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Vita Barlaam et Joasaph

BARLAAM AND JOASAPH, A SOUL-PROFITING HISTORY FROM THE INNER LAND OF THE ETHIOPIANS, CALLED THE LAND OF THE INDIANS, BROUGHT TO THE HOLY CITY THROUGH JOHN THE MONK, AN HONOURABLE AND

VIRTUOUS MAN OF THE MONASTERY OF SAINT SABAS; IN WHICH IS THE LIFE OF BARLAAM AND JOASAPH, THE EVER-MEMORABLE AND BLESSED.

PREFACE "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God," says the divine Apostle; but to be deemed worthy of the Holy Spirit and to become sons of God is the ultimate of desires, and for those who have become so, there is rest from all contemplation, as it is written. Therefore, the saints from of old have been deemed worthy to attain this supernatural and highest of blessings through the practice of the virtues; some having contended as martyrs and resisted sin unto blood, others having struggled ascetically, and walked the narrow way, and become martyrs by choice. To commit their heroic deeds and achievements to writing—both of those perfected through blood and of those who by asceticism imitated the angelic life—and to transmit them as an example of virtue to succeeding 4 generations, the Church of Christ has received from the God-inspired Apostles and blessed Fathers, who legislated this for the salvation of our race. For the road that leads to virtue is rough and steep, especially for those who have not yet wholly committed themselves to the Lord, but are still assailed by the tyranny of the passions. For this reason we need many things to exhort us toward it, both admonitions and also histories of the lives of those who have journeyed on it before, which draws one more painlessly towards it and prepares one not to despair at the difficulty of the journey. Since for one about to travel a difficult and rough road, a person who merely admonishes and exhorts might persuade him less; but by pointing out many who have already passed along it, and then at the end found good lodging, he might thus persuade him more readily to undertake the journey himself. Therefore, adhering to this rule, and moreover being mindful of the danger hanging over the servant who, having received the talent from his master, buried it in the earth and hid uninvested what was given for work, I will by no means keep silent a soul-profiting narrative that has come down to me; which devout men from the inner country of the Ethiopians, whom the account calls Indians, related to me, having translated it from truthful records, and it is as follows. 6 i The country called India is situated far from Egypt, being large and populous; and it is washed by seas and navigable waters on the side towards Egypt; but on the mainland it approaches the borders of Persia, which of old was darkened by the gloom of idolatry, utterly barbarized and given over to lawless practices. But when the only-begotten Son of God, who is in the bosom of the Father, not bearing to see his own creation enslaved by sin, moved by his own compassion for it, appeared among us without sin, and, not leaving the Father's throne, dwelt in a Virgin for our sake, that we might dwell in the heavens, and be recalled from the ancient fall, and be delivered from sin,

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Vita Barlaam et Joasaph

ΒΑΡΛΑΑΜ ΚΑΙ ΙΩΑΣΑΦ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΨΥΧΩΦΕΛΗΣ ΕΚ ΤΗΣ ΕΝ∆ΟΤΕΡΑΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΙΘΙΟΠΩΝ ΧΩΡΑΣ, ΤΗΣ ΙΝ∆ΩΝ ΛΕΓΟΜΕΝΗΣ, ΠΡΟΣ ΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑΝ ΠΟΛΙΝ ΜΕΤΕΝΕΧΘΕΙΣΑ ∆ΙΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΜΟΝΑΧΟΥ, ΑΝ∆ΡΟΣ ΤΙΜΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ

ΕΝΑΡΕΤΟΥ ΜΟΝΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΣΑΒΑ· ΕΝ ΗΙ Ο ΒΙΟΣ ΒΑΡΛΑΑΜ ΚΑΙ ΙΩΑΣΑΦ ΤΩΝ ΑΟΙ∆ΙΜΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΩΝ.

ΠΡΟΟΙΜΙΟΝ Ὅσοι Πνεύματι Θεοῦ ἄγονται, οὗτοί εἰσιν υἱοὶ Θεοῦ, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος· τὸ δὲ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἀξιωθῆναι καὶ υἱοὺς Θεοῦ γενέσθαι τῶν ὀρεκτῶν ὑπάρχει τὸ ἔσχατον, καὶ οὗ γενομένοις πάσης θεωρίας ἀνάπαυσις, καθὼς γέγραπται. τῆς οὖν ὑπερφυοῦς ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἐφετῶν ἀκροτάτης μακαριότητος ἠξιώθησαν ἐπιτυχεῖν οἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἅγιοι διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐργασίας· οἱ μὲν μαρτυρικῶς ἀθλήσαντες καὶ μέχρις αἵματος πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀντικαταστάντες, οἱ δὲ ἀσκητικῶς ἀγωνισάμενοι, καὶ τὴν στενὴν βαδίσαντες ὁδόν, καὶ μάρτυρες τῇ προαιρέσει γενόμενοι. ὧν τὰς ἀριστείας καὶ τὰ κατορθώματα, τῶν τε δι' αἵματος τελειωθέντων καὶ τῶν δι' ἀσκήσεως τὴν ἀγγελικὴν πολιτείαν μιμησαμένων, γραφῇ παραδιδόναι, καὶ ἀρετῆς ὑπόδειγμα ταῖς μετέπειτα 4 παραπέμπειν γενεαῖς, ἐκ τῶν θεηγόρων Ἀποστόλων καὶ μακαρίων Πατέρων ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρείληφεν Ἐκκλησία, ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν τοῦτο νομοθετησάντων. ἡ γὰρ πρὸς ἀρετὴν φέρουσα ὁδὸς τραχεῖά τίς ἐστι καὶ ἀνάντης καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς μήπω μεταθεμένοις ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τῶν παθῶν τυραννίδος ἔτι πολεμουμένοις. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολλῶν δεόμεθα τῶν πρὸς αὐτὴν παρακαλούντων ἡμᾶς, τοῦτο μὲν παραινέσεων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ βίων ἱστορίας τῶν ἐκείνην προωδευκότων, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀλύπως ἐφέλκεται πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ μὴ ἀπογινώσκειν παρασκευάζει τῆς πορείας τὸ δύσκολον. ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ μέλλοντι βαδίζειν ὁδὸν δύσπορον καὶ τραχεῖαν παραινῶν μέν τις καὶ προτρεπόμενος ἧττον πείσειεν· ὑποδεικνύων δὲ πολλοὺς αὐτὴν ἤδη διελθόντας, εἶτα κἀν τῷ τέλει καλῶς καταλύσαντας, οὕτω πείσειε μᾶλλον καὶ αὐτὸν ἂν τῆς πορείας ἅψασθαι. τούτῳ οὖν ἐγὼ στοιχῶν τῷ κανόνι, ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐπηρτημένον τῷ δούλῳ κίνδυνον ὑφορώμενος, ὅς, λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου τὸ τάλαντον, εἰς γῆν ἐκεῖνο κατώρυξε καὶ τὸ δοθὲν πρὸς ἐργασίαν ἔκρυψεν ἀπραγμάτευτον, ἐξήγησιν ψυχωφελῆ ἕως ἐμοῦ καταντήσασαν οὐδαμῶς σιωπήσομαι· ἥνπερ μοι ἀφηγήσαντο ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς τῆς ἐνδοτέρας τῶν Αἰθιόπων χώρας, οὕστινας Ἰνδοὺς οἶδεν ὁ λόγος καλεῖν, ἐξ ὑπομνημάτων ταύτην ἀψευδῶν μεταφράσαντες, ἔχει δὲ οὕτως. 6 ι Ἡ τῶν Ἰνδῶν λεγομένη χώρα πόρρω μὲν διάκειται τῆς Αἰγύπτου, μεγάλη οὖσα καὶ πολυάνθρωπος· περικλύζεται δὲ θαλάσσαις καὶ ναυσιπόροις πελάγεσι τῷ κατ' Αἴγυπτον μέρει· ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἠπείρου προσεγγίζει τοῖς ὁρίοις Περσίδος, ἥτις πάλαι μὲν τῷ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας ἐμελαίνετο ζόφῳ, εἰς ἄκρον ἐκβεβαρβαρωμένη καὶ ταῖς ἀθέσμοις ἐκδεδιῃτημένη τῶν πράξεων. ὅτε δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πλάσμα μὴ φέρων ὁρᾶν ἁμαρτίᾳ δουλούμενον, τοῖς οἰκείοις περὶ τοῦτο σπλάγχνοις ἐπικαμφθείς, ὤφθη καθ' ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτίας χωρίς, καί, τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς θρόνον μὴ ἀπολιπών, Παρθένον ᾤκησε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵν' ἡμεῖς κατοικήσωμεν τοὺς οὐρανούς, τοῦ τε παλαιοῦ πτώματος ἀνακληθῶμεν, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπαλλαγῶμεν,