Bartholomew (perhaps also known as Nathanael) was one of Christ's twelve original apostles. He appears in the lists of the twelve apostles given in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. Usually, his name is paired off with Philip. Bartholomew is a patronymic and thus not a person's familiar name. He does not appear in John's Gospel, and the association of Philip with the otherwise unknown Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2) leads to the possibility that Nathanael was Bartholomew's personal name.
In John, Chapter 1, Philip tells Nathanael "We have found the Messiah! The very person Moses and the prophets told about! His name is Jesus, the Son of Joseph from Nazareth." "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael, "can anything good come from there?" The two went to see Jesus, and as they approached Him, Jesus said, "Here comes an honest man, a true son of Israel". Nathanael then asked, "How do you know what I am like?" Jesus replied, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you". Nathanael then replied, "Sir, You are the Son of God - the King of Israel".
It is believed that Bartholomew/Nathanael was a missionary with Philip and Thomas. He is said to have preached the gospel in Armenia, India, Lycaonia, Mesopotania, Persia and Phrygia.
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