BARTHOLOMEW (BapeoXogalos +nt?71 e., the son of Tolmai : 4rA1) is a name that occurs in the Old Testament (Josh. xv. 14, Sept. ecaagi, EtaXgat; Auth. Vers., Talmai ; 2 Sam. xiii. 37, Sept. OoNpl, GoXqual). In Josephus, we find 0oXonaios(Antig. xx. I, sec. i). The OoXqucaos in Antig. xiv. 8. 1, is called IlroXei.taios in Bell. ,dud. i. 9, sec. 3, not improbably by an error of the transcriber, as another person of the latter name is mentioned in the same sentence. Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles, and is generally supposed to have been the same individual who in John's gospel is called Nathanael. The reason of this opinion is, that in the first three gospels Philip and Bartholomew are constantly named together, while Nathanael is nowhere mentioned ; on the contrary, in the fourth gospel the names of Philip and Nathanael are similarly combined, but nothing is said of Bartholomew. Nathanael therefore must be considered as his real name, while Bartholomew merely expresses his filial relation. He was a native of Cana in Galilee (John xxi. z), and intro duced by Philip to Jesus, who, on seeing him ap proach, uttered that eulogy on his character which has made his name almost synonymous with sin cerity : ' Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !' (John i. 47).* He was one of the disciples to whom our Lord appeared after his resurrection, at the Sea of Tiberias (John xxi. 2) ; he was also a witness of the Ascension, and returned with the other apostles to Jerusalem (Acts. i. 4, 12, 13). Of his subsequent history we have little more than vague traditions. According to Eusebius (list.
Eccles. v. lob when Pantmnus went on a mission to the Indians (towards the close of the second century), he found among them the Gospel of Matthew, written in Hebrew, which had been left there by the apostle Bartholomew. Jerome (De Kr. Illustr. c. 36) gives a similar account, and adds that Pantaznus brought the copy of Matthew's Gos pel back to Alexandria with him. But the title of Indians is applied by ancient writers to so many different nations, that it is difficult to determine the scene of Bartholomew's labours. Mosheim (with whom Neander agrees) is of opinion that it was a part of Arabia Felix, inhabited by Jews, to whom alone a Hebrew gospel could be of any service. Socrates (Hut. Eccles. i. 19) says that it was the India bordering on Ethiopia ; and Sophronius reports that Bartholomew preached the Gospel of Christ 'Irbois roil KaXouggvats diSca,too'ev. This apostle is said to have suffered crucifixion at Al banopolis, in Armenia, or, according to Nicephorus, at Urbanopolis in Cilicia. A spurious gospel which bears his name is in the catalogue of apocryphal books condemned by Pope Gelasius (Fabricius, Cod. Ape. i. 137 ; Mosheim, Commentaries on the Affairs of the Christians, etc., translated by Vidal, vol. ii. pp. 6, 7 ; Tillemont, Me'moires, etc., i. 96o, 16o ; Neander, Allgemeine Geschichte, i. 113, E. T. 1. 112 ; Cave, Lives of the Apostles, Oxford, 1840, pp. E. R.