity.
There is widespread acknowledgment that this Nathanael, mentioned only in John’s Gospel, is the apostle named Bartholomew in the Synoptics, whose feast we celebrate today. Like him and the other apostles, we are called to move beyond a mere recognition of Jesus as a messiah like figure to an understanding that in Jesus we have the very reason to believe in him as Son of God. (Source: Jim Johnston. Weekday Homily Helps. Ohio: St. Anthony Messenger Press, August 24, 2009).
Reflection 5 – Don’t underestimate your value
You are the bride of Christ, because you have wedded yourself to his love and have committed your life to him. Today’s first reading is what God showed John in a vision about you. You gleam with the splendor of God. Your radiance is like that of a precious stone. This is how God sees you!
Why is it so hard for us to see ourselves this way? Most people don’t have a problem with pride, i.e., the prideful self-glorifying belief that “I am wonderful!” Most of us have a problem with low self-esteem, which triggers prideful, self-centered attempts to seem better than we are. And we don’t need to!
Sure, God knows our every short-coming and flaw and sin, but he also sees our radiant preciousness. If we could see that too, we wouldn’t be afraid to face our flaws. But instead of listening to God tell us who we are, we believe the negative, short-sighted, limited perceptions that others have held about us. Intellectually, we may have disagreed with their assessments, but deep inside, the child we once were still blindly seeks their approval.
If you were to make two lists, one naming your faults and the other naming your good points, the fault category would be longer, wouldn’t it? As a follower of Christ, it should be the opposite. You have Christ’s Spirit within you!
On the other hand, if listing your good points is far easier than naming your faults, do you see God as the author of your goodness? Do you recognize your calling to use these blessings for the sake of his kingdom?
How much time have you spent examining what is good in you? Let God teach you about how much he values you and how useful you are for his kingdom.
Like Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) said to Jesus in our Gospel reading today, “How do you know me?” God knows us exactly and intimately. We don’t. He sees everything that’s good in us, not just our tendency to sin. He knows the good we’re capable of doing if only we’d trust in our own goodness and use it for God’s glory — because this goodness comes directly from his Holy Spirit.
How much do we radiate the splendor of God?
Low self-esteem says that we are far from being who we’re supposed to be; it also says that we will never get there. Narcissism says we’re already there. Either way, God esteems us highly and longs to use our goodness to continue Christ’s mission in the world around us.
In fact, because we believe in the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, God esteems us so highly that he calls us saints! This is why both the Old and New Testaments refer to the people of God as saints. Saints who haven’t died yet are people who are headed toward heaven and, as followers of Christ, are doing the work of Christ.
In our ordinary, everyday sainthood, we gleam with his splendor!- Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2016-08-24
Reflection 6 – Discovering precious gems
You are the bride of the Lamb, as depicted in today’s first reading. (Okay, okay, I know it’s hard for men to see themselves as brides, but let’s get away from gender restrictions for a moment.) Women and men who love Jesus belong to the Church — symbolized in this reading as “Jerusalem” — which is the bride of Christ.
You are gleaming with the splendor of God. You are a precious jewel that sparkles like a diamond. The gates into God’s kingdom have been opened for you by our Jewish heritage (the 12 tribes of Israel) and the teachings of the 12 Apostles.
At your baptism, you were united (married) to Jesus as priest, prophet and king. In Paragraph 2 of the Decree of the Apostolate of Lay People from Vatican Council II, we’re told that “to the apostles and their successors [the ordained priests] Christ has entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying and governing in his name and by his power [the definition of authority in the Church, which empowers the lay faithful]. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly office of Christ” and are therefore no less important in the mission of Christ.
By joining ourselves to Christ’s sanctifying priesthood, his prophetic role as teacher of truth, and his kingly responsibility to protect those in our care from straying from the truth, we are all precious. We don’t need to wear expensive jewels — we are expensive jewels! Remember the price that Jesus paid for you. You’re worth it, according to his idea of what’s valuable.
Do you sometimes think you’re worthless junk? God doesn’t see you that way. Even when you sin, he never stops noticing the gem that is the real you underneath the garbage. Learn to see yourself as God sees you.
And what about the people who make your life difficult? The rebellious kids. The over-demanding boss. The person at church who’s causing division. The alcoholic who refuses to get help. The ex-spouse. And so on.
We need to remember that beneath their garbage is a precious gem, made in the image of God. Jesus is inviting them to conversion and growth, repentance and healing. He’s inviting them to clean off the muck that’s accumulated on their gems. In today’s Gospel reading, we see this happen to Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), who begins to shine with God’s glory as he recognizes that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel.
The more we learn what it means to be the bride of the Lamb, the more our inner gems shine the way the Father designed us to shine. – Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2017-08-24
Reflection 7 – The grace that overcomes duplicity
“We have come as pilgrims to this Basilica of Saint Bartholomew on Tiber Island, where the ancient history of martyrdom unites with the memory of the new martyrs, of the many Christians killed by the demented ideologies of the last century – and today too – and killed solely for being disciples of Jesus.
“The memory of these ancient and recent heroic witnesses confirms us in the knowledge that the Church is Church if she is the Church of martyrs. Martyrs are those who, as the Book of Revelation reminds us, have come out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rv 7:14). They had the grace to confess Jesus until the end, unto death. They suffer; they give their life and we receive God’s blessing through their witness. And there are also many hidden martyrs, those men and women faithful to the gentle power of love, to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who in everyday life seek to help their brothers and sisters and to love God without reservation….
“A martyr can be thought of as a hero, but the fundamental thing about a martyr is that he or she was graced: it is the grace of God, not courage, that makes us martyrs…. “What does the Church need today?” Martyrs, witnesses, namely, everyday saints, because the Church is led forward by saints. Saints: without them, the Church can no longer go forth. The Church needs everyday saints, those of ordinary life carried out with coherence; but she also needs those who … accept the grace to be witnesses to the end, unto death. All those are the living blood of the Church. They are the witnesses… who attest that Jesus is risen, that Jesus lives, and affirm it with coherence of life and with the strength of the Holy Spirit which they have been given” (Source: Pope Francis, Magnificat, Vol. 21, No. 6, August 2019, pp. 354-355).
Reflection 8 – St. Bartholomew, the Apostle
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).
Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1117
SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.
Bartholomew (Greek: Βαρθολομαῖος Bartholomaíos, Latin: Bartholomaeus) was one of the Twelve Apostles ofJesus. He has been identified with Nathanael (alternatively spelled Nathaniel),[1] who appears in the Gospel according to John as being introduced to Christ by Philip (who would also become an apostle),[Jn 1:43-51] although some modern commentators reject the identification of Nathanael with Bartholomew.[2]
According to the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church, his martyrdom is commemorated on the first day of the Coptic Calendar (i.e. the first day of the month of Thout), which currently falls on September 11 (corresponding to August 29 in the Julian Calendar). His feast is June 11 in Eastern Christianity and August 24 in the Anglican Communion and both forms of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.
Bartholomew (Greek: Βαρθολομαῖος, transliterated “Bartholomaios”) comes from the Aramaic bar-Tôlmay (בר-תולמי), meaning son of Talmai[3] or son of the furrows (perhaps a ploughman). Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee[4] and is listed among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus in the three Synoptic gospels: Matthew,[10:1–4] Mark,[3:13–19] andLuke,[6:12–16] and also appears as one of the witnesses of the Ascension[Acts 1:4,12,13]; on each occasion, however, he is named in the company of Philip. He is not mentioned by the name Bartholomew in the Gospel of John, nor are there any early acta,[5] the earliest being written by a pseudepigraphical writer who assumed the identity of Abdias of Babylon and to whom is attributed the Saint-Thierry Manuscript and Pseudo-Abdias Manuscripts.[6][7]
Contents
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New Testament references[edit]
In the East, where Bartholomew’s evangelical labours were expended, he was identified as Nathanael, in works byAbdisho bar Berika(often known as Ebedjesu in the West), the 14th century Nestorian metropolitan of Soba (city), and Elias, the bishop of Damascus.[8]Nathanael is mentioned only in the Gospel according to John. In the Synoptic gospels, Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in John’s gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together. Giuseppe Simone Assemani specifically remarks, “the Chaldeansconfound Bartholomew with Nathaniel”.[9] Some Biblical scholars reject this identification, however.[10]
Tradition[edit]
Eusebius of Caesarea‘s Ecclesiastical History (5:10) states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on amissionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia.[11] Popular traditions and legends say that Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India, then went to Greater Armenia.[3]
Mission to India[edit]
Two ancient testimonies exist about the mission of Saint Bartholomew in India. These are of Eusebius of Caesarea (early 4th century) and of Saint Jerome (late 4th century). Both these refer to this tradition while speaking of the reported visit of Pantaenus to India in the 2nd century.[12] The studies of Fr A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities.[12]
In Armenia[edit]
Saint Bartholomew Monastery at the site of the Apostle’s martyrdom in historical Armenia
Along with his fellow apostle Jude Thaddeus, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. Thus, both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius’ brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution.[13]
The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia (now in southeasternTurkey).[14]
Bartholomew’s relics[edit]
Altar of San Bartolomeo Basilica in Benevento, Italy, containing the relics of Saint Bartholomew, the Apostle
The 6th-century writer in Constantinople, Theodorus Lector, averred that in about 507 Emperor Anastasius gave the body of Bartholomew to the city of Dura-Europos, which he had recently re-founded.[15] The existence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled from Constantinople, was explained by Gregory of Tours[16] by his body having miraculously washed up there: a large piece of his skin and many bones that were kept in the Cathedral of St Bartholomew the Apostle, Lipari, were translated to Benevento in 838, where they are still kept now in Basilica of San Bartolomeo.[17] A small part of the relics was given in 983 by Holy Roman Emperor Otto II to Rome where it is conserved at the basilica of San Bartolomeo all’Isola. In time, the church there inherited an old pagan medical centre. This association with medicine in course of time caused Bartholomew’s name to become associated with medicine and hospitals.[18] Some of Bartholomew’s skull was transferred to the Frankfurt Cathedral, while an arm was venerated in Canterbury Cathedral.
Miracles[edit]
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The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew
Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari.
The people of Lipari celebrated his feast day annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it suddenly became very heavy and had to be set down. When the men carrying the statue regained their strength, they lifted it a second time. After another few seconds, it got even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, walls further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the towns people would have been killed.
During World War II, the Fascist regime looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of St Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down.
St Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.
In Islamic literature[edit]
The Qur’an also mentions Jesus’s disciples but does not give their names, referring to them as “helpers to the work of God“.[19] Muslim exegesis and Qur’ancommentary, however, names them and includes Bartholomew amongst the disciples.[20]
Art and literature[edit]
Christian tradition has three stories about Bartholomew’s death: “One speaks of his being kidnapped, beaten unconscious, and cast into the sea to drown. Another account states that he was crucified upside down, and another says that he was skinned alive and beheaded in Albac or Albanopolis“,[21] near Başkale, Turkey.
The account of Bartholomew being skinned alive is the most represented in works of art, and consequently Bartholomew is often shown with a large knife, holding his own skin (as in Michelangelo‘s Last Judgment), or both. In Avezzano, in Abruzzo the image of the Saint who is holding his own skin has become the symbol of the city. Archaeological research has shown that the cult of Saint Bartholomew began in Avezzano, because the previous presence of a temple dedicated to Heracles, which is always represented in the act of holding the skin of the Nemean Lion. There is, therefore, a solid relationship between the two iconographies and the re-semantization of the symbols Heracles/Physical Strength/Hero and Bartholomew/Power of Faith/Hero-Martyr.[22] Bartholomew is also the patron saint of tanners.
Bartholomew plays a part in Francis Bacon‘s Utopian tale New Atlantis, about a mythical isolated land, Bensalem, populated by a people dedicated to reason and natural philosophy. Some twenty years after the ascension of Christ the people of Bensalem found an ark floating off their shore. The ark contained a letter as well as the books of the Old and New Testaments. The letter was from Bartholomew the Apostle and declared that an angel told him to set the ark and its contents afloat. Thus the scientists of Bensalem received the revelation of the Word of God.[23]
In recent days especially, depictions of the saint have found daunting new forms, such as Damien Hirst‘s bronze statue (2006)[24] or the large-scale painting by Aris Kalaizis, created in confrontation with the relic and the depictions of St. Bartholomew at Frankfurt Cathedral.
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St. Bartholomew displaying his flayed skin in Michelangelo‘s The Last Judgment.
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Statue of St. Bartholomew, with his own skin, by Marco d’Agrate, 1562 (Duomo di Milano)
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Statue of St. Bartholomew at theArchbasilica of St. John LateranbyPierre Le Gros the Younger.
Culture[edit]
The festival in August has been a traditional occasion for markets and fairs, such as the Bartholomew Fair held in Smithfield, Londonsince the Middle Ages,[25]which served as the scene for Ben Jonson‘s homonymous comedy.
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- Jump up^ Green, Joel B.; Scot McKnight; I. Howard Marshall (1992).Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. The IVP Bible Dictionary Series. InterVarsity Press. p. 180.ISBN 0-8308-1777-8.
- Jump up^ Smith, D. Moody. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: John. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999. ISBN 0687058120
- ^ Jump up to:a b Butler, Alban and Burns, Paul. “St. Bartholomew”, Butler’s Lives of the Saints: August, A&C Black, 1998, ISBN 9780860122579
- Jump up^ “ST. Bartholomew, Apostle”.
- Jump up^ William Smith and Samuel Cheetham, A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities (1875) noted the “absence of any great amount of early trustworthy tradition.”
- Jump up^ These Acta were published by Johann Albert Fabricius, Codex Apocryphus Novi Testimenti i. 341ff.
- Jump up^ Meredith Parsons Lillich (1 September 2011). The Gothic Stained Glass of Reims Cathedral. Penn State Press. pp. 46–.ISBN 978-0-271-03777-6. Retrieved10 November 2012.
- Jump up^ Both noted, Ebedjesu as “Ebedjesu Sobiensis”, in Smith and Cheetham, who give their source, Giuseppe Simone Assemani Bibliotheca Orientalis iii.i. pp. 30ff.
- Jump up^ Bartholomaeum cum Nathaniel confundunt Chaldaei Assemani, Bibliotheca Orientalis, iii, pt 2, p. 5 (noted by Smith and Cheetham).
- Jump up^ John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew Volume 3, Doubleday, 2001. pp. 199–200. ISBN 0-385-46993-4; for the identification see Benedict XVI, Udienza generale 4 October 2006.
- Jump up^ Encyclopædia Britannica, Micropædia. vol. 1, p. 924. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-85229-633-9.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “Mission of Saint Bartholomew, the Apostle in India”.Nasranis.
- Jump up^ “CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Bartholomew”.
- Jump up^ “THE CONDITION OF THE ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS IN TURKEY”. Research on Armenian Architecture. 2008-10-01. Retrieved2009-06-01.
- Jump up^ Noted in Smith and Cheetham.
- Jump up^ Gregory, De Gloria Martyrum, i.33.
- Jump up^ Basilica di San Bartolomeo Apostolo (Benevento, Italy)
- Jump up^ Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
- Jump up^ Qur’an 3:49–53
- Jump up^ Historical Dictionary of Prophets In Islam And Judaism, Brandon M. Wheeler,Disciples of Christ: “Muslim exegesis identifies the disciples as Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, Philip, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon”
- Jump up^ D. A. Teunis. Satan’s Secret: Exposing the Master of Deception and the Father of Lies. AuthorHouse, 2003. ISBN 978-1-4107-3580-5. Page 306
- Jump up^ Thomas Frederick Crane, Marco Lazzarotti, Ed. Tales From Italy: When Christianity Met Italy, M&J, 2014. ISBN 9791195174942. Page 5
- Jump up^ Text at Project Gutenberg
- Jump up^ Saint Bartholomew, Exquisit Pain.
- Jump up^ Cavendish, Richard. “London’s Last Bartholomew Fair”, History Today, Vol.55, Issue 9, 2005
Sources[edit]
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary, 1897.
- Encyclopedia Anglicana, 1911
- Dictionary of First Names, Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. Oxford University Press, 1996
- Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints