Chapter 38

And Josaphat remained a whole two years wandering across the sea of this desert and not finding Barlaam, God here too proving the firmness of his reasoning and the nobility of his soul. And he was thus in the open air, scorched by the burning heat and frozen by the cold, and ceaselessly seeking, as some precious treasure, the most venerable old man. And he endured many temptations and wars of the wicked spirits, and bore many toils from the scarcity of the herbs which he used for food, since the desert, being dry, brought even these forth scantily.

But that adamantine and unconquered soul, burning with longing for the Master, bore these griefs more easily than others bear pleasures. Therefore he did not fail of the help from above, but, according to the multitude of his pains and toils, the consolations that came from the longed-for Christ, both in sleep and in waking, gladdened his soul. And as the two years were being completed, Josaphat went about ceaselessly seeking the one he longed for, and made supplication to God, pouring tears like a river from his eyes, and crying: "Show me, Master, show me the one who became to me the cause of the knowledge of you and the agent of so many good things; and do not, because of the multitude of my lawless deeds, deprive me of so great a good. But count me worthy both to see him and to set my own contest of asceticism equal to his." And by the grace of God he finds a cave, having tracked the path of those who walked there. And he meets a certain monk pursuing the life of the desert.

And embracing him most warmly and greeting him, he asked to find the dwelling of Barlaam, and recounted his own story, making it plain to the man. Being taught by him, then, the place of the dwelling of the one he sought, he reaches it most quickly, as when a most experienced hunter comes upon the tracks of his prey. And coming upon certain signs taught him by the other old man, he went on rejoicing and strengthened by hope, like an infant hoping after a long time to see his father. For when longing according to God breaks out in a soul, it is shown to be far hotter and more violent than the natural kind. He stands, then, at the door of the cave, and knocking, said, "Bless me, father, bless me." And when Barlaam, hearing the voice, came out of the cave, he recognized in spirit the one who, by his outward appearance, could not easily be recognized, because of that wonderful change and alteration in which he had been changed and transformed from that former appearance and the beauty of his flowering youth—blackened by the burning of the sun, with long hair, his cheeks wasted away, his eyes sunk deep within, and his eyelids inflamed by the streams of tears and the great hardship of want. And Josaphat too recognized his spiritual father, who kept especially the same features of his countenance. Standing at once toward the east, then, the old man sent up a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

And after the prayer, having said the Amen, embracing and clasping one another, they greeted each other with most warm embraces, taking their fill insatiably of a long-felt longing. And when they had embraced and greeted each other enough, sitting down they conversed. Beginning the discourse, Barlaam said, "Welcome, beloved child, child of God and heir of the heavenly kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ, whom you loved, whom you rightly longed for above the temporary and corruptible things; and, like a prudent and wise merchant, having sold all, you bought the priceless pearl, and having come upon the unviolated treasure hidden in the field of the commandments of the Lord,

you have given all, sparing nothing of the things that all but already pass away, that you might buy that field for yourself. May the Lord give you, in place of the temporary, the eternal; in place of the corruptible, the incorruptible and the unaging. Tell me, then, dearest one, how you came here, how matters went with you after my departure, and whether your father came to know God, or whether even now, carried along by his former folly, he is held captive by the deceit of the demons." When Barlaam had asked these things, Josaphat took up the discourse and recounted in detail all that had happened to him after that man's departure, and all the prosperity the Lord had granted up to the time of their meeting again. And the old man, hearing with pleasure and wonder, weeping warmly, said: "Glory to you, our God, who are ever present and helping those who love you. Glory to you, Christ, King of all and most good God, that you were pleased that the seed I cast down in the soul of your servant Josaphat should thus bring forth fruit a hundredfold, worthy of you, the husbandman and Master of our souls. Glory to you, good Comforter, the all-holy Spirit, that you have counted this man worthy to share in the grace which you gave to your holy apostles, and through him have freed populous multitudes from their superstitious error and enlightened them with the true knowledge of God." Thus God was given thanks by them both. And as they conversed of such things and rejoiced in the grace of God, evening came on.

And so, rising to prayer, they performed the customary offices. Then, calling food to mind, Barlaam set forth a costly table, full of spiritual seasoning, but having very little of bodily comfort. For there were raw vegetables, of which the old man was himself the worker and husbandman, and a few dates found in that same desert, and wild herbs. Having given thanks, then, and partaken of what was set before them, and drunk water from the spring that was at hand, they again gave thanks to God, who opens his hand and fills every living thing. And rising again, and having completed the night prayers, they took up again after the prayer the spiritual conversation, going through saving words full of heavenly wisdom all through the night, until the dawn made them call the customary prayers to mind again. And Josaphat remained with Barlaam for a good many years in this way, pursuing this wonderful and more-than-human way of life, accompanying him as a father and teacher with all submission and humility, and being trained for every form of virtue, and excellently taught the wrestling of the wicked and invisible spirits. From then on he put to death all the passions;

and the mind of the flesh he so subjected to the spirit, as a slave to a master, forgetting altogether delight and rest, and commanding sleep as a bad servant. And, to speak simply, so great was his contest of asceticism that even Barlaam, who had passed many years in it, marvelled, and was outdone by his steadfast firmness. For he partook of that harsh and comfortless food only so much as to keep alive, and not, by dying violently, to lose the wages of the working of good. And he so subjected his nature to wakefulness, as one fleshless and bodiless. And the work of prayer and of mental labour was for him unceasing, and the whole time of his life was spent in spiritual and heavenly contemplations, so that he lost not an hour, not a moment at all, from the time he dwelt in that desert. For this is the work of the monastic order: never to be found idle of spiritual labour; which indeed the noble and well-equipped runner of the heavenly course excellently achieved. And he kept his fervour unquenched from beginning to end, ever setting ascents in his heart, and passing from strength to higher strength, ceaselessly adding longing to longing and zeal to zeal, until he reached the hoped-for and longed-for blessedness"