flourished 1st century AD
died traditionally Albanopolis, Armenia; Western feast day August 24; date varies in Eastern churches
One of the Twelve Apostle s of Jesus .
He is mentioned only briefly in the Gospels, and his Hebrew name may have been Nathanael bar Tolmai. By tradition he was a missionary to Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia (in modern Iran), Lycaonia (in modern Turkey), and Armenia. He was supposedly martyred at the command of the Armenian king Astyages, who had him flayed and beheaded.