Bartholomew, the Holy Apostle of Christ, First Greatly Tortured, in the Year 70

Bartholomew, which means the son of Tholomaeus, was a Galilean, like all the other apostles, and also a fisherman, according to the opinion of Theodoretus; some, however, hold that he was of royal descent, and the nephew of the king of Syria.

Little is said about him in the Holy Scriptures apart from what has to do with his call to the apostleship, to preach the Gospel with the others throughout Judea and Galilee, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. After Christ's resurrection he was confirmed in his apostleship, and, with the others who were in the same ministry, received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 10, verse 3; Mark 3, verse 18; Luke 6, verses 14 and 15; Acts 2, verses 1 to 5.

After the apostles separated, he carried out his ministry first in Lycaonia, then in Syria and the upper parts of Asia, and afterwards in India, where, as the chronicles relate, Pantenus, a teacher of Alexander, coming to the same place about a century afterwards, found and took away with him the Gospel of Matthew, which Bartholomew had brought there, and which he had taught the Indians in their native tongue. Isid. de part N. T., J. Gys. Hieron. Catal. Pantaleon, Euseb., book 3, chapter 10, J. Gys. [n116-1]

Finally he spread the Gospel in Great Armenia, and there, in Albana, or Albanopolis, the capital and residence of the kingdom of Poleno, or Palemonio, he converted King Astyages' brother, together with his wife, two sons, and a daughter, to the faith. Hieron. Cat. Barthol., J. Gys.

Moreover, as others state, he delivered from idolatry, and enlightened with the knowledge of Jesus Christ, twelve cities in that country, in which the devil was worshiped through the idol Ashtaroth. But the priests of Ashtaroth, greatly angered by this, complained to King Astyages, who had Bartholomew, this holy apostle of Christ, arrested and brought before him.

When Bartholomew stood before the king, the king reproached him for having perverted his brother, and for having unsettled the worship of the gods in his country. He therefore threatened him with death, unless he would stop preaching Christ and sacrifice to his gods.

Bartholomew answered this accusation, saying that he had not perverted his brother, but converted him, that he had preached the true worship of God in his country, and that he would rather seal his testimony with blood than suffer the least shipwreck of his faith or conscience. Then the king gave orders that he should first be severely tortured and beaten with rods, then hung on a cross with his head downward, flayed alive, and finally beheaded with the ax. When this had been done to him, he was united with Christ, his Lord. Niceph. book 3, chapter 39, Isid. Hist. de vita et obitu sanct. J. Gys. Hist. Mart. super Bartholomeum. [n116-2]

Others relate that the sentence pronounced on Bartholomew went no further than that he should be flayed on the cross, with no mention of beheading; but that, since he was still alive after being flayed, and exhorted the people, his head was struck off with an ax in order to prevent this, and he committed his spirit into the hands of God. Konst tooneel van veertig, about the Life of Bartholomew. Also, Bybelsch Naemboek, printed at Horn, in the year 1632, letter B, on the name Bartholomew, folio 159, column 2. [n116-3]