Image from the Catholic Forum.
Bartholomew was one of the twelve Apostles. In the Synoptics, his name is coupled with Philip, suggesting that they were friends. Some scholars believe he is the same person as Nathaniel, in John's Gospel.
Tradition holds that he preached in Armenia (or India) and that he was martyred by being flayed alive and then beheaded. Thus, in the painting above, he is shown holding a flaying knife.
I found a painting of the saint already flayed, his body a bright red color, but I could not use that one.
Information from James Kiefer at the Lectionary.
He is the patron saint of "Armenia; bookbinders; butchers; cobblers; Forentine cheese merchants; Forentine salt merchants; Gambatesa, Italy; Gharghur, Malta; leather workers; nervous diseases; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners" according to the Catholic Forum.
I find that I'm always intrigued by the patronage information.
PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen
READINGS:
Psalm 91 or 91:1-4
Deuteronomy 18:15-18
1 Corinthians 4:9-15
Luke 22:24-30
UPDATE: I'm just realizing that in the picture I chose, Bartholomew's pose with the knife appears somewhat threatening, as though he's about to attack. None of the pictures that I found that were legal for me to use were completely satisfying, so there it is. He's not going to hurt you.
UPDATE 2: Padre Mickey has a much more exiting post on St. Bart involving idols and demons and all sorts of interesting stuff and a lovely old icon of a black St. Bart. I should know to leave the early saints to him and not try to compete, because he always wins the contest - even though it's not really a contest. He likes the early saints.
UPDATE 3: From our friend LapinBizarre, who has come through again for me with information on the picture at the top:
You'll be pleased to know that you've hit upon an artist known only as "the Master of the St. Bartholomew Altarpiece" Google reveals that he has been described as "the best painter about whom we know nothing". The full painting, originally in a church in Cologne, also includes Sts. Lucy & Cecelia and a donor. It's fun.
Here's the link to the Web Gallery of Art.
Looks to me like he's grinning.
ReplyDeleteNice picture! Great patronage info! Drop by the Dance Party if you want to know about our man Bart's adventures in India, er, Armenia.
ReplyDeleteI made a link to your picture 'cuz I likes it so much.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was complementing you, not competing.
Padre Mickey, I hope that I don't need to issue irony alerts to my comments on your blog or to my posts on my blog about you. You are my good virtual friend and my brother in Christ, and I would not, for the world, say anything mean to you or about you, except in jest.
ReplyDeleteI greatly admire the work you do with my brothers and sister in Panama.
This is fabulous! Loving the knife shot.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Padre Mickey for the redirect!
Franiam, welcome. I like it, too, although it's a little scary. I simply could not use the one in which his whole body was bright red, and he was holding his skin.
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me that today would have been my father's 105th birthday - we always used to kid him that had his parents been good, church-going folks he would have been called "Barty" (instead of Joshua, after a recently-deceased grandfather - not a fashionable name in those days - he suffered his entire life).
ReplyDeleteYou'll be pleased to know that you've hit upon an artist known only as "the Master of the St. Bartholomew Altarpiece" Google reveals that he has been described as "the best painter about whom we know nothing". The full painting, originally in a church in Cologne, also includes Sts. Lucy & Cecelia and a donor. It's fun.
http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/m/master/bartholo/s_agnes.html
Click on picture for larger image.
St Agnes & St. Cecelia, sorry! St. Lucy's saintly appendages bear no resemblance to St. Agnes's lamb.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info, Lapin. That web site is a wonderful resource, but as I understand the legal issues, the pictures on their site are not available for reproduction on a blog. I can't upload pictures there, so I don't use it as much as I should. I could have gotten the same information as you if I troubled myself to search their site.
ReplyDeleteI just enjoyed ""the best painter about whom we know nothing" quote>
ReplyDeleteWell, Weird Rabbit, I liked it, too.
ReplyDeleteI was so delighted by the information about the picture that I neglected to tell you that I have a grandson named Joshua, who is 7 years old. The name, as you know, has become quite popular.
And your father actually get teased about the name. Times change.
I find the patronage info interesting too! how do they decide???
ReplyDeleteIn our Lectionary, we use John 1 (story of Nathaniel) for the gospel for St. Bartholomew. But then again, I thought he was on a different day, so I am going to have to check.
I'm using this text in a reflection for a group of lay leaders tomorrow. I love the question "What are you looking for?" Jesus asks the would-be disciples.
great for us followers who want to be leaders.
Diane, Armenia is easy. The tradition is that he preached there. I can guess that occupations that require the use of knives were included. As for the rest of them, it's all darkness. I have no idea.
ReplyDeleteThe bookbinders perhaps because certain ancient writings are attributed to him by some scholars.
If you ever get a twitch, you know who's the go-to guy to intercede for you.
I like the "What are you looking for?" question, too.
This is very good information Mimi. I like the picture you choose. It does not seem menacing to me. I think he has a look of resignation on his face, as if he knows...
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get over to Padre Micky's to see what he says. I am glad not to be in competition with either of you.
Lindy
Lindy, I see that you put up the Michaelangelo from the Sistine Chapel, along with the red picture. I like the Michaelangelo, too.
ReplyDeletePadre Mickey likes to do the early saints, and he works harder on them than I do, so I usually send folks over there with a reminder of the feast day and maybe a picture.
Joshua is now v. fashionable but for much of the 20th c(& earlier) it was a joke. Not only was my father mercilessly teased about it, I was often teasted about it when I was a kid - it makes me cringe to this day. In my father's case things were not helped by a v. popular music-hall hit, ca. 1910, the chorus of which goes:
ReplyDelete"Joshua, Joshua,
"Sweeter that lemon-squash, you-are,
"Yes, by gosh, you-are, "Joshu-oshu-a."
Your grandson would probably love it.
ps Bartholomew's being patron saint of bookbinders (surely because of the flayed skin) is shown in the book he is carrying. The book is typical of the late 15th c/early 16th c North-western European binding - blind-tooled over bevelled oak boards; five brass bosses to each cover, and leather and brass clasps to hold the covers shut. The clasps are useful as well as ornamental, since they minimize warping of the oak boards. In reality clasps are a pain in the rear, since they all-too-often catch on and gouge the outer edges of the pages.
ReplyDelete