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Nathanael

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, who was initially skeptical but later confessed Jesus as the Son of God.

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Nathanael, also identified as Bartholomew in the Synoptic Gospels, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. He is introduced in the Gospel of John when Philip, who had just begun following Jesus, found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (Jhn.1.45).

Initially skeptical, Nathanael questioned, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (Jhn.1.46). However, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he declared, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit" (Jhn.1.47). Surprised, Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, to which Jesus replied that he had seen him under the fig tree before Philip called him (Jhn.1.48).

This revelation prompted Nathanael to confess, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel" (Jhn.1.49). Jesus commended Nathanael's faith and promised that he would see even greater things, alluding to the miracles and divine revelations that would follow.

Nathanael is mentioned again in Jhn.21.2 as one of the disciples who went fishing with Peter after Jesus' resurrection. He was present when Jesus appeared to them on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias and performed the miraculous catch of fish.

Although little is known about Nathanael's life beyond these brief mentions, his inclusion among the twelve disciples highlights his importance in Jesus' ministry. His initial skepticism and subsequent confession of faith demonstrate the transformative power of encountering Jesus and the depth of his commitment to following him.

Tradition holds that Nathanael, under the name Bartholomew, went on to preach the gospel in various regions, including India and Armenia, where he is said to have been martyred for his faith.

Connections

Part of: John the Baptist's Circle · The Twelve Apostles

Nathanael and Bartholomew

FriendsDebated

The Synoptic lists pair Philip with Bartholomew, and John pairs Philip with Nathanael. Many infer Nathanael is Bartholomew ("son of Talmai"), but no text says so.

NathanaelDisciple of Jesus, from Cana in Galilee.BartholomewAn apostlePhilipAn apostle
Where the text shows it: John 1:45-49 — Philip finds NathanaelMatthew 10:3 — Philip and Bartholomew pairedJohn 21:2 — Nathanael of Cana in Galilee
Ways people read this (2)
  • Nathanael is Bartholomew (widely proposed, based on the pairing).
  • Nathanael is a separate disciple not in the Twelve lists.

Sources: Scripture

Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus

FriendsStated in the text

After being called, Philip finds Nathanael and invites him to come and see Jesus. John does not use the word "friend" but shows the two in easy acquaintance.

PhilipAn apostleNathanaelDisciple of Jesus, from Cana in Galilee.
Where the text shows it: John 1:45-46 — Philip finds Nathanael and says "Come and see".John 21:2 — Nathanael of Cana in Galilee is among those later with Peter and Thomas.
Ways people read this (1)
  • The claim of close friendship is an inference from the scene.

Sources: John 1:43-51

Nathanael is usually identified with Bartholomew

RoleWidely accepted

John never lists Bartholomew and the Synoptics never mention Nathanael. The identification rests on Philip being paired with Bartholomew in the lists and Nathanael being Philip's acquaintance.

NathanaelDisciple of Jesus, from Cana in Galilee.BartholomewAn apostle
Where the text shows it: Matthew 10:3 — Philip and Bartholomew paired.John 1:45 — Philip and Nathanael paired.John 21:2 — Nathanael named among the disciples.
Ways people read this (2)
  • Bartholomew (Bar-Talmai) may be a patronymic with a personal name such as Nathanael.
  • The identification is an inference; no text states it.

Sources: Matthew 10:3 · John 1:45

The apostles as Galileans

HometownWidely accepted

The apostles are addressed as "men of Galilee", and Peter was identified by his speech. Many of the individual apostles are placed in Galilee by the Gospels.

PeterAn apostleAndrewAn apostleJamesAn apostleJohnAn apostlePhilipAn apostleNathanaelDisciple of Jesus, from Cana in Galilee.MatthewAn apostleGalileeRegion in northern Israel; key location in Jesus' ministry
Where the text shows it: Acts 1:11 — Angels address the apostles as men of Galilee.Acts 2:7 — "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?"Matthew 26:73 — Peter's accent gives him away.
Ways people read this (1)
  • Galilee is explicit for Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael and Matthew by location; for Thomas, James of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus and Simon the Zealot no place is stated.

Sources: Acts 1:11 · Acts 2:7

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Nathanael Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Given or gift of God, one of our Lord’s disciples, “of Cana in Galilee” (John 21:2). He was “an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile” (1:47, 48). His name occurs only in the Gospel of John, who in his list of the disciples never mentions Bartholomew, with whom he has consequently been identified. He was one of those to whom the Lord showed himself alive after his resurrection, at the Sea of Tiberias.

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Nathanael Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(gift of God), a disciple of Jesus Christ, concerning whom, under that name at least, we learn from Scripture little more than his birthplace, Cana of Galilee, (John 21:2) and his simple, truthful character. (John 1:47) The name does not occur in the first three Gospels; but it is commonly believed that Nathanael and Bartholomew are the same person. The evidence for that belief is as follows: St, John who twice mentions Nathanael, never introduces the name of Bartholomew at all. St. Matthew, (Matthew 10:3) St. Mark, (Mark 3:18) and St. Luke, (Luke 8:14) all speak of Bartholomew but never of Nathanael. If was Philip who first brought Nathanael to Jesus, just as Andrew had brought his brother Simon.

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Nathanael Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

the gift of God

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Nathanael Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

NATHAN'AEL (gift of God), a native of Cana of Galilee, John 21:2, and an Israelite without guile, as stated by our Lord. John 1:47. He was conducted by Philip (immediately after his call) into the presence of Christ. He went an incredulous Hebrew, with the words on his lips, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Jesus, however, at once convinces him that he is the Messiah by the exhibition of his omniscience, declaring that he had seen Nathanael under the fig tree before ever Philip had called him. Nathanael confesses him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel. The name Nathanael occurs only in John. For this reason, combined with the fact that John never mentions the name of Bartholomew, it is generally supposed that the two are identical.

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Nathanael Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

NATHAN'AEL (gift of God), a native of Cana of Galilee, John 21:2, and an Israelite without guile, as stated by our Lord. John 1:47. He was conducted by Philip (immediately after his call) into the presence of Christ. He went an incredulous Hebrew, with the words on his lips, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Jesus, however, at once convinces him that he is the Messiah by the exhibition of his omniscience, declaring that he had seen Nathanael under the fig tree before ever Philip had called him. Nathanael confesses him to be the Son of God and the King of Israel. The name Nathanael occurs only in John. For this reason, combined with the fact that John never mentions the name of Bartholomew, it is generally supposed that the two are identical.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Nathanael appears

6 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G3482

John6

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.