Barlaam and Ioasaph · Chapter
Barlaam and Ioasaph explained
This chapter introduces the edifying story of Barlaam and Ioasaph, set in the inner land of the Ethiopians, called the land of the Indians, and brought to the holy city by John the Monk of the monastery of Saint Sabas.
What happens
This chapter introduces the edifying story of Barlaam and Ioasaph, set in the inner land of the Ethiopians, called the land of the Indians, and brought to the holy city by John the Monk of the monastery of Saint Sabas. It presents the lives of the famous and blessed Barlaam and Ioasaph.
Themes in this chapter
The Monastic Ideal
The chapter is introduced by John the Monk, a virtuous man from the monastery of Saint Sabas, highlighting the monastic context and ideal of the story.
Characters to notice
- Barlaam
Introduced as one of the famous and blessed figures whose life is recounted in the story.
- Ioasaph
Introduced as one of the famous and blessed figures whose life is recounted in the story.
- John of Damascus
Identified as John the Monk, the virtuous man from the monastery of Saint Sabas who brought the story to the holy city.
Key passages
“Barlaam and Ioasaph An edifying story from the inner land of the Ethiopians, called the land of the Indians, thence brought to the holy city, by John the Monk (an honourable man and a virtuous, of the monastery of Saint Sabas); wherein are the lives of the famous and blessed Barlaam and Ioasaph.”
This is a moral tale from the interior of Ethiopia, also known as India, which was brought to Jerusalem by John the Monk, a respected and virtuous monk from Saint Sabas Monastery, and it tells the lives of the renowned and holy Barlaam and Ioasaph.
The opening lines establish the origin, authorship, and subject of the story.