Bartholomew One of the 12 apostles

The name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles.

John does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person.

The meaning of his name Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name.

Bartholomew's later life We have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. You can see a painting of Bartholomew in the Sistine Chapel.

Nothing further is known of him for certain. Many scholars, however, identify him with Nathaniel. The reasons for this are that Bartholomew is not the proper name of the Apostle; that the name never occurs in the Fourth Gospel, while Nathaniel is not mentioned in the synoptic; that Bartholomew's name is coupled with Philip’s in the lists of Matthew and Luke, and found next to it in Mark, which agrees well with the fact shown by St. John that Philip was an old friend of Nathaniel's and brought him to Jesus; that the call of Nathaniel,

Nathaniel, mentioned with the call of several Apostles, seems to mark him for the apostolate, especially since the rather full and beautiful narrative leads one to expect some important development; that Nathaniel was of Galilee where Jesus found most, if not all, of the Twelve; finally, that on the occasion of the appearance of the risen Savior on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias

This chain of circumstantial evidence is ingenious and pretty strong; the weak link is that, after all, Nathaniel may have been another personage in whom, for some reason, the author of the Fourth Gospel may have been particularly interested, as he was in Nicodemus, who is likewise not named in the synoptics

it is said that he prayed a hundred times a day and a times a night. It is also said that his voice was like a trumpet, angels waited upon him and that he was always cheerful and knew all languages

Nathaniel is found present, together with several Apostles who are named and two unnamed Disciples who were, almost certainly, likewise Apostles and so, was one of the Twelve.