By: Brian G. Chilton | August 24, 2020
Today in church history, we celebrate the life of the disciple Bartholomew. Bartholomew is known as Nathanael in John 1:43–46. Disciples had multiple names. For instance, Peter’s full name was Simon Peter and Paul’s full name was Saulus Paulus of Tarsus. It is believed that Bartholomew’s other name was “Nathanael.” Nathanael was most likely Bartholomew’s first name as the name Bartholomew is Aramaic for “son of Tolmai” or “son of Ptolemy.” As such, the disciple would be known as Nathanael Bartholomew.
One of the most prominent stories involving Bartholomew is the mysterious fashion in which he met Jesus in John 1:43–46. The disciple Philip invites Nathanael Bartholomew to see the Messiah from Nazareth who was prophesied in the Law and the Prophets. Nathanael hesitated, asking, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” When Jesus met Nathanael, Jesus noted that Nathanael was a pure Israelite with whom there was no deceit. Nathanael asked Jesus how he knew him. Jesus said that he had heard Nathanael praying under a tree. This indicated the divine power of Jesus as he heard Nathanael pray even though no one was with him physically. It was clear that this encounter with Jesus had an impact on the man as he is consistently noted in the lists of the apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; and Luke 6:14). It is also of great interest that Bartholomew is always paired with Philip, the one who first introduced Bartholomew to Jesus in John 1:43–46. Bartholomew is also listed among the disciples who saw the risen Jesus, viewed Jesus’s ascension, and was filled with the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. While we know very little about Bartholomew’s later post-Pentecost days, church tradition holds that Nathanael Bartholomew took the gospel to India and possibly as far as Armenia. Eusebius notes that Bartholomew left a copy of the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew with the people of India. He writes, “For Bartholomew, one of the apostles, had preached to them, and left with them the writing of Matthew in the Hebrew language,6 which they had preserved till that time” (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.10.3, 225). He either died by crucifixion or drowning.
Nathanael Bartholomew’s encounter with Jesus in John 1:43–46 reminds us that no matter what we face or where we go, the presence of God is with us. At times, we may think that our prayers are nothing more than empty words spoken into an immaterial void. Yet, Bartholomew’s encounter with Jesus reminds us that God is an ever-present friend who is with us and working for us in ways that we cannot imagine. Always and continually pray to God. Pray to God when you feel like it and pray to God when you do not. Rather than being empty words, your prayers to God are a direct line with omnipotent Power. As Jesus reminds us, “all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
Source
Eusebius of Caesaria, Ecclesiastical History, in Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1890), 225.
About the Author
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has been in the ministry for nearly 20 years and serves as the Senior Pastor of Westfield Baptist Church in northwestern North Carolina.
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