Bartholomew
First appears at Matthew 10:3
First named in Scripture at Matthew 10:3 — read the chapter.
What Bartholomew Did
One of the twelve apostles, named in every list of the Twelve (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). Bartholomew is a surname — son of Tolmai — and he is commonly identified with Nathanael, who fills the corresponding place in John’s Gospel, where Bartholomew is never named and Nathanael never appears in the Synoptic lists.
Accomplished for Good
He was in the upper room with the apostles after the Ascension, continuing in prayer (Acts 1:13-14); if the common identification holds, his is the guileless confession recorded under Nathanael’s name: "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel" (John 1:49).
Mistakes and Failures
Scripture records no sin — and no single word — of Bartholomew under this name; he is one of the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem whose work was done out of the light (Rev 21:14).
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)
son of Tolmai, one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:3; Acts 1:13); generally supposed to have been the same as Nathanael. In the synoptic gospels Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in the fourth gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together, but nothing is said of Bartholomew. He was one of the disciples to whom our Lord appeared at the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (John 21:2). He was also a witness of the Ascension (Acts 1:4, 12, 13). He was an “Israelite indeed” (John 1:47).