Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
He was stripped of his skin for believing in Christ.
Saint Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus from among several dozen of his disciples.
In the Gospels we find two names: Bartholomew and Nathanael. Synoptics (Matthew, Luke and Mark) use the first name, while John uses the second name. However, according to biblical criticism and tradition, it is one and the same person. John writes of Nathanael as an Apostle (cf. Jn 1: 35-51; 21: 2). Moreover, he clearly emphasizes that Nathanael was close to Philip the Apostle, and the synoptics always put Bartholomew next to Philip in the catalogs of the Apostles (cf. Mt 10: 3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:14). Moreover, they are even listed with the conjunction "and": "Philip and Bartholomew ".
The Aramaic word Bartholomew means "son of Talmai ". We encounter this name several times in the Bible (cf. Joshua 15:14; 2 Sam 3: 3). The word Nathanael is a Hebrew name and means "God gave" - so it would be the equivalent of the Greek name Theodoros or the Latin Deusdedit. We find the name Nathanael much more often in Scripture (cf. Nu 1: 8; 2, 5; 7, 18; 10, 15; 1 Chr 2:14; 15, 24; 24, 6, etc.). If Bartholomew is identical to Nathanael, then his name would be correct: Nathanael, bar Talmai (Nathanael, son of Talmai).
Synoptics mention the name of St. Bartholomew only in the catalogs of the Apostles. St. John says he was from Cana in Galilee. He describes in detail Nathanael's first encounter with Christ (cf. Jn 1: 35-51), to which he was an eyewitness. It was Philip, a disciple of the Lord Jesus, who later became an Apostle, who brought Nathanael to Christ, and that is why Nathanael is always in the list of the Apostles right after Philip. Some believe that it was at Nathanael's wedding in Cana that Christ was with his disciples and his mother, where, at her request, he performed the first miracle.
The description of the first meeting shows that Nathanael was not very positive about the people of Nazareth. However, when he heard the words of Christ and realized that Christ penetrated the depths of his interior, heart and soul, he immediately believed in him. This testifies to the great righteousness of his heart and openness to God's grace. From then on, he remained with Christ forever. About St. Nathanael John the Evangelist recalls once more - he participated in the miraculous fishing on Lake Gennesaret after Christ's resurrection (cf. Jn 21: 2-6).
Christian tradition has little to say about St. Bartholomew. The interest in other Apostles is much greater, the figure of St. Bartholomew is rather in the shade. The first historian of the Church, St. Eusebius writes that around 200 Pantaenus found in India the Gospel of St. Matthew. At the same time, he expresses the conviction that it was St. Bartholomew who carried it there. A similar version is given by St. Jerome. Whereas St. Rufinus and Moses of Horezm (Khwarazm) believe that St. Bartholomew preached Christ in Ethiopia. Pseudo-Jerome claims that St. Bartholomew apostled in Saudi Arabia. Still others believe that St. Bartholomew worked among the Parthians in Mesopotamia. This discrepancy shows how little we know about the fate of the Apostle after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus.
From the apocrypha of St. Bartholomew's Gospel and Bartholomew's Apocalypse have been preserved. However, we know them in quite small fragments. The more extensive apocryphal Passion of Bartholomew the Apostle has also been preserved. According to it, Bartholomew was to preach the Gospel in Armenia. There, he was even supposed to convert the royal brother - Polymius. At the behest of the King of Armenia, Astyages, he was captured in the city of Albanopolis, crucified, and finally beheaded. From St. Isidore (+ 636), Bishop of Seville, a rumor spread that St. Bartholomew was stripped of his skin. Hence, he was considered the patron saint of butchers, tanners and bookbinders. The date of the apostle's death is supposed to be the year 70.
Immediately after his death, Bartholomew was venerated as a martyr for Christ's faith. That is why his relics were protected against destruction. In about 410, Bishop Maruthaswas to transfer them from Albanopolis to Meiafarakin, from where they were soon transferred to Dare in Mesopotamia. From there, the relics were placed in Anastasia in Phrygia in Asia Minor around 507. However, when barbarian invasions threatened to destroy and desecrate, they were transferred to the Aeolian Islands in 580 and Benevento in 838. Currently, they are located under the main altar of the local cathedral. Some of these relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Otto III. This ruler erected a basilica on the Tiber Island (to preserve the relics of St. Adalbert), to which the relics of the Apostle were later brought, changing basilicas title.
The cult of St. Bartholomew dates from the 5th century. Greeks celebrate his feast on June 11, Armenians on December 8 and February 25, Ethiopians on July 18 and November 20. The Latin Church has been celebrating the feast of the Apostle since the 8th century on August 24. In the 6th century we find the first church built in his honor on the island of Eolia. Pisa, Venice, Pistoia and Foligno erected magnificent temples for him. In Poland, the cult of St. Bartholomew was once very alive - over 150 churches were erected in his honor in Poland.
In the iconography of St. Bartholomew is depicted in a long tunic, belted, sometimes with anatomical precision as a muscular man. He is sometimes shown with his removed skin. Its attributes are: book, knife, scroll.
Saint Bartholomew was stripped of his skin, his ultimate sacrifice in order to bear witness to God. He teaches us how in order to serve God we ultimately might get stripped of everything before meeting Our Maker.
Refuse not, o Lord God, our humble petition but unite it with that of Apostle Bartholomew and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, so that we may obtain the grace of true repentance for our sins, of divine assistance in our spiritual and temporal wants, and of constant fidelity to all our Christian duties.
This we ask through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george