Who is the Apostle Bartholomew: life, ministry and martyrdom

The Apostle Bartholomew is one of the 12 closest disciples of Jesus Christ, whose life and martyrdom left a mark in the history of Christianity. His name is associated with missionary work in Asia Minor and Syria, numerous miracles and folk traditions that are still preserved. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The Apostle Bartholomew: a biography

The Apostle Bartholomew is one of the most mysterious and at the same time revered figures of the New Testament. In the Synoptic Gospels, he is referred to as Bartholomew, and in the Gospel of John as Nathanael. Historians and theologians traditionally relate these two names and believe that they are referring to the same person.

According to legend, he hails from Cana of Galilee, the very place where Christ performed the first miracle with wine, and at the beginning of his meeting with Jesus he was known as a straightforward man, it was Nathanael who is described in John's words as "a true Israelite in whom there is no guile."

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Bartholomew, along with the Apostle Philip, was assigned to missionary work. The church tradition records that they preached in Syria and Asia Minor, visited different cities, bringing people to Christ.

Apocryphal and ecclesiastical sources have preserved stories of numerous miracles and healings attributed to his preaching, as well as his martyrdom.

Here is a unique version of the text that retains its meaning, structure, and authenticity.:

According to church tradition, hostile authorities, incited by pagan priests, seized the Apostle Bartholomew. This happened by order of the Armenian prince, the brother of the ruler Astyages (also known as Sanatruk). In the city of Alban, by the order of Astyages, the saint was crucified upside down. However, even while on the cross, Bartholomew did not stop preaching, and then he was removed, skinned and beheaded.

As St. Dimitry of Rostov wrote, Christians reverently buried the relics of the apostle: "the body, head and skin were placed in a tin shrine and interred in the same city of Alban, in Great Armenia."

The names of Bartholomew and Nathanael are associated with several local venerations and relics. In the Western tradition, relics attributed to the saint were located in a number of Italian cathedrals and monasteries. The Armenian-eastern branch is also notable in the history of church veneration, where Bartholomew is regarded as a particularly revered apostle, sometimes called the patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Academic and ecclesiastical publications emphasize that individual details of the life were shaped by the influence of later apocrypha and local legends.

When is St. Bartholomew Memorial Day?

The issue of the dates of Bartholomew's veneration reflects the complexity of church calendars and the differences between traditions. In Orthodox practice, the main date that Russian and most Orthodox churches pay attention to today is June 24 (according to the new style), when divine services are usually held and akathists are read in honor of the Apostle Bartholomew.

However, there are other local dates in the church tradition: some Eastern local churches celebrate the memory of the apostle on other days of the year, for example in June and August, in a separate link to local holidays or the transfer of relics.

The Catholic Church has its own memorial date, August 24, and there are additional commemorations in the Armenian and other Eastern traditions. Such a multiplicity of dates is a normal phenomenon for saints of the early Church, whose local cults were formed independently in different regions.

According to the church regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church, the transfer of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasioupol to Lipara is celebrated on June 11 (according to the new style). However, some old and local saints mention October 26, the day when, in the Western Christian tradition, one of the subsequent transfers of the relics of the saint is remembered, already from Lipara to Benevento.

What not to do on St. Bartholomew's Memorial Day

Folk and church prohibitions related to June 24 have a long history and are syncretic: they are a mixture of church institutions, rural beliefs and household regulations designed to protect people and the community during the traditionally "dangerous" summer period.

On October 26, the day of the transfer of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, according to popular belief, they did not start new business and avoided working with sharp objects. Any activity with iron—carving, sharpening, forging, repairing tools—was considered unfavorable.

They also tried not to quarrel or argue that day. St. Bartholomew's Day was considered "peaceful," so it was considered important to remain calm, not raise your voice, and not engage in conflict.

It was forbidden to engage in heavy physical labor. October 26 was considered a day of transition — a kind of farewell to autumn. It was believed that excessive work on this day could lead to fatigue and malaise in the upcoming cold months.

After sunset, they tried not to go out into the fields and open spaces.

It is important to emphasize that most of these restrictions are not canonical rules that are mandatory for all believers, but folk precepts and recommendations that historically performed social and moral functions. The modern church, as a rule, does not require literal observance of all such prohibitions.