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St. Bartholomew
St. Bartholomew
Again we are confronted with the fact that we know almost nothing
about this Apostle from Scripture. However the few sentences that
we do hear is all that is needed.
During this brief meeting with Nathanael, Jesus told him that he
would experience greater things than with this first meeting.
In the four lists of the Twelve in Holy Scripture this apostle was
always called Bartholomew. In the Gospels his name was mentioned
in the sixth place, immediately after his friend, Philip. In St. Luke’s
enumeration in the Acts of the Apostles, Our Lord assigned
Bartholomew and Thomas to the same group. Wisely did Divine
Providence place these two individuals side by side, the optimist and
the pessimist, the apostle of sunshine and spring with the apostle of
doubt and cloud. Each in his own different way profited by this
partnership. Thomas unburdened himself through Bartholomew, and
it was to Bartholomew’s benefit that he was encumbered with
Thomas, for through the doubter he was protected from the danger
of becoming too free and lax.
"Therefore, of these men who have been in our company all the time
that the Lord Jesus moved among us, from John's baptism until the
day that he was taken up from us, of these one must become a
witness with us of his resurrection"
From the two passages in John there is no doubt that Nathanael had
heard the apostles; in the first chapter and in the last, this apostle
was counted with the known and recognized apostles. Also, his
calling was clearly and fully explained. There is no reason to doubt
that Nathanael was an apostle, or that Nathanael and Bartholomew
are two names for one and the same apostle. For if the Nathanael
mentioned by the evangelist John was one of the Twelve, then he
could have been no other than the one called Bartholomew by the
other evangelists. All the other apostles in the four scriptural list
were given by one name. Since Bartholomew was named in the lists
by his father's name, Bar-Tholmai, son of Tholmai, he alone is the
only apostle who could have had the personal name of Nathanael.
It was necessary, first of all, to point out and to prove the identity of
Bartholomew and Nathanael. The little that is known about this
apostle is found only in the two verses that St. John recorded. The
other evangelists gave no information about Nathanael save the
name of his father. Perhaps this father, the old Tholma-the name
means a "drill-blough" was such a well known and influential person
that his son was simply called by his name. A legend concerning
Bartholomew, recorded by Peter de Natalibus around the year 1372,
corroborates such a supposition. According to this legend
Bartholomew was a Syrian from a distinguished, royal family. But in
this form the legend contradicts the Gospel.
A much earlier writing, from between the middle of the fifth and
sixth centuries, the "History of the Sufferings of Bartholomew," paid
special attention to externals. It noted this apostle's physical
appearance and his refined clothing.
Bartholomew had black, curly hair, which covered his ears. His
complexion was fair. He had big eyes and a rather large nose. His
stature was well-balanced, not too small and not too large. He wore
a white robe trimmed in crimson, and also a white cloak, the hem of
which was embellished with red jewels.
The evangelist John wrote only a few lines-but what precious ones
they are!-concerning Bartholomew. These brief statements do give
an insight into the soul of this apostle. The Church has chosen this
small segment of Scripture, which reflects a certain charm of the
apostle, for the closing prayer of the Votive Mass of the Holy Angels.
One might even wish that the Liturgy on the feast day of the apostle
Bartholomew would also be taken from this cherished and solemn
part of the Gospel.
Giving his account of this incident, St. Luke pointed out how these
people of Jesus' own home town wanted to murder Him:
And all in the synagogue, as they heard these things, were filled
with wrath. And they rose up and put him forth out of the town, and
led him to the brow of the hill, on which their town was built, that
they might throw him down headlong. But he, passing through their
midst, went his way.
After Mary and Joseph returned from the flight into Egypt, they did
not go back to Bethlehem. Divine Providence had directed them to
Nazareth. In this village Jesus was reared, a village about which
nothing good could be said, a village from which no good was
expected. This is a thought of consolation to the many people who
must remain and work in unimportant and disdained places, or in
forsaken posts.
Still when our Lord greeted Nathanael, He did not say this disciple
was merely an Iaraelite. He stressed that He was an Israelite
without guile. It was not often that an Israelite received such praise.
Even Jacob, the father of the tribe of Israelite, was no more than a
man "without guile." Frankness and sincerity had ceased to be
universal virtues of the Israelites; nevertheless, Nathanael was a
simple and candid person. He did not act as others and pretend. He
did not have "two-hearts, a fold in his heart where he saw the truth,
and another fold where he engendered lies."
The few words of Nathanael recorded in the Gospel, then, were
spoken from a true heart, and remain as fresh and clear as a spring.
There was nothing artifical or affected in this follower of Christ,
nothing made up or thought up on the spur of the moment. Jesus,
the eternal truth, readily and gladly accepted this Isrelite who was
without a shadow of pretense.
What happened under that fig tree remained a secret between Jesus
and Nathanael. Maybe it was a triumphant struggle. Maybe it was a
decisive resolution. Maybe it was a brilliant confession. In any case,
under that fig tree-Palestinians loved to plant fig trees around their
homes-a profound, personal experience must have occurred.
It is a pity that the evangelist John did not give a fuller picture of
Nathanael in the first Chapter of his Gospel. With the exception of
the brief mention of this apostle in the twenty-first chapter of the
fourth Gospel, there is no other mention of him through the wide
span between the first and last chapter. The evangelists, inspired by
the Holy Spirit, limited themselves to a fuller account of the life of
Jesus. The very fact that these comments were made so brief is
already an indication of the direction in which their inspired
thoughts were to venture.
At the Last Supper revealed, "'One of you will betray me.'" No one
thought of Bartholomew. Not even a slight suspicion was raised
against him. Only sunshine and spring surrounded this apostle.
When the disciples walked along the long, hot roads, with the Lord,
tired and stickly with dust, and when the pressing of a crowd was so
taxing that they could not find time even to eat, when they, along
with the Lord, had no place to lay their head at night, there was
Bartholomew, cheerful, tireless, and happy as ever. He alone of the
followers of Christ could lift up their sinking spirits. Then the eyes of
the Lord would benevolently fall upon this disciples as they had in
the hour of their first meeting. Nathanael Bartholomew was called
because of his natural ability to reflect the goodness, kindness,
mercy, and love of the Savior.
For the melancholy Thomas, for the sober Philip, for the objective
Matthew, it was a real blessing that Bartholomew occasionally led
this second group of apostles to look at the brighter side of life. He
put some cheer and life into this melancholy, sober and objective
group. He brought the fragrance of spring and a bit of poetry into
this somewhat too cool, somewhat too dry, somewhat too gloomy
atmosphere. With his keen natural perceptiveness, he could brighten
and enliven Thomas, tease and animate Philip, transfigure and
perfect-Matthew. He could rub against all three of their natures and
get away with it three times as often as any other apostle. It is good
to stand to the sunshine, but it is better to be the sunshine for
others. In doing all this, Nathanael did not overstep the fine border
of tact. It is very striking how old legends again and again allude to
this apostle's distinguished origin and refined speech. The silence of
the Gospels also gives an indication of his quiet reserve. He could
hold back his happiness lest he becomes too frolicsome, or even loud
and boisterous.
In a lesson from the Roman Breviary read on the feast of the apostle
Bartholomew, are collected various and sundry bits of information:
In Great Armenia Bartholomew led the king, Poplymius, and his wife,
in addition to twelve cities, to the Christian belief. These conversions
very much enkindled the jealousy of the clergy there. The priests
succeeded in stirring up the brother of King Polymius, Astyages, to
such an anger that he gave the gruesome order to have
Bartholomenw skinned alive and then beheaded. In this martyrdom
he gave his soul back to God.
Finally, we turn once again to the Gospel, to the hour in which the
young and carefree Nathanael met the Messias for the first time.
With flashing eyes and inspired lips he called out openly to Jesus,
"'Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art King of Israel.'" But this
cheerful and lovable man had not surmised in the least what a
tremendous burden he was to bear for the Son of God. He was
portrayed by artist as a gray and stooped old man. For the Son of
God he had gone half way around the world. Through the many long
journeys. For centuries, even, his remains were not permitted the
quiet rest of the grave.
In his hand he held the horrible knife with which he was allegedly
skinned alive. It is not certain in what manner he died. Maybe he
was flayed and maybe he was not. But it is certain that inwardly he
had completely stripped himself of self and had become the faithful
and devoted servant of the King of Israel. This shedding of the world
right down to the very nerve-center was demaned by Christ Himself.
Twice Matthew recorded Jesus' words about this:
"And if thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off
and cast it from thee! It is better for thee to enter life maimed or
lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the
everlasting fire. And if thy eye is an occasion of sin to thee, pluck it
out and cast it from thee! It is better for thee to enter into life with
one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the hell of fire.
For this reason some like to represent Christianity as a big, dismal
"no" to anything that might have the slighest trace of joy in it. It
supposedly forbids the "yes" in life. But such men as Nathanael
Bartholomew, who work and suffer the most for Christ, are the most
joyful. Nathanaels are those without the guile of a pessimistic
bearing, dressed-up heroism, or weary resignation. They know
sadness and they know hope; they know the nakedness and on
completeness of their own existence, and wait for the fulfillment of
another life.
Apostles.com
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02313c.htm
email tommyferris@comcast.net