Editing Bartholomew the Apostle

{{Short description|Christian apostle and martyr}}
{{Redirect|Bartholomew}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox Saint
|honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
|name=Bartholomew the Apostle
|image=File:Rubens apostel bartolomeus grt.jpg
|caption=''St Bartholomew'' by [[Rubens]], {{c.|1611}}
|birth_date= 1st century AD
|death_date= {{c.|lk=no|69/71 AD}}
|feast_day={{ubl|24 August ([[Western Christianity]])|11 June (with St. [[Barnabas]]) ([[Eastern Christianity]])|25 August (translation of relics, with [[Saint Titus]]) (Eastern Christianity) |29 August ([[Syriac Orthodox]])<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbbYEAAAQBAJ |title = Jacobite Arab Synaxarium- Volume I |isbn = 9781088061237 |last1 = Curtin|first1 = D. P.|date = July 2015|publisher = Dalcassian Publishing Company }}</ref>}}
|venerated_in=All [[Christian denomination]]s which venerate saints
<!-- If you add particular churches in the Catholic Church, please put in Talk. Catholic Church contains these particular churches. If needed, change “Catholic Church” to the respective eastern Churches and “Latin Church”. --> 
|birth_place=[[Cana]], Galilee, [[Roman Empire]]
|death_place= [[Albanopolis, Armenia|Albanopolis]], [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint Bartholomew {{!}} Christian Apostle {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bartholomew |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lives of the Saints: August: 24. St. Bartholomew, Apostle |url=https://sacred-texts.com/chr/lots/lots266.htm |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref>Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck ,2000,page 152: "... Bartholomew preached to the Indians and died at Albanopolis in Armenia). It was condemned in the Gelasian decree, referred ..."</ref><ref>The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament by Frank Viola,page 170: "... one of the Twelve, is beaten and crucified in Albanopolis, Armenia. ..."</ref>
|titles=[[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostle]] and [[Christian martyr|Martyr]]
|attributes={{cslist|[[Knife]] and his flayed skin|[[Degrees of martyrdom|Red Martyrdom]]}}
|patronage={{cslist|[[Armenia]]|[[Azerbaijan]]|[[bookbinding|bookbinders]]|butchers|[[Florence|Florentine]] cheese and salt merchants|[[Gambatesa]], [[Bojano]], Italy|[[Catbalogan]], Samar|[[Magalang]], Pampanga|[[Malabon]], Metro Manila|[[Nagcarlan]], Laguna|[[San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija]], Philippines|[[Għargħur]], Malta|leather workers|neurological diseases|skin diseases|dermatology|[[plasterer]]s|shoemakers|[[currier]]s|tanners|trappers|twitching|whiteners|Los Cerricos, Spain|[[Barva (canton)|Barva, Costa Rica]] |semi=true}}
|major_shrine={{cslist|[[Saint Bartholomew Monastery]] in Turkey|[[Saint Bartholomew Church (Baku)|Saint Bartholomew Church in Baku]]|[[relic]]s at [[Benevento Cathedral|Basilica of San Bartolomeo]] in [[Benevento]], Italy|[[Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral]] in [[Baku]], Azerbaijan|[[San Bartolomeo all'Isola|Saint Bartholomew-on-the-Tiber]] Church, Rome|[[Canterbury Cathedral]]|the cathedrals [[Frankfurt Cathedral|in Frankfurt]] and [[Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Plzeň|Plzeň]]|San Bartolomeo Cathedral in [[Lipari]] |semi=true}}
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'''Bartholomew'''{{efn|[[Aramaic]]: {{lang|arc|ܒܪ ܬܘܠܡܝ}}; {{langx|grc|Βαρθολομαῖος|translit=Bartholomaîos}}; {{langx|la|Bartholomaeus}}; {{langx|hy|Բարթողիմէոս}}; {{langx|cop|ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ}}; {{langx|he|בר-תולמי|translit=bar-Tôlmay}}; {{langx|ar|بَرثُولَماوُس|translit=Barthulmāwus}}}} was one of the [[Apostles in the New Testament|twelve apostles of Jesus]] according to the [[New Testament]]. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as '''[[Nathanael (follower of Jesus)|Nathanael]]''',{{sfn|Green|McKnight|Marshall|1992|p=180}} who appears in the [[Gospel of John]] (1:45–51; cf. 21:2).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-06 |title=What Do We Know about Nathanael – the Disciple without Deceit? - Topical Studies |url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-do-we-know-about-nathanael-the-disciple-without-deceit.html |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=Bible Study Tools |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the Apostle Nathanael, a 'True Israelite' |url=https://www.learnreligions.com/nathanael-the-true-israelite-701068 |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=Learn Religions |language=en}}</ref><ref>Raymond F. Collins, "Nathanael 3," in ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'', vol. 4 (New York: Doubleday), p. 1031.</ref>[[File:Bartholomew the Apostle. Detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale. Ravena, Italy.jpg|thumb|Bartholomew the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the [[Basilica of San Vitale]], [[Ravenna]], 6th century|204x204px]]

==New Testament references==
The name ''Bartholomew'' ({{langx|el|Βαρθολομαῖος}}, transliterated "Bartholomaios") comes from the {{langx|arc|בר-תולמי}} ''bar-Tolmay'' "son of [[Tolmai]]"{{sfn|Butler|Burns|1998|p=232}} or "son of the furrows".{{sfn|Butler|Burns|1998|p=232}} Bartholomew is listed in the [[New Testament]] among the Twelve Apostles of [[Jesus]] in the three [[Synoptic Gospels]]: [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|10:1–4||10:1–4}}</ref> [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|3:13–19||3:13–19}}</ref> and [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|6:12–16||6:12–16}}</ref> and in [[Acts of the Apostles]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts of the Apostles|1:13||1:13}}</ref>

==Tradition==

[[Eusebius of Caesarea]]'s ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Ecclesiastical History]]'' (5:10) states that after the [[Ascension of Jesus|Ascension]], Bartholomew went on a [[missionary]] tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Tradition narrates that he served as a missionary in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Parthia]], as well as [[Lycaonia]] and [[Ethiopia]] in other accounts.<ref name=EB>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Micropædia. vol. 1, p. 924. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1998. {{ISBN|0-85229-633-9}}.</ref>
Popular traditions say that Bartholomew preached the Gospel in India and then went to Greater Armenia.{{sfn|Butler|Burns|1998|p=232}}

===Mission to India===
Two ancient testimonies exist about the mission of Saint Bartholomew in India. These are by Eusebius of Caesarea (early 4th century) and by [[Saint Jerome]] (late 4th century). Both of these refer to this tradition while speaking of the reported visit of [[Pantaenus|Saint Pantaenus]] to India in the 2nd century.<ref name="nasrani.net" /> The studies of Fr A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the [[Konkan]] coast, a region which may also have been known as the ancient city [[Kalyan]], was the field of Saint Bartholomew's missionary activities. Previously the consensus among scholars was at least skeptical about an apostolate of Saint Bartholomew in India. Stallings (1703), Neander (1853), Hunter (1886), Rae (1892), Zaleski (1915) supported it, while scholars such as Sollerius (1669), Carpentier (1822), Harnack (1903), Medlycott (1905), Mingana (1926), Thurston (1933), Attwater (1935), etc. do not. The main argument is that the India that Eusebius and Jerome refer to should be identified as [[Ethiopia]] or [[Arabia Felix]].<ref name="nasrani.net" />

===In Armenia===
[[File:Saint Bartholomew Monastery general view.png|thumb|250px|[[Saint Bartholomew Monastery]] at the site of the Apostle's martyrdom in historical Armenia, now ruinous]]
Along with his fellow apostle [[Jude the Apostle|Jude "Thaddeus"]], Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]] in the 1st century; as a result, in 301 the Armenian kingdom became the first state in history to embrace Christianity officially. Thus, both saints are considered the [[patron saint]]s of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]. According to these traditions, Bartholomew is the second [[Catholicos-Patriarch]] of the Armenian Apostolic Church.<ref name="Gilman">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGpr2KsbS94C|title=Christians in Asia before 1500|isbn=9781136109782|last1=Gilman|first1=Ian|last2=Klimkeit|first2=Hans-Joachim|date=2013-01-11|publisher=Routledge }}</ref>

Christian tradition offers three accounts of Bartholomew's death: "One speaks of his being kidnapped, beaten unconscious, and cast into the sea to [[drowning|drown]]."

In the Hellenic tradition, Bartholomew was executed in [[Albanopolis, Armenia|Albanopolis]] in Armenia, where he was martyred for having converted Polymius, the local king, to Christianity. Enraged by the monarch's conversion, and fearing a Roman backlash, King Polymius's brother, Prince Astyages, ordered Bartholomew's torture and execution. However, this version of the story appears ahistorical, as there are no records of any Armenian king of the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia]] with the name "Polymius". Other accounts of his martyrdom name the king as either Agrippa (identified with [[Tigranes VI]]), or [[Sanatruk]], king of Armenia.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WPfEAAAQBAJ |title =The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew: Greek, Arabic, and Armenian Versions |isbn = 9798868951473 |last1 = Curtin|first1 = D. P.|date = January 2014|publisher =Dalcassian Publishing Company }}</ref>

The 13th-century [[Saint Bartholomew Monastery]] was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the presumed site of Bartholomew's martyrdom in [[Vaspurakan]], Greater Armenia (now in southeastern Turkey).<ref name="raa.am" />

===In present-day Azerbaijan===
[[File:St. Bartholomew ortodox church in Baku, XIX century.jpg|thumb|[[Saint Bartholomew Church (Baku)]] before the destruction|216x216px]]

Azerbaijani Christians hold the official position that Apostle Bartholomew was the first person to bring Christianity to the lands of modern Azerbaijan and believe that he preached there.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholic.az/en/church/church-azerbaijan |title=The Catholic Church in Azerbaijan |website=Catholic.az |publisher=Azerbaijan's Catholic Church |language=en |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://az.pravoslavie.az/history/christianity_in_azerbaijan_history/ |title=Azərbaycan Tarixində Xristianlıq |website=Pravoslavie.az |publisher=Orthodox Church of Azerbaijan |language=az |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref> [[Saint Bartholomew Church (Baku)]] was built in 1892 with donations from the local Christian population on the site where the Apostle Bartholomew was believed to have been martyred.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pravoslavie.az/history/orthodox_churches_azerbaijan_history/?id=13668 |title=Pravoslav Kilsələrinin Tarixi: Müqəddəs Məryəm Məbadı |website=Pravoslavie.az |publisher=Orthodox Church of Azerbaijan |language=az |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bakıda məzarı tapılan İsa peyğəmbərin apostolu Varfolomey |url=https://qaynarinfo.az/az/bakida-mezare-tapilan-isa-peyemberin-apostolu-varfolomey/ |access-date=April 28, 2021 |website=qaynarinfo.az}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholic.az/en/archives/3120 |title=Azerbaijan's Religious Leaders' Statement on the Patriotic War |website=Catholic.az |date=25 June 2024 |publisher=Azerbaijan's Catholic Church |language=en |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref> Azerbaijani Christians believe that in the area near the [[Maiden Tower (Baku)|Maiden Tower]], the apostle Bartholomew was crucified and killed by pagans around 71 AD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Проповедь Святого Апостола Варфоломея |url=https://udi.az/hystory/0002-2 |access-date=April 28, 2021 |website=udi.az}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://az.pravoslavie.az/history/orthodox_churches_azerbaijan_history/?id=13696 |title=Pravoslav Kilsələrinin Tarixi: Azərbaycan Tarixi |website=Pravoslavie.az |publisher=Orthodox Church of Azerbaijan |language=az |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref> The church continued to operate until 1936, when it was demolished as a part of the Soviet [[USSR anti-religious campaign (1928–1941)|campaign against religion]].

== Veneration ==
{{Main|Feast of Saint Bartholomew}}
The [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] honours Saint Bartholomew and [[Saint Thaddeus]] as its patron saints. 

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] venerates Bartholomew on June 11.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/06/11/101690-apostle-bartholomew-of-the-twelve |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611210328/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/06/11/101690-apostle-bartholomew-of-the-twelve |archive-date=11 June 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=Orthodox Church in America }}</ref> Bartholomew is also venerated on August 25 in commemoration of the transfer of Bartholomew's relics.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/08/25/102392-return-of-the-relics-of-the-apostle-bartholomew-from-anastasiopo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721222217/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/08/25/102392-return-of-the-relics-of-the-apostle-bartholomew-from-anastasiopo |archive-date=21 July 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=Orthodox Church in America }}</ref> He is also venerated as one of the twelve apostles on June 30.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630113030/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2023/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |archive-date=30 June 2023 |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=Orthodox Church in America }}</ref>

In the [[Synaxarium]] of the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], Bartholomew's [[Christian martyrs|martyrdom]] is commemorated on the first day of the [[Coptic calendar]] (i.e., the first day of the month of [[Thout]]), which currently falls on 11 September (corresponding to 29 August in the [[Julian calendar]]).

Hence, the [[Diocese of Baku and Azerbaijan|Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Baku and Azerbaijan]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=24 iyun – Bakı şəhərinin səmavi qoruyucusu Həvari Varfolomeyin Xatirə Günü |url=https://az.pravoslavie.az/news/?id=13833 |website=pravoslavie.az}}</ref> and [[Apostolic Prefecture of Azerbaijan|Catholic Prefecture of Azerbaijan]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholic.az/az/yepiskop-vladimir-fekete-hevari-bartalmayin-anim-gunu-ibadetinde-istirak-edib/ |title=Yepiskop Vladimir Fekete Hevari Bartalmayın Anım Günü İbadətində İştirak Edib |website=Catholic.az |date=25 June 2024 |publisher=Azerbaijan's Catholic Church |language=az |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref> honour Saint Bartholomew as [[Patron saints of places|the Patron Saint of Azerbaijan]] and regards him as the bringer of Christianity to the region of [[Caucasian Albania]], modern-day [[Azerbaijan]]. The feast day of the Apostle is solemnly celebrated there on 24 August by the Christian laity and the Church officials alike.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Azərbaycanda yaşayan pravoslavlar Müqəddəs Varfolomeyi anıblar |url=http://interfax.az/print/643552/az |website=interfax.az}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=24 AVQUST – MÜQƏDDƏS HƏVARİ BARTALMAYIN BAYRAMI |url=https://www.catholic.az/az/24-avqust-muq%c9%99dd%c9%99s-h%c9%99vari-bartalmayin-bayrami/ |website=catholic.az}}</ref> 

In the current Roman General Calendar Saint Bartholomew's feast occurs on 24 August.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2024-08-24 |title=Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle |website=Catholic Culture |publisher=Trinity Communications |access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref>

Bartholomew the Apostle is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Festival (Anglicanism)|Festival]] on 24 August.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Damo-Santiago|2014}}

==Relics==
[[File:San bart.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Altar of San Bartolomeo Basilica in [[Benevento]], Italy, containing the relics of Bartholomew]]
The 6th-century writer [[Theodorus Lector]] averred that in about 507, the Byzantine emperor [[Anastasius I Dicorus]] gave the body of Bartholomew to the city of [[Daras]], in Mesopotamia, which he had recently refounded.{{sfn|Smith|Cheetham|1875|p=179}} The existence of relics at [[Lipari]], a small island off the coast of [[Sicily]], in the part of Italy controlled from Constantinople, was explained by [[Gregory of Tours]]<ref>Gregory, ''De Gloria Martyrum'', i.33.</ref> by his body having miraculously washed up there. A large piece of his skin and many bones that were kept in the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Lipari, were translated to [[Benevento]] in 838, where they are still kept in the Basilica San Bartolomeo. A portion of the relics was given in 983 by [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor]], to Rome, where it is conserved at [[San Bartolomeo all'Isola]], which was founded on the site of the temple of [[Asclepius]], in pagan times an important Roman medical centre. This association with medicine caused Bartholomew's name to become associated in course of time with hospitals.{{sfn|Attwater|John|1995|p=}} A part of Bartholomew's alleged skull was transferred to the [[Frankfurt Cathedral]], while an arm was venerated in [[Canterbury Cathedral]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} 
In 2003, Patriarch [[Bartholomew I of Constantinople]] brought some of the remains of St. Bartholomew to Baku as a gift to Azerbaijani Christians, and these remains are now kept in the [[Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://azertag.az/xeber/KONSTANTINOPOL_PATRIARXI_I_VARFOLOMEY_AZARBAYCANA_GALMISDIR-980691 |title=KONSTANTİNOPOL PATRİARXI I VARFOLOMEY AZƏRBAYCANA GƏLMİŞDİR |last= |first= |date=April 16, 2003 |website=azertag.az |publisher= |access-date=April 28, 2021 |quote=}}</ref>

Saint Bartholomew has been credited with several miracles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Golden Legend: Life of St. Bartholomew the Apostle|url=https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/bartholomew.htm|access-date=2021-12-21|website=www.christianiconography.info}}</ref>

==Art and literature==
In artistic depictions, Bartholomew is most commonly depicted holding his [[Flaying|flayed]] skin and the knife with which he was skinned.{{sfn|Crane|2014|p=5}} Of this a well known example is featured in [[Michelangelo]]'s ''[[The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)|Last Judgement]]''. 

Not rarely, Bartholomew is shown draping his own skin around his body.{{sfn|Giorgi|2003|p=51}} Moreover, representations of Bartholomew with a chained demon are common in Spanish painting.{{sfn|Giorgi|2003|p=51}}

[[File:Manuscript Leaf with the Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, from a Laudario by Pacino di Bonaguida.jpg|thumb|St Bartholomew Manuscript Leaf with the Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, from a 'Laudario', by [[Pacino di Buonaguida|Pacino di Bonaguida]] {{Circa|1340}} [[Florence]]|235x235px]]
[[File:Jusepe de Ribera, The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew, 1634.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew (Ribera, 1634)|The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew]]'' by [[Jusepe de Ribera]] (1634)]]St. Bartholomew is the most prominent flayed Christian martyr;{{sfn|Mittman|Sciacca|2017|pp=viii, 141}} During the 16th century, images of the flaying of Bartholomew were popular and this detail came to become a virtual constant of iconography.{{sfn|Giorgi|2003|p=51}}{{Sfn|Crane|2014|p=5}} An echo of concentration on these details is found in medieval heraldry regarding Bartholomew, which depicts "flaying knives with silver blades and gold handles, on a red field."{{sfn|Post|2018|p=12}} 

Saint Bartholomew is often depicted in lavish medieval manuscripts.{{sfn|Kay|2006|pp= 35–74}} Bearing in mind that manuscripts are in fact made from flayed and manipulated skin, they hold a strong visual and cognitive association with the saint during the medieval period.{{sfn|Kay|2006|pp= 35–74}} 

Florentine artist [[Pacino di Buonaguida|Pacino di Bonaguida]], depicts his martyrdom in a complex and striking composition in his [[Laudario di Cortona|Laudario]] of Sant'Agnese, a book of Italian Hymns produced for the Compagnia di Sant'Agnese {{Circa|1340}}.{{sfn|Mittman|Sciacca|2017|pp=viii, 141}} In the five-scene, narrative-based image, three torturers flay Bartholomew's legs and arms as he is immobilised and chained to a gate. On the right, the saint wears his own skin tied around his neck while he kneels in prayer before a rock, his severed head lying on the ground. 

A further depiction is that of the ''Flaying of St. Bartholomew'' in the [[Luttrell Psalter]] {{Circa|1325}}–1340. There, Bartholomew is depicted lying on a surgical table, surrounded by tormentors while he is flayed with golden knives.{{sfn|Mittman|Sciacca|2017|pp=42}}
[[File:Dietisalvi di speme, dittico di s. chiara, 1280 ca.JPG|alt=Martyrdoms of St. Francis, St. Claire, St. Bartholomew, and St. Catherine of Alexandria|thumb|Reliquary shutters with the ''Martyrdoms of St. Francis, St. Claire, St. Bartholomew, and St. Catherine of Alexandria'' by [[Guido of Siena|Guido da Siena]]|214x214px]]
Due to the nature of his martyrdom, Bartholomew is the [[patron saint]] of [[Tanning (leather)|tanners]], [[plasterer]]s, [[tailor]]s, [[leatherworker]]s, [[Bookbinding|bookbinders]], [[farmer]]s, [[House painter and decorator|housepainters]], [[butcher]]s, and glove makers.{{sfn|Bissell|2016}}{{sfn|Giorgi|2003|p=51}} In works of art the saint has been depicted being skinned by tanners, as in [[Guido of Siena|Guido da Siena]]'s reliquary shutters with the ''Martyrdoms of St. Francis, St. Claire, St. Bartholomew, and St. Catherine of Alexandria''.{{sfn|Decker|Kirkland-Ives|2017|p=ii}} Popular in [[Florence]] and other areas in [[Tuscany]], the saint also came to be associated with salt, oil, and cheese merchants.{{sfn|West|1996|p=}}

''The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew'' (1634) by [[Jusepe de Ribera]] depicts Bartholomew's final moments before being flayed alive. The viewer is meant to empathize with Bartholomew, whose body seemingly bursts through the surface of the canvas, and whose outstretched arms embrace a mystical light that illuminates his flesh. His piercing eyes, open mouth, and petitioning left hand bespeak an intense communion with the divine; yet this same hand draws our attention to the instruments of his torture, symbolically positioned in the shape of a cross. Transfixed by Bartholomew's active faith, the executioner seems to have stopped short in his actions, and his furrowed brow and partially illuminated face suggest a moment of doubt, with the possibility of conversion.<ref name="nga.gov" /> The representation of Bartholomew's demise in the National Gallery painting differs significantly from all other depictions by Ribera. By limiting the number of participants to the main protagonists of the story (the saint, his executioner, one of the priests who condemned him, and one of the soldiers who captured him), and presenting them half-length and filling the picture space, the artist rejected an active, movemented composition for one of intense psychological drama. The cusping along all four edges shows that the painting has not been cut down: Ribera intended the composition to be just such a tight, restricted presentation, with the figures cut off and pressed together.{{sfn|DeGrazia|Garberson|1996|p=410}}

Although Bartholomew's death is commonly depicted in artworks of a religious nature, his story has also been used to represent anatomical depictions of the human body devoid of flesh. An example of this can be seen in [[Marco d'Agrate]]'s ''St Bartholomew Flayed'' (1562) where Bartholomew is depicted wrapped in his own skin with every muscle, vein and tendon clearly visible, acting as a clear description of the muscles and structure of the human body.<ref name="duomo" />

This idea has influenced some contemporary artists to create an artwork depicting an anatomical study of a human body is found amongst with [[Gunther von Hagens|Gunther Von Hagens]]'s ''The Skin Man'' (2002) and [[Damien Hirst]]'s ''Exquisite Pain'' (2006). Within Gunther Von Hagens's body of work called ''[[Body Worlds]]'' a figure reminiscent of Bartholomew holds up his skin. This figure is depicted in actual human tissues (made possible by Hagens's plastination process) to educate the public about the inner workings of the human body and to show the effects of healthy and unhealthy lifestyles.<ref name="bodyworlds.com" /> In ''Exquisite Pain'' 2006, [[Damien Hirst]] depicts St Bartholomew with a high level of anatomical detail with his flayed skin draped over his right arm, a scalpel in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. The inclusion of scissors was inspired by [[Tim Burton]]'s film ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' (1990).{{sfn|Dorkin|2003}}

Bartholomew plays a part in [[Francis Bacon]]'s [[Utopia]]n tale ''[[New Atlantis]]'', about a mythical isolated land, Bensalem, populated by a people dedicated to reason and natural philosophy. Some twenty years after the ascension of Christ the people of Bensalem find an ark floating off their shore. The ark contains a letter as well as the books of the Old and New Testaments. The letter is from Bartholomew the Apostle and declares that an angel told him to set the ark and its contents afloat. Thus the scientists of Bensalem receive the revelation of the Word of God.{{sfn|Bacon|1942|p=}}
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">

File:Last judgement.jpg|Michelangelo's [[Sistine Chapel]] depiction.
File:Bartholomaeus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg|Statue of Bartholomew at the [[Archbasilica of St. John Lateran]] by [[Pierre Le Gros the Younger]].
File:Apostle Bartholomew Helsinki Cathedral.jpg|Statue of Saint Bartholomew by August Wredow at the roof of the [[Helsinki Cathedral]]
File:San Bartolomeo Scorticato.jpg|''St Bartholomew Flayed'', by [[Marco d'Agrate]], 1562 ([[Duomo di Milano]])
File:Das Martyrium des hl. Bartholomäus oder das doppelte Martyrium Öl auf Leinwand 250x285cm 2014-15 (1).jpeg|''The Martyrdom of St. Bartolomew or the Double Martydom'' [[Aris Kalaizis]], 2015
File:Shield showing three flaying knives, symbol of St. Bartholomew.jpg|Shield showing three flaying knives, symbol of St. Bartholomew, at the [[Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania)]]
File:Pertteli.vaakuna.svg|St. Bartholomew pictured in the coat of arms of [[Pertteli]]
</gallery>

== Culture ==
The festival in August has been a traditional occasion for markets and fairs, such as the [[Bartholomew Fair]] which was held in [[Smithfield, London]], from the Middle Ages,{{sfn|Cavendish|2005|p=}} and which served as the scene for [[Ben Jonson]]'s [[Bartholomew Fair (play)|1614 homonymous comedy]].

St Bartholomew's Street Fair is held in [[Crewkerne]], [[Somerset]], annually at the start of September.<ref name="crewkernefair.co.uk" /> The fair dates back to [[Saxons|Saxon]] times and the major traders' market was recorded in the [[Domesday Book]].  St Bartholomew's Street Fair, Crewkerne is reputed to have been granted its charter in the time of [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] (1207–1272).  The earliest surviving court record was made in 1280, which can be found in the [[British Library]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==In Islam==
The [[Qur'an]]ic account of the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] of [[Jesus in Islam|Jesus]] does not include their names, numbers, or any detailed accounts of their lives. Muslim [[exegesis]], however, more or less agrees with the [[New Testament]] list and holds that the disciples included [[Peter in Islam|Peter]], [[Philip the Apostle|Philip]], [[Thomas the Apostle|Thomas]], Bartholomew, [[Matthew the Apostle|Matthew]], [[Andrew the Apostle|Andrew]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]], [[Jude the Apostle|Jude]], [[James, son of Alphaeus|James the Less]], [[John the Apostle|John]] and [[Simon the Zealot]].{{sfn|Noegel|Wheeler|2002|p=86|ps=: Muslim exegesis identifies the disciples of Jesus as Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, Philip, John, James, Bartholomew, and Simon}}

Quoting [[Ibn Ishaq]], the [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] scholar [[al-Qurtubi]] gives the following details concerning the mission of the disciples of Jesus Christ: He sent Peter and Paul to the Roman lands; Andrew and Matthew to Cannibals; Thomas to Babylon; Philips to Africa; John to Damascus the town of the seven-sleeper; Jacob to Jerusalem; Ibn Talma (i.e., '''Bartholomew''') to the Arab world; Simon to the Berbers; Yehuda and Bard to Alexandria. Allah aided them with points of right argument and they prevailed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surah As-Saf 61:10-14 - Quran Translation Commentary - Tafsir Ishraq al-Ma'ani |url=https://islamicstudies.info/quran/ishraq.php?sura=61&verse=10&to=14 |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=islamicstudies.info}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Saints}}
* [[Gospel of Bartholomew]]
* [[Questions of Bartholomew]]
* [[Acts of Andrew and Bartholomew]]
* [[Feast of Saint Bartholomew]]
* [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre]]
* [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]]
* [[Bertil]]
* [[Portal:Catholicism/Patron Archive/August 24|Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, patron saint archive]]
* [[Wayzgoose]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="nasrani.net">{{Cite web |title=Mission of Saint Bartholomew, the Apostle in India |work=Nasranis |date=10 October 2014 |access-date=24 August 2020 |url= https://www.nasrani.net/2007/02/13/saint-bartholomew-mission-in-india/ }}</ref>

<ref name="raa.am">{{Cite web |title=The Condition of the Armenian Historical Monuments in Turkey |work=raa.am |access-date=24 August 2020 |url= http://www.raa.am/Jard/FR_set_E_Cond_Turkey.htm }}</ref>

<ref name="nga.gov">{{Cite web |title=The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew |work=nga.gov |access-date=24 August 2020 |url= https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.72037.html }}</ref>

<ref name="duomo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.duomomilano.it/en/article/2018/06/29/the-statue-of-st-bartholomew-in-the-milan-duomo/696e8048-5a4c-4e83-ae63-79e51cac979b/|title=The statue of St Bartholomew in the Milan Duomo|date=29 June 2018|work=Duomo di Milano|access-date=October 30, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052904/https://www.duomomilano.it/en/article/2018/06/29/the-statue-of-st-bartholomew-in-the-milan-duomo/696e8048-5a4c-4e83-ae63-79e51cac979b/|archive-date=October 31, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="bodyworlds.com">{{Cite web|url=https://bodyworlds.com/about/philosophy/|website=Body Worlds|title=Philosophy |access-date=October 30, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609085257/https://bodyworlds.com/about/philosophy/|archive-date=June 9, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="crewkernefair.co.uk">{{Cite web |title=About the Fair |work=Crewkerne Charter Fair, Somerset – (Formerly St.Bartholomew's Street Fair) |access-date=24 August 2020 |url= https://crewkernefair.co.uk/ }}</ref>

<!--unused<ref name="EB1911">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bartholomew, Saint|volume=3}}</ref>-->

}}

===Sources===
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*{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Alban |last2=Burns|first2=Paul |title=Butler's Lives of the Saints: August|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8O1_vnTS3QC&pg=PA232|year=1998|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-86012-257-9}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Cavendish|first= Richard|title=London's Last Bartholomew Fair|magazine=History Today|volume=55|issue= 9|date=9 September 2005|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/london%E2%80%99s-last-bartholomew-fair}}
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*{{cite book|last1=Decker|first1= John R. |last2=Kirkland-Ives|first2=Mitzi|title="Death, Torture and the Broken Body in European Art, 1300–1650 "|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi0xDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT2|year=2017|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-57009-1}}
*{{cite book|last1=DeGrazia|first1=Diane |last2=Garberson|first2=Eric |others=Edgar Peters Bowron, Peter Lukehart, Mitchell Merling|title=Italian Paintings of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JaLqAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=National Gallery of Art|isbn=978-0-89468-241-4}}
*{{cite book|last1=de Voragine|first1=Jacobus |author-link=Jacobus de Voragine|translator=William Granger Ryan|first2=Eamon |last2=Duffy|title=The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RwwSMTL2Wy4C&pg=PA495|year=2012|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-4205-6}}
*{{Citation|last=Dorkin|first=Molly|editor-first1=Molly K. |editor-last1=Dorkin |title=Sotheby's|date=2003|work=Oxford Art Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t079852|isbn=978-1-884446-05-4 }}
*{{cite book|last=Fabricius|first=Johann Albert |author-link=Johann Albert Fabricius|title=Codex Apocryphus Novi Testamenti: collectus, castigatus testimoniisque, censuris & animadversionibus illustratus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r8UB_3FQvkkC&pg=PA339|year=1703|publisher=sumptib. B. Schiller}}
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*{{cite book|last=Lillich|first=Meredith Parsons |title=The Gothic Stained Glass of Reims Cathedral|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3id0xseq6EC&pg=PA46|year=2011|publisher=Penn State Press|isbn=978-0-271-03777-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Meier|first=John P. |title=A Marginal Jew: Companions and competitors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-LYAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Doubleday|isbn=978-0-385-46993-7}}
*{{cite book|last1=Mittman |first1=Asa Simon|last2=Sciacca|first2=Christine |editor-last=Tracy|editor-first=Larissa |title=Flaying in the Pre-modern World: Practice and Representation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_bM4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PR8|year=2017|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84384-452-5}}
*{{cite book|last1=Noegel|first1=Scott B. |last2=Wheeler|first2=Brannon M. |title=Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6aTXAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Scarecrow|location=Lanham, MD|isbn=978-0-8108-4305-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Post|first=W. Ellwood |title=Saints, Signs, and Symbols|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTxODwAAQBAJ|date= 2018|publisher=Papamoa Press|isbn=978-1-78720-972-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Dwight Moody |title=Abingdon New Testament Commentaries|volume=4: John | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMORumVHq-kC|year=1999|publisher=Abingdon Press|isbn=978-0-687-05812-9}}
*{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=William |last2=Cheetham|first2=Samuel |title=A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities: A-Juv|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5XYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA179|year=1875|publisher=J. Murray}}
*{{cite book|last=Spilman|first=Frances |title=The Twelve: Lives and Legends of The Apostles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s5mLDgAAQBAJ|year=2017|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-365-64043-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Teunis|first=D. A. |title=Satan's Secret: Exposing the Master of Deception and the Father of Lies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v-lrzfWzkQgC|year=2003|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=978-1-4107-3580-5}}
*{{cite book|last=West|first=Shearer |title=The Bloomsbury Guide to Art|year=1996|publisher=Bloomsbury |oclc=246967494}}

{{refend}}

===Further reading===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hanks|first1=Patrick |last2=Hodges|first2=Flavia |last3=Hardcastle|first3=Kate |title=A Dictionary of First Names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDJQvgAACAAJ|year=2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-880051-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Perumalil|first=A. C. |title=The Apostles in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=peUgAAAAMAAJ|year=1971|publisher=Xavier Teachers' Training Institute|location=Jaipur }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint Bartholomew|Bartholomew the Apostle}}

* [http://www.bible.ca/history/fathers/ANF-08/anf08-102.htm The Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Apostle Bartholomew], attributed to [[Pseudo-Abdias]], one of the minor [[Church Fathers]]
* [http://konkanicatholics.blogspot.com/2006/08/st-bartholomews-india-connection.html St. Bartholomew's Connections in India]
*[http://www.christianiconography.info/bartholomew.html St. Bartholomew] at the [http://www.christianiconography.info Christian Iconography] web site.'
* [http://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/bartholomew.htm "The Life of St. Bartholomew the Apostle"] in the Caxton translation of the ''Golden Legend''

{{Apostles}}
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