ST. BARTHOLOMEW.

THAT St. Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles the evangelical history is most express and clear, though it seems to take no further notice of him than the bare mention of his name. Which doubtless gave the first occasion to many, both anciently and of later time, not without reason to suppose, that he lie's concealed under some other name, and that this can be no other than Nathanael, one of the first disciples that came to Christ. Accordingly we may observe, that as St. John never mentions Bartholomew in the number of the apostles, so the other evangelists never take notice af Nathanael, probably because the same person under two several names; and as in John, Philip and Nathanael are joined together in their coming to Christ, so in the rest of the evangelists, Philip and Bartholomew are constantly put together, without the least variation; for no other reason, I conceive, than because they were jointly called to the discipleship, so they are jointly referred in the apostolic catalogue; as afterwards we find them joint-companions in the writings of the church. But that which renders the thing most specious and probable is, that we find Nathanael particularly reckoned up with the other apostles to whom our Lord appeared at the sea of Tiberias after his resurrection; where there were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the two sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples, who probably were Andrew and Philip. That by disciples is here meant apostles is evident, partly from the names of those that are reckoned up, partly because it is said, that "this was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples," it being plain that the two foregoing appearances were made to none but the apostles.

2. Had he been more than an ordinary disciple, I think no tolerable reason can be given why, in filling up the vacancy made by the death of Judas, he, being so eminently qualified for the place, should not have been propounded as well as either Barsabas or Matthias, but that he was one of the twelve already. Nor, indeed, is it reasonable to suppose that Bartholomew should be his proper name, any more than Barjona the proper name of Peter, importing no more than his relative capacity, either as a son or a scholar. As a son it notes no more than his being "the son of Tholmai," a name not uncommon amongst the Jews, it being cnstomary among them for the son thus to derive his name; so Barjona, Bartimeus, the son of Timæus, &c., and to be usually called rather by this relative than his own proper name:

proves how much may be done in apostolic biography by the diligent accumulation of the incidents found scattered in the recognized sources of information. But the very brevity of the life of Philip, and some others of the apostles, conveys a moral of itself. How tempered ought to be the love and desire of personal fame, when it is seen, that those who were made the pillars of the everlasting church of God, took so little care to leave any memorial of themselves but that which is found in the name of the ministers-the apostles-the sent of Christ!ED.

thus Joseph was called Barsabas; thus Barnabas constantly so styled, though his right name was Joses. Or else it may relate to him as a disciple of some particular sect and institution among the Jews; it being a custom for scholars, out of a great reverence for their masters, or first institutors of that way, to adopt their names, as Benezra, Ben-uziel, &c. And this will be much more evident if the observation which one makes be true, (which yet I will not contend for,) that as several sects in the Jewish church denominated themselves from some famous person of that nation, the Essenes from Enosh, the Sadducees from Sadoc, so there were others that called themselves Tholmæans, from Tholmai, scholar to Heber, the ancient master of the Hebrews, who was of the race or institution of the Enakim, who flourished in Debir and Hebron, with whom Abraham was confederate, that is, joined himself to their society. And of this order and institution, he tells us, Nathanael seems to have been, hence called Bartholomew, the son or scholar of the Tholomæans; hence said to be "an Israelite indeed," that is, one of the ancient race of the schools and societies of Israel. This, if so, would give us an account of his skill and ability in the Jewish law, wherein he is generally supposed to have been a doctor or teacher. But whichsoever of these two accounts of his denomination shall find most favor with the reader, either of them will serve my purpose, and reconcile the difference that seems to be between St. John and the other evangelists about his name; the one styling him by his proper name, the other by his relative and paternal title. To all this, if necessary, I might add the consent of learned men, who have given in their suffrages in this matter, that it is but the same person under several names. But hints of this may suffice. These ar guments, I confess, are not so forcible and convictive as to command assent; but with all their circumstances considered, are sufficient to incline and sway any man's belief. The great and indeed only reason brought against it, is what St. Augustine_objected of old, that it is not probable that our Lord would choose Nathanael, a doctor of the law, to be one of his apostles, as designing to confound the wisdom of the world by the preaching of the idiot and the unlearned. But this is no reason to him that considers, that this objection equally lies against St. Philip, for whose skill in the law and prophets there is as much evidence, in the history of the gospel, as for Nathanael's; and much more strongly against St. Paul, than whom (besides his abilities in all human learning) there were few greater masters in the Jewish law.

3. This difficulty being cleared, we proceed to a more particular account of our apostle. By some he is thought to have been a Syrian, of a noble extract, and to have derived his pedigree from the Ptolomies of Egypt, upon no other ground, I believe, than the mere analogy and sound of the name. It is plain that he, as the rest of the apostles, was a Galilean; and of Nathanael we know it is particularly said, that he was of Cana in Galilee. The Scripture takes no notice of his trade or way of life, though some circumstances might seem to intimate that he was a fisherman, which Theodoret affirms of the apos

they rigorously exacted these things of their brethren, and thereby seemed to conspire with the Romans to entail perpetual slavery upon their own nation. For, though Tertullian thought that none but Gentiles were employed in this sordid office, yet the contrary is too evident to need any argument to prove it.

2. By these means publicans became so universally abhorred by the Jewish nation, that it was accounted unlawful to do them any office of common kindness and courtesy; nay, they held it no sin to cozen and overreach a publican, and that with the solemnity of an oath; they might not eat or drink, walk or travel with them; they were looked upon as common thieves and robbers; and money received of them might not be put to the rest of a man's estate, it being presumed to have been gained by rapine and violence; they were not admitted as persons fit to give testimony and evidence in any cause: so infamous were they, as not only to be banished all communion in the matters of divine worship, but to be shunned in all affairs of civil society and commerce, as the pests of their country, persons of an infectious converse, of as vile a class as heathens themselves. Hence the common proverb among them: "Take not a wife out of that family wherein there is a publican, for they are all publicans;" that is, thieves, robbers, and wicked sinners. To this proverbial usage our Lord alludes, when speaking of a contumacious sinner, whom neither private reproofs, nor the public censures and admonitions of the church can prevail upon: "Let him be unto thee" (says he) "as an heathen and a publican;"* as elsewhere, publicans and sinners are yoked together, as persons of equal esteem and reputation. Of this trade and office was our St. Matthew; and it seems more particularly to have consisted in gathering the customs of commodities that came by the sea of Galilee, and the tribute which passengers were to pay that went by water; a thing frequently mentioned in the Jewish writings; where we are also told of the ticket, consisting of two greater letters written in paper or some such matter, called the ticket or signature of the publicans, which the passenger had with him to certify them on the other side the water, that he had already paid the toll or custom: upon which account, the Hebrew gospel of St. Matthew, published by Munster, renders publican "the Lord of the passage." For this purpose they kept their office or custom-house by the sea-side, that they might be always near at hand; and here it was (as St. Mark intimates) that Matthew had his toll-booth, where "he sat at the receipt of custom."

naum; but that the Arabic writer of his life tells us, he was born at Nazareth, a city in the tribe of Zebulun, famous for the habitation of Joseph and Mary, but especially for the education and residence of our blessed Saviour: who, though born at Bethlehem, was both conceived and bred up here, where he lived the whole time of his private life, whence he derived the title of Jesus of Nazareth. St. Matthew was the son of Alpheus and Mary, sister or kinswoman to the blessed virgin: in the same Arabic author his father is called Ducu, and his mother Karutias, both originally descended of the tribe of Issachar; nothing being more common among the Jews, than for the same person to have several names; these latter probably expressed in Arabic, according to their Jewish signification. His trade or way of life was that of a publican, or toll-gatherer, to the Romans; (which probably had been his father's trade; his name denoting a broker, or money-changer,) an office of bad report among the Jews. Indeed, among the Romans, it was accounted a place of power and credit, and honorable reputation, not ordinarily conferred upon any but Roman knights; insomuch, that T. Fl. Sabinus, father to the Emperor Vespasian, was the publican of the Asian provinces, an office which he discharged so much to the content and satisfaction of the people, that they erected statues to him with this inscription: KAANE TEAQNHEANTI, "To him that has well managed the publican-office." These officers being sent into the provinces to gather the tributes, were wont to employ the natives under them, as persons best skilled in the affairs and customs of their own country. Two things especially concurred to render this office odious to the Jews. First, that the persons that managed it were usually covetous and great exactors; for having themselves farmed the customs of the Romans, they must gripe and scrape by all methods of extortion, that they might be able both to pay their rent, and to raise gain and advantage to themselves: which doubtless Zacchæus, the chief of these farmers, was sensible of, when, after his conversion, he offered four-fold restitution to any man from whom he had taken any thing by fraud and evil arts.* And upon this account they became infamous even among the Gentiles themselves, who commonly speak of them as cheats, and thieves, and public robbers, and worse members of a community, more voracious and destructive in a city than wild beasts in the forest. The other thing that made the Jews so much detest them was, that this tribute was not only a grievance to their purses, but an affront to the liberty and freedom of their nation; for they looked upon themselves as a free-born 3. Our Lord having lately cured a famous parapeople, and that they had been immediately invest- lytic, retired out of Capernaum, to walk by the ed in this privilege by God himself, and accord-sea-side, where he taught the people that flockingly beheld this as a daily and standing instance ed after him. Here he espied Matthew, sitting in of their slavery; which of all other things they his custom-office, whom he called to come and folcould least endure, and which therefore betrayed low him: the man was rich, had a wealthy and them into so many unfortunate rebellions against the Romans. Add to this, that these publicans were not only obliged, by the necessity of their trade, to have frequent dealings and converse with the Gentiles, (which the Jews held unlawful and abominable,) but that, being Jews themselves,

Luke xix. 8

gainful trade, was a wise and prudent person, (no fools being put into that office,) and understood, no doubt, what it would cost him to comply with this new employment; that he must exchange wealth for poverty, a custom-house for a prison, gainful

*Matth. xviii. 17.

+ Matth. ix. 9; Mark ii. 13, 14; Luke v. 27-29.

on his pitching it into the ground, immediately
grew up into a tree; of his strangely converting
the prince of that country, of his numerous mira-
cles, peaceable death, and sumptuous funerals, with
abundance more of the same stamp and coin, they
are justly to be reckoned amongst those fabulous
reports that have no pillar or ground either of
truth or probability to support them.
Most proba-
ble it is (what an ancient writer affirms) that he
suffered martyrdom at Naddaber, a city of Æthi-
opia, but by what kind of death is altogether un-
certain. Whether this Naddaber be the same
with Beschberi, where the Arabic writer of his life
affirms him to have suffered martyrdom, let others
inquire: he also adds, that he was buried at Ar-
thaganetu Cæsarea, but where that is, is to me un-
known. Dorotheus makes him honorably buried
at Hierapolis in Parthia, one of the first places to
which he preached the gospel.

masters for a naked and despised Saviour. But tuting Plato, one of his followers, bishop of Myrhe overlooked all these considerations, left all his mena; of Christ's appearing to him in the form of interests and relations, to become our Lord's disci-a beautiful youth, and giving him a wand, which ple, and to embrace (as Chrysostom observes,) a more spiritual way of commerce and traffic. We cannot suppose that he was before wholly unacquainted with our Saviour's person or doctrine, especially living at Capernaum, the place of Christ's usual residence, where his sermons and miracles were so frequent; by which he could not but in some measure be prepared to receive the impressions which our Saviour's call now made upon him. And to show that he was not discontented at his change nor apprehended himself a loser by this bargain, he entertained our Lord and his disciples at a great dinner in his house, whither he invited his friends, especially those of his own profession, piously hoping that they also might be caught by our Saviour's converse and company. The Pharisees, whose eye was constantly evil where another man's was good, and who would either find or make occasions to snarl at him, began to suggest to his disciples, that it was unbecoming so pure and holy a person as their master pretended himself to be, thus familiarly to converse with the worst of men, publicans and sinners, persons infamous to a proverb. But he presently replied to them, that they were the sick that needed the physician, not the sound and healthy; that his company was most suitable where the necessities of souls did most require it; that God himself preferred acts of mercy and charity, especially in re-firmed by long habits and customs. And yet notclaiming sinners, and doing good to souls, infinitely before all ritual observances, and the nice rules of persons conversing with one another; and that the main design of his coming into the world was not to bring the righteous, or those who, like themselves, proudly conceited themselves to be so, and in a vain opinion of their own strictness, loftily scorned all mankind besides; but sinners, modest, humble, self-convinced offenders, to repentance, and to reduce them to a better state and course of life.

5. He was a great instance of the power of religion, how much a man may be brought off to a better temper. If we reflect upon his circumstances, while yet a stranger to Christ, we shall find that the world had very great advantages upon him. He was become a master of a plentiful estate, engaged in a rich and a gainful trade, supported by the power and favor of the Romans, prompted by covetous inclinations, and these con

withstanding all this, no sooner did Christ call, but without the least scruple or dissatisfaction, he flung up all at once; and not only renounced (as St. Basil observes) his gainful incomes, but ran an immediate hazard of the displeasure of his masters that employed him, for quitting their service, and leaving his accounts entangled and confused behind him. Had our Saviour been a mighty prince, it had been no wonder that he should run over to his service; but when he appeared under all the circumstances of meanness and disgrace, when he 4. After his election to the apostolate, he con- seemed to promise his followers nothing but misery tinued with the rest till our Lord's ascension; and and suffering in this life, and to propound no other then, for the first eight years at least, preached up rewards but the invisible encouragements of anoand down Judæa. After which, being to betake ther world; his change in this case was the more himself to the conversion of the Gentile world, he strange and admirable. Indeed so admirable, that was entreated by the convert Jews to commit to Porphyry and Julian (two subtle and acute adverwriting the history of our Saviour's life and actions, saries of the Christian religion) hence took occaand to leave it among them as the standing record sion to charge him either with falsehood or with of what he had preached to them; which he did folly; either that he gave not a true account of the accordingly, and so composed his gospel, whereof thing, or that it was very weakly done of him, so more in due place. Little certainty can be had as hastily to follow any one that called him. But to what travels he underwent for the advancement the holy Jesus was no common person; in all his of the Christian faith, so irrecoverably is truth lost commands there was somewhat more than ordiin a crowd of legendary stories. Ethiopia is ge-nary. Indeed St. Jerome conceives, that besides nerally assigned as the province of his apostolical the divinity that manifested itself in his miracles, ministry. Metaphrastes tells us, that he went first there was a divine brightness, and a kind of mainto Parthia, and having successfully planted Chris-jesty in our Saviour's looks, that at first sight was tianity in those parts, thence travelled into Ethi-attractive enough to draw persons after him. Howopia, that is, the Asiatic Ethiopia, lying near to India: where, by preaching and miracles, he mightily triumphed over errors and idolatry, convinced and converted multitudes, ordained spiritual guides and pastors to confirm and build them up, and bring over others to the faith, and then finished his own As for what is related by Nicephorus, of his going into the country of the cannibals, consti

course.

ever his miraculous powers, that reflected a lustre from every quarter, and the efficacy of his doctrine accompanied with the grace of God, made way for the summons that was sent our apostle, and enabled him to conquer all oppositions that stood in the way to hinder him.

6. His contempt of the world further appeared in his exemplary temperance and abstemiousness

the apostles approved the version, and that the church has ever received the Greek copy for authentic, and reposed it in the sacred canon. And therefore, when the late Arian advocate brings in one of his party, challenging the divine authority of this gospel, because but a translation, he might have remembered it is such a translation as has all the advantages of an original; as being translated while the apostles were yet in being to supervise and ratify it, and whose authority has always been held sacred and inviolable by the whole church of God. But the plain truth of the case is, St. Matthew is a back-friend to the antitrinitarian cause, as recording that express command, "Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Which words must needs be supposititious, and added by some ignorant hand, for no other reason but because they make against them. Nay, the whole gospel we see must be discarded, rather than stand in the way of a dear and beloved opinion.

from all the delights and pleasures, yea, the ordi- butes the translation to St. James the Less. The nary conveniences and accommodations of it; so best is, it matters not much whether it was transfar from indulging his appetite with nice and deli-lated by an apostle or some disciple, so long as cate curiosities, that he refused to gratify it with lawful and ordinary provisions, eating no flesh; his usual diet being nothing but herbs, roots, seeds, and berries. But what appeared most remarkable in him, and which, though the least virtue in itself, is the greatest in a wise man's esteem and value, was his humility; mean and modest in his own conceit, in honor preferring others before himself. Whereas the other evangelists in describing the apostles by pairs, constantly place him before Thomas, he modestly places him before himself. The rest of the evangelists openly mention the honor of his apostleship, but speak of his former sordid, dishonest, and disgraceful course of life only under the name of Levi, while he himself sets it down, with all its circumstances, under his own proper and common name. Which as at once it commends his own candor and ingenuity, so it administers to us this not unuseful consideration, that the greatest sinners are not excluded the ines of divine grace; nor can any, if penitent, have just reason to despair, when publicans and sinners are taken in. And as St. Matthew himself does freely and impartially record his own vile and dishonorable course of life; so the two other evangelists, though setting down the story, take notice of him only under another name; to teach us to treat a penitent brother with all modesty and tenderness. "If a man repent" (say the Jews) "let no man say to him, Remember thy former works;" which they explain not only concerning Israelites, but even strangers and proselytes. It being against the rules of civility, as well as the laws of religion, when a man hath repented, to upbraid and reproach him with the errors and follies of his past life.

This

8. After the Greek translation was entertained, the Hebrew copy was chiefly owned and used by the Nazaræi, a middle sect of men between Jews and Christians: with the Christians they believed in Christ, and embraced his religion; with the Jews they adhered to the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law; and hence this gospel came to be styled "the Gospel according to the Hebrews," and "the Gospel of the Nazarenes." By them it was, by degrees, interpolated; several passages of the evangelical history, which they had heard either from the apostles or those who had familiarly conversed with them, being inserted, which the ancient fathers frequently refer to in their writings; as by the Ebionites it was mutilated, and many things cut off, for the same reason for which the followers of Cerinthus, though making use of the greatest part of it, rejected the rest, because it made so much against them. Hebrew copy (though whether exactly the same as it was written by St. Matthew, I will not say) was found, among other books, in the treasury of the Jews at Tiberias, by Joseph a Jew, and after his conversion, a man of great honor and esteem in the time of Constantine: another, St. Jerome assures us, was kept in the library at Cæsarea in his time; and another by the Nazarenes at Boroa, from whom he had the liberty to transcribe it, and which he afterwards translated both into Greek and Latin; with this particular observation, that in quoting the text of the Old Testament, the evangelist immediately follows the Hebrew, without taking notice of the translation of the Septuagint. A copy also of this gospel was, anno 485, dug up and found in the grave of Barnabas in Cyprus, transcribed with his own hand. But these copies are long since perished; and for those that have been since published to the world, both by Tile and Munster, were there no other argument, they too openly betray themselves, by their barbarous and improper style, not to be the genuine issue of that less corrupt and bet

7. The last thing that calls for any remarks in the life of this apostle is his gospel, written at the entreaty of the Jewish converts; and as Epiphanius tells us, at the command of the apostles, while he was yet in Palestine, about eight years after the death of Christ: though Nicephorus will have it to have been written fifteen years after our 'Lord's ascension; and Irenæus yet much wider, who seems to imply that it was written while Peter and Paul preached at Rome, which was not, according to the common account, till near thirty years after. But most plain it is, that it must be written before the dispersion of the aposdes, seeing St. Bartholomew (as we have noted in his life) took it along with him into India, and left it there. He wrote it in Hebrew, as primarily designing it for the use of his countrymen; and strange it is, that any should question its being originally written in that language, when the thing is so universally and uncontrolably asserted by all antiquity, not one that I know of, after the strictest inquiry I could make, dissenting in this matter, and who certainly had far greater opportunities of being satisfied in these things, than we can have at so great a distance. It was no doubt soon after translated into Greek, though by whom St. Jerome professes he could not tell; Theophyact says it was reported to have been done by St. John; but Athanasius more expressly attri- ter age.