Barlaam and Josaphat
Life and witness
In India, near to the Persians, of the Saints Barlaam and Josaphat, whose admirable acts St. John Damascen has left written.
Biographical overview
Barlaam and Josaphat, also known as Bilawhar and Budhasaf, are Christian saints. Their story tells of the conversion of Josaphat to Christianity. According to tradition, an Indian king persecuted the Christian Church in his realm. After astrologers predicted that his own son would some day become a Christian, the king imprisoned the young prince Josaphat, who nevertheless met the hermit Saint Barlaam and converted to Christianity. After much tribulation the young prince's father accepted the Christian faith, turned over his throne to Josaphat, and retired to the desert to become a hermit. Josaphat himself later abdicated and went into seclusion with his old teacher Barlaam. The story is thought to be a Christianized and later version of the story of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha.
Martyrologium Romanum · Latin witness
Apud Indos, Persis finitimos, sanctorum Barlaam et Josaphat, quorum actus mirandos sanctus Joannes Damascenus conscripsit.