Nathanael of Cana

Saint Nathanael the Apostle of Cana of Galilee was a disciple of the Lord, mentioned only in chapters 1 and 21 of the Gospel of John. He is usually identified with the Apostle Bartholomew mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels, whose commemoration days in the Orthodox Church are 11 June and 25 August. The name Nathanael means "God has given", like the Slavic name Bozhidar.

In the Gospel

In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip, from Bethsaida (1:43-44). The first disciples who follow Jesus are shown reaching out at once to family or friends; so Philip found Nathanael and said to him: "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael is presented at first as doubtful whether the Messiah could come from Nazareth, saying: "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?", but nonetheless accepts Philip's invitation to come and see. Jesus at once called him "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile". Some scholars say that Jesus' words, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you", arise from a Jewish figure of speech, about studying the Torah. Nathanael confessed Jesus "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". He appears again, as "of Cana in Galilee", at the end of the Gospel, as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.

Identification with Bartholomew

Nathanael is usually identified with the Apostle Bartholomew of the Synoptic Gospels and Acts. The reason for the identification is that Bartholomew is a surname (Nathanael Bar-⁠Tolmai, that is Nathanael, son of Tolmai) and that Bartholomew and Philip are always paired together in the Synoptic Gospels. The earliest known example of the identification is in Ishodad of Merv, and in the West in Rupert of Deutz (died 1129). Some disagree: Augustine suspected that Nathanael was not one of the twelve at all, because he was so versed in the Law. The earliest identification of Nathanael with one of the Twelve is in the second-⁠century Epistula Apostolorum, where he is called or takes the place of James, son of Alphaeus.