cover image Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint

Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint

Donald S. Lopez Jr. and Peggy McCracken. Norton, $24.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-393-08915-8

Western scholars have long been fascinated by similarities between stories of the Buddha and Josaphat, an early Christian saint. Lopez, professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan and a prolific author, and his colleague McCracken, professor of French, tell how the legends of the Buddha’s life were transmitted west across cultures to become medieval Europe’s popular tale of “Barlaam and Josaphat.” The story was reshaped to serve various purposes (even a justification for war) as it was translated into Arabic, Georgian, Greek, Latin, and European languages. Through detailed analysis, the authors investigate “not how stories circulate among religions, but how religions circulate among stories.” The authors’ scholarly treatment of their somewhat esoteric subject includes blow-by-blow descriptions of the Arabic and Georgian versions that are too long and over-detailed for a general audience. The persistent reader, however, will find a rich exploration of the linguistic, political, religious, historical, and textual aspects of the legend’s long journey. The book’s meticulous research and broad scope illustrate the vitality with which cultures share and adapt stories as they wrestle with the question, “If life ends in death, how should I live?” (Apr.)