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St. Bartholomew the Apostle

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Biblical Character

The Resume

    Lived during the 1st century AD
    One of the twelve apostles of Jesus
    Patron saint of Armenia
    Martyred by either being drowned, crucified upside down, or skinned alive and then beheaded.
    Feast day is June 11 (Eastern Orthodox Church) or August 24 (Roman Catholic Church) or September 11 (Coptic Church)

Why he might be annoying:

    In the Gospel of John, he is referred to as Nathanael. (More specifically, the other Gospels mention a Bartholomew who hangs out with the apostle Philip, while John mentions a Nathanael who hangs out with Philip, leading most Bible scholars to assume that they are the same person.)
    He was skeptical about the Messiah being from Nazareth, asking, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'
    Because he was reportedly skinned alive, he was made the patron saint of tanners and leather workers.
    He also became patron saint of cheese merchants because he was often depicted holding a curved knife used in his flaying, which was mistaken for a cheese cutter.
    Catherine de' Medici ordered the massacre of French Protestants on his feast day (1572).

Why he might not be annoying:

    Jesus called him 'a man in whom there is no deception.'
    He reportedly was a missionary to Mesopotamia, India, Ethiopia and Armenia.
    When Michelangelo depicted him in 'The Last Judgement,' he painted his self-portrait on the saint's flayed skin.
    He is the namesake for the oldest surviving hospital in England.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 152 Votes: 48.03% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 14.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 10.53% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 112 Votes: 53.57% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 114 Votes: 46.49% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 24 Votes: 70.83% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 28 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 40 Votes: 72.50% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 79 Votes: 46.84% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 152 Votes: 46.05% Annoying