St. Bartholomew

The feast of St. Bartholomew is celebrated on 24th August by the Roman Catholic Church. St Bartholomew, a Jew from Cana of Galilee was one of 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. This disciple, is known by the Aramaic name  Bartholomew, (‘bar-Tolmai’) meaning son of a ploughman (farmer)  in all the three synoptic gospels (Mathew, Mark and Luke).  Nevertheless, in the gospel of John, this disciple is identified as Nathanael who is introduced as a friend of Philip. When Philip told Nathanael that he has seen the Messiah, who is Jesus from Nazareth, Nathanael exclaimed, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?". Nonetheless, he did accept Philip's invitation to meet Jesus. Seeing Nathanael, Jesus immediately said "Here comes an honest man - a true son of Israel”.

 "How do you know what I am like?" Nathanael demanded. "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you" was Jesus's reply. At that very moment, with full conviction, Nathanael recognizes Jesus as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". Nathanael reappears at the end of John's gospel, as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.

It is believed that Bartholomew preached the good news in many places including Armenia, Ethiopia and Mesopotamia. Along with his fellow apostle Jude Thaddeus, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. 

With the Archaeological discovery of a "St. Thomas Cross" with Pahlavi inscription on 27 April, 2001 by Dr. Jose Cosme Costa (a Pilar priest) on the bank of river Zuari, it became very clear that Christianity did exist here in Goa long before the arrival of the Portuguese. However it is not clear, as when did it reach here and who was the first one to preach the good news. In a discussion this writer had on 22 October, 2007 with Dr. Jose Cosme Costa, Dr Cosme expressed the view that it could be St. Bartholomew who preached the good news first here in Goa.

Though there is no documentary evidence for this, it may be assumed that there was a Christian community in Goa like the Syrian Christians of Kerala, right from the 1st century A.D, which disappeared or reduced in number, slowly due to the  absence of spiritual administrators or unfriendly policies of subsequent rulers. Further, it may also be assumed that  a good number of the members of this community still remained devoted to St. Batholomew. A proper research study about the origin of the two churches dedicated to St. Bartholomew, one in Chorao Island built in 1569 and the other at  Chicalimin 1625 may throw some light on this subject. However, as the  feast of St. Bartholomew is celebrated on 24th August, what is more important for every Christian today,  should be to make a genuine attempt to follow the Teaching of Jesus Christ -"Love thy neighbor and love God."