Barlaam and Josaphat

Barlaam and Josaphat is a Byzantine novel, which was probably written around 1000. The novel consists of a frame story, which is about the Indian prince Josaphat, which is converted by the hermit Barlaam using parables to Christianity.

• 5.1 Illumination
• 5.2 Kremser fresco cycle

• 7.1 Arabic version
• 7.2 Georgian version
• 7.3 Greek version

Content

The frame story is about a ruling in India, pagan king, named Abenner, is the prophesied at the birth of his son Jehoshaphat, that this will convert to Christianity. To be ahead in the hope that Providence can Abenner build a palace and his son locked up in the fact that it is not confronted with the suffering of this world. Yet Jehoshaphat interfere with the suffering of the people on horseback in contact, meet him as a sick man, an old man and a blind man. Jehoshaphat realized the transience of man and begins his living conditions to question. At the same time the hermit Barlaam gets a divine inspiration to convey Jehoshaphat the Christian faith and to give him answers to his questions. Later, Jehoshaphat receives the disguised as a merchant Barlaam, by instructive parables converted the prince to Christianity. When the pagan king Abenner finds out, he tried to dissuade his son from Christianity with worldly pleasures, which he does not succeed. Instead of succumbing to the temptations, Jehoshaphat begins the people in his immediate environment to convert. As Abenner realizes that he can not be dissuaded from Christianity his son, he leaves this one-half of his kingdom. In his part of the empire Jehoshaphat support the poor and needy, sharing his wealth among the population and to teach the Christian faith. Finally, it can also convert to Christianity Abenner in view of the great success of his son in his part of the empire. He leaves Jehoshaphat his part of the empire and spends the rest of his life as an ascetic in the desert, where he died. After the death of his father Jehoshaphat made ​​the royal crown, pulls itself into the desert and lives there with Barlaam, until he dies.

Tradition

The novel has a long tradition and dates back to very different sources. The origin of the novel can be regarded the Buddha legend, which in turn was received and reviewed by the Manichaeism, Islam and Christianity. The oldest complete version of the text is Arabic and probably arose in the 8th century; this probably goes back to a Middle Persian text. By transferring this text first in the Georgian first Christian elements were moving into the action, which were strengthened in the Greco -Byzantine version. During the parable corpus has thus experienced some massive changes to the overall story of the Arabic, Georgian and Byzantine Barlaams has changed very little.

The Arabic version: Kitaab wa Bilawhar Būḏāsf

The Arabic version is 750-900 originated in the Ismaili community. From this environment today two fragmentary manuscripts ( 17th - 19th century) and a lithograph ( 1888/1889 ) with the full text are handed down to us. The Arabic text was used as a template for the Georgian version. The plot of the Kitāb Bilawhar wa Būḏāsf is the later version similar, but the parable corpus total considerably more extensive (32 parabolas ). The parables lined up directly against one another, are thus not separated by more detailed interpretations. Rather, a parable to explain the following acts, etc.

The Georgian version

The Balavariani is the oldest Christian version and between the 9th and 10th centuries. It is contained in a single manuscript and is considered a direct successor of the Arabic version. The parable corpus was adapted to the Christian faith; the parabolas that contradicted the Christian faith, were removed from the corpus. In the Georgian area of ​​Balavariani was received as edification novel, whereas the subsequent Greek version has a greater dogmatic depth.

The Greek version

The Constitution Date of the Greek version can be narrowed down to the years around the middle of the 10th century until about 1000. Give some indication of the quotations that the Constitutional date can be reconstructed. In the novel Eclogues were quoted from the homilies of John Chrysostom, however, were not issued until the 10th century by Theodoros Daphnopates ( † ca 961/963 ) in a text collection. In addition, I. Grossmann noted that some was taken from the Menologion of Metaphrastes why dating to 1000 AD is to be set. About the authorship of the Greek Barlaam 's novel has been speculated abundant in the past. Through the work of R. folk authorship of Euthymius Hagioreites († 1028 ) is considered highly probable. Thus, the adoption of John of Damascus is 've written the novel, been displaced. Due to various church quotes by John of Damascus, we went into the research for a long time assumed that this also comes as the author in question. However, the authorship is still not fully accounted for. The parabolic body of this version includes very few of the original parables, but was it enriched with quotations from the Bible. The parables were deliberately adapted to the New Testament. The dogmatic content of the entire work is geared to a specific Byzantine interpretation of the Christian faith.

Subsequent dissemination

In the Middle Ages the novel was used in a Latin translation in many cases. Vincent of Beauvais wove the story in his Speculum historiale. From that first Latin translation flowed three French adaptations in verse, from Anglo-Norman Trouvère Chardry in the 13th century, Gui of Cambrai and Herbert, as well as some prose translations and editing of Girard (Paris 1642).

From a northern French or Provençal original went out in the 14th century, the Italian Storia de San Barlaam. Also transferred from the Latin are Juan de Arze Solorzanos Historia de Barlaam y Jehoshaphat (Madrid 1608 ), an 1470 penned Bohemian processing ( Prague, 1593) and a Polish in verse of Kulizewski ( Krakow 1688). Antonio de Borgio translated the book into the Tagalogsprache in the Philippines ( Manila 1712).

German arrangements delivered in 1200, Otto II, Bishop of Freising, in the so -called " Laubach Barlaam " and in the 13th century, Rudolf von Ems in his poem Barlaam and Josaphat. He wrote it in explicit opposition " against lies and deceit of the secular Aventuren " and for the victory of Christianity to glorify. A second German processing by an unknown author has been known only in fragments; a third comes from a bishop Otto of the 13th century. From German flowed Barlaams an Icelandic Saga ( 1250 ) and the Swedish people book Barlaam och Josaphat (15th century).

The 1225 by Rudolf von Ems created Middle High German verse novel is narrated quite wide. The poet expressed his Latin original: ze Latine ore rihte / got through and through alsolhe site, / daz diu to liute bezzern mite. / Same Han I ouch gedâht ( Rudolf von Ems 130-133 ). He wanted to give people a guide to their improvement to the hand giving ( vorbilde in guoter Lere Rudolf von Ems 140) and for his Memoria act ( Rudolf von Ems 160). Rudolf leads his audience in mind that the theme of the Contemptus mundi is to be connected with the probation of a Christian prince in the world.

Under the title Historia of the life of zweyen H. confessor Barlaam and Josaphat king concerning the hermits in India son, full of faith and morals teaching translated Schweikhard Count of Helfenstein (1539-1599) the work in the German language of his time and it was 1603 printed posthumously.

A Hebrew translation from the Arabic worried about 1200 Abraham ben Samuel ibn Hasdai.

Barlaam and Josaphat as saints

Barlaam and Josaphat are Christian saints. Cardinal Baronius took Jehoshaphat in 1590 on the martyrology roman.

Iconography

Book illumination

The Barlaam and Josaphat iconography begins with the illustrations in the Greek versions. Of the approximately 140 surviving manuscripts, the oldest dating from 1057, five codices are preserved with pictures cycles, two of the manuscripts are of the same parts, however stored in different libraries instance. Up to the late Paris Codex from the 14th century usually be the overall story and some parables ( the Sower, King with the monks, death horn, four boxes, bird-catchers, Unicorn, Three Friends, annual king, pious king, rich boy, roebuck, King's son ) shown. The Latin version survives in three manuscripts of the 15th century. Provided with illustrations are also single Russian and Arabic versions. On an anonymous German prose version is based around a 1476 published early print by Günther Zainer, Augsburg, with 64 partly several scenes summary woodcuts that were used in 1480 by Anton Sorg, also in Augsburg, again. The only manuscript of the earliest Middle High German editing by Otto II of Freising (c. 1200) contains only a cover illustration ( late 14th century ).

Of the manuscripts of verse romance of Rudolf von Ems, only four provided with book decoration. From this group extends beyond any doubt out the equipped with a rich picture cycle handwriting from the workshop of Diebold Lauber ( 1469 ), which is now in the J. Paul Getty Museum ( Ms. Louis XV 9). It contains 138 colored pen drawings; in three other manuscripts by Rudolf von Ems, one can only begin to speak of images jewelry.

Kremser fresco cycle

Recently, a closed mural cycle in the frescoed hall of the so-called Gozzoburg in Krems an der Donau ( Austria ) was discovered. The Barlaamzyklus is - if the dating of art - structural and archaeological side hold - besides the Iwein fresco cycles in lock Rodenegg and in Schmalkalden (both from the first half of the 13th century ) is probably the only profane monumental painting of the 13th century. The artistic program was implemented in relatively close association with the literary sources, although a strong text replacement and an independent act with the textual templates in other media is quite common for the implementation of literary content in murals. With the visual realization of these religious literature in a prestigious space a clear intention of the client is connected. The goal of the seal was next to the announcement of the victory of Christianity, the ethical formation of the people.

The realized in the medium of visual art literary content with their figurative representation are far removed from the conventional visualization of simultaneous religious content. The Kremser murals represent a significant innovation of the traditional repertoire known image; they are with their high quality in the execution of an innovation of the then popular iconographic skills.

Comments

Works

Arabic version

• Kitaab wa Bilawhar Būḏāsf.Édité par D. Gimaret [ Recherches publiées sous la direction de l' Institut de Lettres Orientales de série Beyrouth.Nouvelle A6 ] Beirut 1972.

French translation

• Daniel Gimaret: Le livre de Bilawhar et Būḏāsf selon la version arabe ismaélienne [ HEIOH 3] Geneva - Paris 1971.

Georgian version

English Translation

• David Marshall Lang: The Balavariani ( Barlaam and Josaphat ) A tale from the Christian East translated from the Old Georgian by David Marshall Lang, introduction by IV Abuladze [ UNESCO collection of representated works. Series of the translations from the literatures of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ] Berkeley - Los Angeles 1966.

Greek version

• The writings of John of Damascus. VI.2 Vol. Historia de Barlaam et animae utilis Joasaph ( spuria ). Worried by Robert Folk ( Patristic Texts and Studies 60). De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2006, ISBN 3-11-018134-7. (online)

Translations into German

• The legend of Barlaam and Josaphat, attributed to St. John of Damascus. From the Greek translated by Ludwig Burchard. Theatines Verlag, Munich 1924.

Translations into English

• Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John Damascene, in (?): The online medieval & classical library. UC Berkeley