About St. Bartholomew

We know very little of Bartholomew. Bartholomew is a patronymic name, meaning “Son of Tolmai.” He is mentioned only in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), but he is generally believed to be the same person as Nathanael in John’s Gospel.

He is credited by several reliable historical sources with writing a gospel, but the Gospel According to Bartholomew is lost today. Tradition holds that he traveled to India and this is certainly not inconceivable. He is regarded as the founder of the Church in Armenia and may have been martyred there. An ancient tradition maintains that he was flayed alive at Albanopolis, Armenia, by the authorities as a consequence of his evangelistic work.