Apocalypse 21:9-14; Psalm 144(145):10-13a,17-18; John 1:45-51
Bartholomew was one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus Christ. In the entire New Testament, his name only appears in the four lists of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, Acts 1:1–13). He’s never given any distinguishing qualities or titles, so aside from his name, we know almost nothing about him.
Known as “the apostles” or “ones who were sent,” Bartholomew and the other disciples witnessed Jesus’ ministry for about three years. After Jesus’ death, they began the movement which became known as Christianity. This makes Bartholomew one of the most important and authoritative leaders of the early church, and he likely helped spread the gospel to particular regions during the first century—but he’s never explicitly mentioned or singled out in any of the epistles.
Since Bartholomew is never mentioned in the Gospel of John, and a man named Nathanael (who doesn’t appear in the synoptic gospels) appears to be an apostle (John 21:1–2), some traditions have assumed Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. Many modern scholars disagree, and believe Bartholomew and Nathanael were two separate people.
The earliest surviving writings about Bartholomew come from centuries after his death (some of which were falsely attributed to him), and there are various traditions about where he went, what he did, and how he died.