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10-27-2007, 05:29 AM | #11 |
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Or Simon called Petros never existed, and was just a political imaginary retooling of Simon Magus, a rival messiah to Jesus, who came from Persia.
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10-27-2007, 01:04 PM | #12 |
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Bartholomew
Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned in gMatthew 10:3, gMark 3:18, gLuke 6:14, and Acts 1:13. The name (Bartholomaios) means "son of Tholmai".
Nathanael is mentioned in gJohn 1:44-50, and gJohn 21:2. Nathanael is of Cana of Galilee. It is generally held by the Church that Nathanael is to be identified with Bartholomew, "Nathanael Bar-Tolmai". This identification is justified by the argument that Nathanael was brought to Jesus by Philip (gJohn 1:45), and that Bartholomew is mentioned next to Philip in the list of the Twelve given by gMatthew and gLuke. However, in gMark, Bartholomew is next to Matthew, and Philip is next to Andrew, but that does not count. In Acts, Bartholomew is also next to Matthew, and Philip is next to Thomas, but that does not count. No mention of Bartholomew-Nathanael occurs in ecclesiastical literature before Eusebius, who mentions that Pantaenus, the master of Origen, while evangelizing 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 wide area, including even Arabia Felix. Other traditions represent Bartholomew as preaching in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Armenia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, and on the shores of the Black Sea. The manner of his death, said to have occurred at Albanopolis in Armenia, or possibly in Derbend, on the Caspian Sea, is equally uncertain; according to some, he was beheaded, according to others, flayed alive and crucified, head downward, by order of king Astyages of Babylon, for having converted his brother, Polymius, King of Armenia. The only small problem is that no king of Armenia ever bore the name of Polymius. Astyages is the name of a king of the Medes (584-c.550 BCE). Moses of Chorene (Vth century) wrote a history of Armenia, where he writes that Bartholomew was martyred in the town Arebanos, in Armenia. It seems that this town is not Erevan, but could be a place between the lakes of Van and Ourmia. |
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