The Balavariani - A [Buddist] tale from the Ancient Christian East

Everyone in the forum should check this book out, you can find it online at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Barlaam/

Incredible book, one of the most popular Christian fictional tales of all time from medieval England to Ethiopia, from France to Armenia, almost every Christian country in the world has a translation of it.

It is a redaction, an editing, of the Life of Buddha, where the person of Buddha is renamed as a Christian saint. Excellent study on the sharing and blending of even distant cultures. Interesting story too on how it came into Christian lands, probably first in Georgia/Armenia in the 7th c. It had to first pass through Muslim and Manichean (a post(?)gnostic sect) areas, where they rewrote a copies, making it more palatable for Christians. Nevertheless, soon after its arrival in Christian lands, it became "the most popular Christian romance [not in the sexual or romantic sense] novel of all time".

 

"jumpin' jehosephat"


(as the old saying goes...)

 

lol. i didn't even think about that. how funny!