Barlaam and Josaphat (book)
Encyclopedia
Barlaam and Josaphat is the title given to a large number of different books in various languages, all dealing with the lives of Saints Barlaam and Josaphat in India
. In this hagiographic tradition, the life and teachings of Josaphat have many parallels with those of the Buddha
. "But not till the mid-nineteenth century was it recognised that, in Josaphat, the Buddha had been venerated as a Christian saint for about a thousand years." The authorship of the work is disputed.
The origins of the story seem to be a Central Asian manuscript written in the Manichean tradition. This book was translated into Georgian
and Arabic. The best-known version in Europe comes from a separate, but not wholly independent, source, written in Greek
, and, although anonymous, attributed to a monk named John. It was only considerably later that the tradition arose that this was John of Damascus
, but most scholars no longer accept this attribution. Instead much evidence points to Euthymius of Athos
, a Georgian who died in 1028.
Among the mansuscripts in English, two of the most important are the British Museum
MS Egerton 876 (the basis for Ikegami's book) and MS Peterhouse 257 (the basis for Hirsh's book) at the University of Cambridge
.
The book contains a tale similar to The Three Caskets found in the Gesta Romanorum
and later in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In this hagiographic tradition, the life and teachings of Josaphat have many parallels with those of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. "But not till the mid-nineteenth century was it recognised that, in Josaphat, the Buddha had been venerated as a Christian saint for about a thousand years." The authorship of the work is disputed.
The origins of the story seem to be a Central Asian manuscript written in the Manichean tradition. This book was translated into Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
and Arabic. The best-known version in Europe comes from a separate, but not wholly independent, source, written in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and, although anonymous, attributed to a monk named John. It was only considerably later that the tradition arose that this was John of Damascus
John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest...
, but most scholars no longer accept this attribution. Instead much evidence points to Euthymius of Athos
Euthymius of Athos
Euthymius the Athonite was a renowned Georgian philosopher and scholar, also known as Eufimius the Abasgian or St. Euthymius the Georgian...
, a Georgian who died in 1028.
Among the mansuscripts in English, two of the most important are the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
MS Egerton 876 (the basis for Ikegami's book) and MS Peterhouse 257 (the basis for Hirsh's book) at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
The book contains a tale similar to The Three Caskets found in the Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...
and later in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
.