Saint Bartholomew

24 August

Bartholomew or Nathanael?!

His original name was Netanel bar Tolmai (son of Tolmai), so his full name was Nathanael Bartholomew, Nathanael being his personal name and Bartholomew a patronymic name based on the name of his father.

In the New Testament he is listed as one of the Twelve Apostles, befriended by another apostle Philip. In the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke  he is referred to as Barholomew while in John’s gospel he is referred to as Nathanael that hailed from Cana.

John’s gospel gives us the compelling account of Nathanael’s call to be one  of the first group to be called to discipleship.  Philip, his close friend, had already met Jesus and accepted the call to follow Him.  He looked out for Nathanael and very enthusiastically greeted his friend with “ We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph!’ a statement that could indicate that both Philip and Nathanael were students of the Law and the Prophets. From their studies Philip recognized that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. Nathanael’s reaction was one of incredibility as he replied “ Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” His reaction was based on prejudice regarding Nazareth, a very small peasant village where a few families had settled. Besides, the Jews of those times held Nazareth and even the area around Galilee in a very low regard. Nathanael reasoned how could God’s Messiah come from such an insignificant place?

Philip insisted, ’Come and see.’ Nathanael did go, and his life changed when he encountered Jesus who could see his heart and sincere character and declared him a true honest Israelite. Nathanael must have heard Him because he asked Jesus, “How do you know me?” Jesus’ response, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree, before Phillip called you,“ left Nathanael speechless. Nathanael immediately realized that Jesus was the One foretold by the prophets. He became the first disciple who professed, “ Rabbi, you are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel!”  (Jn. 1,45-51)

Nathanael followed Jesus witnessing his teaching and miracles,  the appearances of the Risen Christ and His Ascension.

When the Apostles dispersed to spread the Good News, Nathanael, probably with Philip, evangelized in India, in Armenia, in Persia and Egypt. It is believed that he was martyred in Abanopolis by King Astyages. Different traditions surround his martyrdom, the most popular one being that he was flayed, skinned alive.

 Nathanael is listed as St. Bartholomew in Roman Martyrology, the historical record documenting the lives and miracles of Christian saints and martyrs, from the early Church. 

Bartholomew/ Nathanael was prejudiced against anybody noteworthy coming from Nazareth, let alone the Messiah!


  • Our world has become a global village, as greater facilities of mobility and migration have broken boundaries of race and cultures. And yet prejudices still condition our attitudes that manifest themselves in unconscious behaviours even if they are non-verbal.
  • Unknowingly, our children do pick up these prejudices that will manifest themselves in their daily lives and as they grow older such attitudes become more difficult to change.
  • Let us instil in our children the ability to celebrate diversity and nurture inclusiveness. Lead them to talk about experiences in their daily lives, at school and other activities: Who is being left out? Who is being mean? Who is being treated unfairly ~ all because of how they look or the colour of their skin or because they seem to be different in one way or another.
  • Explore with them ways how they can ‘draw them in’ because getting to know them better will change what they think/feel about them.
  • Explore children’s feelings if they feel that they are being prejudiced against. Discuss possible positive ways they can address the situation by themselves or by the help of adult significant others
  • .Consider this experiment : give the children 2 hardboiled eggs, one brown shelled and the other white.  They look so different… let them shell the eggs to realize that inside the eggs are the same ! Halve the eggs .. one would not be able to identify which half belonged to which shell! Lead them to an awareness that deep down every person is the same. That is how God sees us!

Family Prayer Time

 –  Give thanks to God for the beauty of diversity!

Sing : We’re all amazing

Let us give thanks to God for the people who brought us to meet Jesus in His Family as Philip brought Nathanael. Let them mention people… start with the parents/ guardians who first brought us to meet Jesus through Baptism.- Encourage children to think of a friend they might invite to ‘Come and See’, picking them to attend Mass with them or any other event that could bring them closer to Jesus.

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How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Saints of the Church. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the holy life, helping you to connect the saints to daily life in a meaningful way.