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 BARTHOLOMEW

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BARTHOLOMEW

ance of the risen Saviour on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, Nathanael is found present, together with several Apostles who are named and two unnamed Disciples who were, almost certainly, likewise Apos- tles (the word "apostle" not occurring in the Fourth Gospel and "disciple" of Jesus ordinarily meaning Apostle) and so, presumably, was one of the Twelve. This chain of circumstantial evidence is ingenious and pretty strong; the weak link is that, after all, Nathanael 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 syiioptists. (See Nathanael.)

No mention of St. Bartholomew occurs in eccle- siastical literature before Eusebius, who mentions that Pantsenus, the master of Origen, while evangeliz- ing India, was told that the Apostle had preached there before him and had given to his converts the Gospel of St. Matthew written in Hebrew, which was still treasured by the Church. "India" was a name covering a very W'ide area, including even Arabia Felix. Other traditions represent St. Bartholomew as preaching in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egj-pt, Ar- menia, Lycaonia, Phrj-gia, and on the shores of the Black Sea; one legend, it is interesting to note, identi- fies him with Nathanael. The manner of his death, said to have occurred at Albanopolis in Armenia, is equally uncertain; according to some, he was be- headed, according to others, flayed alive and crucified, head downward, by order of Astyages, for having converted his brother, Polymius, King of Armenia. On accoimt of this latter legend, he is often repre- sented in art (e. g. in Michelangelo's Last Judgment) as flayed and holding in his hand his own skin. His relics are thought by some to be preserved in the church of St. Bartholomew-in-the-Island, at Rome. His feast is celebrated on 24 August. An apocrjT^hal gospel of Bartholomew existed in the earlv ages.

Le CAMD.S, Vie de Notre-Seisneur (tr. New York, 1900), I; Idem in ViG., Did. de la Bible, where references are given for the sources of the traditions; Fouard, Life of Christ (New

York, 1891). John F. Fenlon.

Bartholomew, Apostle of Armenia, also called Bar- tholomsus Parvus (the Little), b. at Bologna, year not known; d. 15 August, 1333. Nothing certain has been preserved as to his family. At the end of the thirteenth century, while still young, he entered the Dominican Order, made his studies in the monastery of his native town, and soon became noted as a ca- pable theologian and a preacher zealous for souls. Pope John XXII cherished a great desire not only to keep the Catholic Armenians in connexion with the Roman See, but also to lead the schismatic part of this people into unity with the Church; for this reason he supported and encouraged the Dominican mis- sions in the regions inhabited by Armenians. Bar- tholomew was selected to be the head and leader of a little band of Dominican missionaries whom John XXII sent to Armenia. He was consecrated bishop and received as his see the city of Maragha, lying east of Lake Urumiah. Accompanied by several com- panions the new missionary bishop arrived (1318-20) in the territory assigned to him. He studied the Armenian language, built a monastery for his brethren of the order, and with the aid of these began his apostolic labours. He met with such success that large numbers of heathen and Mohammedans were converted and many schismatic Armenians were brought into Catholic unity. The zealous bishop gave great care to this latter part of his missionary labours, as he found many Armenians favourably dis- posed to union. Bartholomew's reputation for saint- liness and learning spread rapidly into distant regions and came to the Knowledge of a group of Armenian monks who were striving after a higher degree of perfection and the attainment of Church unity. The

leader of these monks was the learned John of Kherna (Kherni), the head of a monastery near Kherna in the district of Erentschag (now Alenja), not far from Nachidjewan. John was a pupil of the celebrated theologian Isaias, whose school had produced 370 doctors of theology (J'artabed). In 1328 John of Kherna sought out Bishop Bartholomew, remained with him a year and a half and became a warm advo- cate of union with the Roman Church. He sent an invitation to a conference, drawn up by the zealous missionary, to his former fellow-students, and Bar- tholomew went with him to Kherna, where the con- ference was held. The result was that a large number of learned monks joined John of Kherna in submitting to the authority of the Holy See. In order to promote union and raise religious life John founded in 1330, with the consent of Bartholomew, a religious congregation called the "Uniats (t'nitores) of St. Gregory the Illuminator", which was later incorpo- rated with the Dominicans. About this time Bar- tholomew seems to have substituted Nachidjewan for Maragha as his see. This brought him nearer to the centre of Armenia, so that he was able to work more efficiently for the development of the union. He translated a number of works into the Armenian language, as: the Psalter, treatises of St. Augustine, the " Summa contra Gentiles " of St. Thomas, and a part of the Summa theologica; he also wrote several original works, especially a work on casuistry and a treatise on the sacraments.

ConciUationes ecclesifr Armenw cum RotnanA, ed, Clem. Galano. Armenian and Latin (Rome, 1650), Pt. I, 598 sqq.: Melloni. Atti e memorie degli vomini illustri in saniiia nati o moTti in Bologna (Bologna, 1,79). cl. II. vol. II, 110-142; TouRoN, Hist, des hommes illustres de I'ordre de S. Dominiqve (Paris, 1743 — ). II, 110 sqq.; Tournebize, Histoire politique et religieuse de VArmenie; Les Freres-Unis de S. Gregoire V llluminateur in Hevue de VOrient Chretien (1906), 74 sqq.; Brehier, L'Eglise et VOrient au moyen age (Paris, 1907), 2«'^281. J p KiRscH.

Bartholomew, Gospel of. See Apocrypha.

Bartholomew of Braga, Venerable, b. at Verdcia, near Lisbon, May, 1514; d. at Viana, 16 July, 1590. Bartholomew Fernandez, later known as a MartjTibus, out of veneration for the church in which he was baptized, came of humble parentage. He entered the Dominican Order, 11 November, 1527, and was professed 20 November, 1529. On the com- pletion of his studies, he taught philosophy in the monastery at Lisbon, and then for about twenty years theology in various houses of his order. In 1551 he received the Master's degree at the provincial chapter of Salamanca. While teaching theology in the monastery of Batalha, he was summoned to Evora by the Infante Dom Luis to imdertake the religious education of his son, DomAntonio, who was entering the ecclesiastical state. He devoted two years to this task. In 1558, against his own desires, and only out of obedience to his provincial, Luis of Granada, he accepted the appointment to the archiepiscopal See of Braga, for which he had been chosen by Queen Catherine, and in 1559 received episcopal con- secration. With true apostolic zeal he devoted him- self to the duties of his new office.

On the resumption of the General Council of Trent in 1561, Bartholomew repaired to the council and took part in the last sessions. He was highly es- teemed among the Fathers of the council botli on account of his theological learning and the holiness of his life, and he exercised great influence in the discussions, particularly those with regard to the decrees on the reform of ecclesiastical life. On the conclusion of the council he returned, in February, 1564, to his see, and in 1566 held an important provincial synod in which excellent decrees were passed for the restoration of ecclesiastical discipline and the elevation of the moral life of clergy and people (Concilium provinciale Bracarense quartum