Description
Barlaam and Ioasaph, a hagiographic novel, was one of the most popular literary works in medieval Europe. It depicts the life of a cloistered young prince named Ioasaph (more often spelled “Josaphat”), who is converted to Christianity by the monk Barlaam, before he undergoes several trials that test his newfound faith. Although Barlaam and Ioasaph teaches Christian doctrine and quotes extensively from the Bible and later Christian sources, its plot can be traced back to an ancient Buddhist text: the name “Ioasaph” is derived from the Sanskrit word bodhisattva, referring to beings in Mahayana Buddhist cosmology who delay personal liberation from the cycle of liberation in order to save others. Ioasaph’s depiction retains...
