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David Marshall Lang

The Wisdom of Balahvar: A Christian Legend of the Buddha

The Wisdom of Balahvar: A Christian Legend of the Buddha

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A companion volume to "The Balavariani," this book explores the life of Gautama Buddha and its influence on medieval Christian thought. It includes the romance of Barlaam and Josaphat, which was included in "The Golden Legend" and inspired the episode of the Caskets in "The Merchant of Venice." The legend was later identified as an adaptation of episodes from the Buddha's life and ministry. The book traces the development and migration of the legend from its original Buddhist environment to the West and includes a translation of the Georgian text, one of the oldest Near Eastern versions of the story.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd


Originally published in 1957 and forming a companion volume to The Balavariani, this volume provides valuable research into the biography of Gautama Buddha and its influence on medieval Christian thought. This work, the romance of Barlaam and Josaphat, was included by Caxton in The Golden Legend and inspired the episode of the Caskets in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice; its heroes were venerated as Saints. Over a century ago, however, the legend was finally identified as an adaptation of episodes from the life and ministry of the Buddha. The first part of the book is devoted to tracing the development and migration of the Barlaam and Josaphat legend from its original Buddhist environment to the West. The second part is a translation of the Georgian text – the first published in any Western European language. The volume therefore gives one of the oldest Near Eastern versions of the story.

Originally published in 1957 and forming a companion volume to The Balavariani, this volume provides valuable research into the biography of Gautama Buddha and its influence on medieval Christian thought. This work, the romance of Barlaam and Josaphat, was included by Caxton in The Golden Legend and inspired the episode of the Caskets in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice; its heroes were venerated as Saints. Over a century ago, however, the legend was finally identified as an adaptation of episodes from the life and ministry of the Buddha. The first part of the book is devoted to tracing the development and migration of the Barlaam and Josaphat legend from its original Buddhist environment to the West. The second part is a translation of the Georgian text – the first published in any Western European language. The volume therefore gives one of the oldest Near Eastern versions of the story.


Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032168814

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