Saint Josaphat is said to have lived and died in the 3rd century or 4th century in India. His story appears to be in many respects a Christianized version of the Sakyamuni Buddha's story. // Events The Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east. ... (3rd century - 4th century - 5th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ...

According to legend, a King Abenner or Avenier in India persecuted the Christian church in his realm, founded by the Apostle Thomas. When astrologers predicted that his own son would someday become a Christian, Abenner had the young prince Josaphat isolated from external contact. Despite the imprisonment, Josaphat met the hermit Saint Baarlam and converted to Christianity. Josaphat kept his faith even in the face of his father's anger and persuasion. Eventually, Abenner himself converted, turned over his throne to Josaphat, and retired to the desert to become a hermit. Josaphat himself later abdicated and went into reclusion with his old teacher Baarlam. Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ...

The story of Josaphat and Baarlam was popular in the Middle Ages, appearing in such works as the Golden Legend. Although Josaphat and Baarlam were canonized in the Greek Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, there is no evidence that either ever existed. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine is a collection of fanciful hagiographies, lives of the saints, that became a late mediæval best seller. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest organizational body of Christians. ...

Wilfred Cantwell Smith traced the story from a second to fourth-century Sanskrit Mahayana Buddhist text, to a Manichee version, to an Arabic Muslim version, to an eleventh century Christian Georgian version, to a Christian Greek version, and from there into Western European languages. He traced Josaphat's name from the Sanskrit term bodhisattva via the Middle Persian bodasif. Manichaeism was one of the major ancient religions. ... Arabic (العربية al-arabiyyah, or less formally arabi) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... Prince Siddhartha Gautama as a bodhisattva, before becoming a Buddha. ...

Author Holger Kersten proposes an alternate explanation: that "Josaphat" is derived from the Arabic "Judasaf" or "Budasaf", as written in an Urdu version of the tale. He ties this name to Yuz Asaf, a Muslim holy figure identified with Jesus. This idea, which proposes Jesus escaped crucifixion and died in India, was first introduced to the west by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Yuz Asaf or Yus Asaph is believed, by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement and others, to be the name adopted by Jesus after he supposedly survived the crucifixion and subsequently migrated to Kashmir. ... Islam ( ♫) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Jesus (Greek: Ιησους Iēsoûs), also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is Christianitys central figure, both as Messiah and, for most Christians, as God incarnate. ... Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (February 13, 1835–May 26, 1908) the founder of the Ahmadiyya religious movement, a sect considered by most Muslims to have broken away from Islam. ...

Recent linguistic and geographic research of the spread of Buddha's tale across Asia and Europe also points toward the saint's name and tale originating with Buddha. Investigation by researchers at the Korean Seoul National University indicates that the name Buddha or Bodhisatta in Sanskrit changed to Bodisav in Persian texts in the sixth or seventh century, then to Budhasaf or Yudasaf in an eighth-century Arabic document, and Iodasaph in Georgia in the 10th century. That name was then adapted to Ioasaph in Greece in the 11th century, and Iosaphat or Josaphat in Latin since then. Besides their names, the stories of the two individuals are strikingly similar. [1] Seoul National University is a major university whose main campus is located in Seoul, South Korea. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ...

See also

• Sakyamuni Buddha
• List of saints
• Saint Josaphat Kuncevyc