Barlaam and Josaphat
Principal characters of a Christianized version of a legend of Buddha.
Josaphat, son of a 4th-century king in India, who persecuted the Christians, was kept in seclusion to prevent his conversion, which had been foretold.
Bar1aam, a hermit, succeeded in converting him.
His father later became a Christian and surrendered his throne.
After ruling for a while, Josaphat resigned the crown and joined Barlaam in the desert.
The legend is widely diffused.
Barlaam and Josaphat are mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, 27 November; in the Greek calendar, 26 August.
New Catholic Dictionary
