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In St John's Gospel it talks about how Christ say Nathaniel Bartholomew under the fig tree. I remember this being a referred to in an Apocryphal text - something to do with Nathaniel as a child. This being the feast of St Bart, could anyone tell me the apocryphal source?

in Christ,
Dcn Marshall

All I could find was from "The Book of the Bee", which was written in the 13th century by a Nestorian bishop. It seems that this text states that John the Beloved Disciple and Nathaniel were both saved from Herod's killing of the Holy Innocents, and this is what Jesus is referencing. The relevant text (from http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/bb/bb39.htm ):

The meaning of the New Testament is always linked to the Old Testament which it fulfills. The proper place to look for the fig tree is within the old Testament where it gains a prophetic (symbolic) meaning.

The fig tree was seen as a fruit tree � the most perfect - with fruit that did not spoil. If left to dry � it could still be eaten long after.

1 Kgs 4:25
�And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, and every man under his vine and under his fig tree��

Grapes (wine) and figs (fruit) � both are symbolic of virtues. The one (wine) had by the crushing and the other never spoiling.

2 Kgs 18:31
�Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern�

Properly � it is used in the Old Testement as a symbol of virtues. As such it was also a symbol of Israel as being true to the Mosaic covenant.

Matt 21:19
�19 19 And when he saw a fig tree ain� the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no bfruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And cpresently� the fig tree withered away.�

Here, the fig tree is Israel � but � it bears no fruits (people who have virtues) and so the Mosaic covenant is replaced by the new covenant and new church.

Now it may be the Natahaniel had actually been resting under the shade of a fig tree before the Lord came along � but by the words of Jesus we are to understand him as saying that he (Jesus) knows the heart of Natahaniel as being virtuous according to the way of life that Moses wanted.

So, as is often the case, Jesus is using a play on words according to the Hebrew � to say not only he saw him earlier under a fig tree � but more importantly that he sees into Nataniel�s heart, he see that Natahaneil is a man of virtues according to the way an Israelite and follower of Moses should be.

A true Israelite according to its spiritual meaning.

Of course that is just my opinion.

-ray

Our youngest sons name is Nathaniel Zechariah