St. Bartholomew – the Enigmatic One

Tomorrow, 24th August, is the Feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew (called Nathaniel in the Gospel of St. John). In a sense, he is the “unknown apostle” because virtually all that is known about him is that he came from Cana and was called to be one of the Twelve. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says of him “a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit”. Initially, Bartholomew doubted the Messiah would come from Nazareth but upon meeting Jesus declared Him immediately “the Son of God and the King of Israel” (John 1: 49). Little is known about his movements after the Resurrection. The Roman martyrology suggests that he reached India and Armenia and that he was martyred in Derbend on the Caspian Sea by flaying and then beheading. His relics were then taken to the island of Lipara and from there to Rome, where they are kept in St. Bartholomew’s church on the Tiber. Even so, he became in England a popular patron saint of many churches, over 165 ancient churches being dedicated to him. Here is the Collect of the Mass: “Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son and grant that through the help of his prayers, your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. a surprise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.”