ONE OF THE TWELVE

Bartholomew

“when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee”

Nathanael’s fig tree: on this page only if Bartholomew is Nathanael, an identification first written down about 850.

Also called Nathanael (if the same man)

VERSES THAT NAME HIM + 6 that name Nathanael

RECORDS WITH JESUS

NAMED BESIDE HIM

14

SOURCES OUTSIDE SCRIPTURE on how it ends

HIS LIFE IN FOUR PARTS

How much does Scripture tell?

A name in every list of the Twelve; perhaps the Nathanael of John’s Gospel. Scripture gives no years for his life, so the ring is divided by how much is recorded: 5 records of what he did or what was said to him, one bead each. The last part is tradition and is drawn dashed. Choose a part to read it.

II · THE GOSPELS, IN THE HARMONY’S ORDER

With Jesus

  • Nathanael: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1:45–51
  • Chosen as one of the Twelve Mark 3:13–19
  • Sent out with the Twelve; sixth in Matthew’s list Matthew 10:1–5
  • Nathanael by the sea when the risen Jesus appears John 21:1–3

CHAPTER BY CHAPTER

Where is he named?

One square for each chapter of the books that name Bartholomew: 4 verses in 4 chapters. The darker the square, the more verses in it name him. Squares with a dashed edge name Nathanael, who is Bartholomew only if the two are one man (see the questions below). Choose a chapter to read what happens there.

THE GOSPELS AND ACTS

JOHN 1

0 verses name him; 5 verses name Nathanael

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

WHAT HAPPENS HERE

  • Nathanael: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

CHAPTER I · BEFORE THE CALL

A name, and a town

Home, trade and family · 2 records

SCHOLARS

“Son of Talmai”

The name Bartholomew means “son of Talmai” (or Tholmai). Fenlon (1907) notes that it may have been his own name, or a family name added to tell him apart.

SCRIPTURE · JOHN 21:2

No home given; Nathanael of Cana

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Scripture gives no home for Bartholomew. Nathanael was “of Cana in Galilee” (John 21:2).

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, Zebedee

WHERE

Cana

PASSAGE

John 21:2

CHAPTER II · WITH JESUS

Bartholomew, and perhaps Nathanael

The Gospels, in the harmony’s order · 4 records

SCRIPTURE · JOHN 1:45–51

Nathanael: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

NAMED WITH HIM

Philip, Nathanael

IN THE HARMONY

§28 · Jesus makes his first disciples

PASSAGE

John 1:45–51

SCRIPTURE · MARK 3:13–19

Chosen as one of the Twelve

And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John son of Zebedee, Philip, Thomas and 7 more

IN THE HARMONY

§53 · After a night of prayer Jesus selects Twelve apostles

TOLD IN 2 BOOKS

Mark 3:13–19·Luke 6:12–16

SCRIPTURE · JOHN 21:1–3

Nathanael by the sea when the risen Jesus appears

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

NAMED WITH HIM

Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, Zebedee

WHERE

Cana

IN THE HARMONY

§180 · The appearance to seven disciples beside the sea of Galilee. The miraculous draught of fishes

PASSAGE

John 21:1–3

CHAPTER III · THE CHURCH IN ACTS

One verse in Acts

Acts and the letters · 1 record

FROM THE TEXT · ACTS 1:13

In the upper room

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

He is named seventh among the Eleven in the upper room (Acts 1:13). Acts never names him again.

PASSAGE

Acts 1:13

CHAPTER IV · AFTER SCRIPTURE

After Scripture

Tradition, by who said it and when · 5 sources

SCRIPTURE FIRST

What Scripture says of his end

Scripture says nothing of Bartholomew after the upper room (Acts 1:13), or of Nathanael after the morning by the sea (John 21:2).

From the text Acts 1:13·John 21:2

THEN TRADITION · 5 SOURCES, EARLIEST FIRST

  • 2nd c. Eusebius, Church History 5.10.3, reporting Pantaenus’s journey Early church
  • 392 Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men 36 Early church
  • 1907 J. F. Fenlon, Catholic Encyclopedia Scholars
  • date unknown Later traditions, as summarised by J. F. Fenlon Later tradition
  • 1924 The Acts of Philip (apocryphal), 125 Later tradition

Each is labelled with who said it and when; none is blended into Scripture.

THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM

Who was with him?

Every record of Bartholomew in Scripture, in story order (the Gospels in the order of Robertson's harmony, then Acts and the letters). A person counts as "with him" only where a verse of that record names them both. 14 people in all.

named in the passage from first to last mention Point at a column to see what happens; click it to keep it (click again to let go); choose a name to follow that person.

I · BEFORE THE CALL

No home given; Nathanael of Cana

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

NAMED WITH HIM HERE

  • Peter John 21:2
  • Thomas John 21:2
  • Nathanael John 21:2
  • Zebedee John 21:2

SIDE BY SIDE

One moment, several accounts

2 moments of his story told by more than one book, each in its own words in the King James Version. His names are marked; switch on "only here" to underline the words that just one account has.

CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE TWELVE

Luke

Luke 6:13

6:13 ¶ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

NATHANAEL, IF HE IS BARTHOLOMEW

John

John 1:45–49

1:45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

1:48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

NEAR AND FAR

Where was he?

4 places named in his story, with what happened there and how far each lies from Jerusalem. Tradition's places are dashed, with who placed him there and when. Choose a card or a pin.

Scroll to zoom · drag to move · the map stays on his places Land outline: the Atlas (Natural Earth)

Not on the map, because our places data gives no coordinates: Armenia (Later traditions place his death at Albanopolis in Armenia).

OPEN QUESTIONS

What readers still ask

5 questions the reviewed sources leave open for Bartholomew, with the answers given and who gives them, and 3 things Scripture does not say, in italic. Choose one.

VIEWS, WITH WHO HOLDS THEM · THIS PAGE

Is Bartholomew the same man as Nathanael?

Two different apostles

The Epistle of the Apostles (about 160)

Its opening list of apostles names Bartholomew and Nathanael as two men. The same list also names Peter and Cephas as two.

Later tradition M. R. James (tr.), 1924

Nathanael was not one of the Twelve

Augustine (early 5th century)

Augustine reasons that Nathanael “was learned and skilled in the law and for that reason was the Lord unwilling to place him among His disciples”, because he chose unlearned men.

Early church Augustine, 1888

The same man: Nathanael, son of Talmai

Ishodad of Merv (about 850); generally held from the 9th century on (Kerr, 1915); reasons set out by Fenlon (1907)

John never uses the name Bartholomew and the other Gospels never use Nathanael; the Gospel lists pair Bartholomew with Philip, who brought Nathanael; Nathanael was among disciples with apostles in John 21:2. Fenlon calls the case “ingenious and pretty strong”, with the weak link that Nathanael “may have been another personage”.

Scholars John 1:45·John 21:2·Matthew 10:3 Ishodad of Merv, 1911·C. M. Kerr, 1915·John Francis Fenlon, 1907

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