18.7.12
St Bartholomew
Following the Last Supper most of us are quite clear about what happened to Jesus – but I have been wondering where each of the disciples fled to , what happened to them next – and in most cases how they met their grisly punishment for being followers of Christ.
Having seen plenty of sculptures and paintings of St Bartholomew, including the gruesome image in the Sistine of St Bartholomew holding his skin where Michelangelo inserted his own face, shown above, I was pretty sure he had been flayed alive – but I had no idea where or why – beyond that in the eyes of the Romans these Christians were making a nuisance of themselves wherever they went!!
St Bartholomew is, also known as Nathaniel – specifically in St John’s Gospel (John 21:2), where is also identified as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” and as being present at the marriage at Cana . The name Bartholomew comes from the Arabic and like our “mac” or “O” – Barth – seems to be the prefix for son of Tolmay (Ptolemy) or – more in keeping with the lowly status of most of Jesus’ disciples perhaps a his father was a ploughman – son of the furrows .
His symbol is a knife and he is seen in many paintings – particularly earlier Byzantine period paintings – or mosaics – of Christ with his disciples on the walls and ceilings of churches – and in the sculpture in Milan cathedral shown above – holding a lethal looking knife as his attribute.
It appears that Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary inEthiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia. but finally, together with another apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia and there in Albanopolis he met his fate – that of being flayed alive – ie having his skin removed before he was crucified.
Like St Peter he was also crucified upside down.
His crime was to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity, which so enraged Astyages, Polymius‘ brother he ordered Bartholomew’s particularly nasty execution
Both Saint Jude and St Bartholomew are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
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