In Aramaic, Bartholomew would probably have been something like "bar Telemai," and thus meant "son of Telemai," which could have been a form of the Greek name Ptolemais. Most think that Bartholomew is the same as the apostle Nathanael who appears in the the Gospel of John; Bartholomew is a name that only appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Scholars have made this connection because both Bartholomew and Nathanael are always mentioned in the context of the apostle Philip.
In fact, being listed with Philip is just about the only thing Bartholomew does, aside from getting listed as one of the apostles who witnesses Jesus' ascension in Acts. It's only under the name Nathanael that he gets much of a role. According to the Gospel of John, Nathanael is depicted as being very skeptical that the long-awaited messiah could possible be from Nazareth before he finally confesses that Jesus is the Son of God.
Some Christian legends say that after seeing the risen Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias, Bartholomew travelled to India and brought Christianity to the people there. Other legends say that he travelled with St. Jude Thaddeus, another of the twelve apostles, to Armenia to bring Christianity to the people there. These same legends say that Bartholomew was martyred in Armenia by being flayed alive and then crucified upside down.
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