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The traditional calendar of saints includes Saint "Josaphat" or "Iodasaph,"
son of a fourth-century king of India. A convert to Christianity, Iodasaph
abdicated the throne to embrace a life of ascetic piety. As scholars now
widely acknowledge, what was once taken to be the biography of a Christian
saint is instead the accidental Christianization of a story of Prince Siddhartha
from the Jataka Tales.
The legend of "Iodasaph," a garbled form of "Bodhisattva," meandered
over various Buddhist, Manichean, and Arabic paths on its way to being baptized
as a piece of medieval Christian hagiography. In various texts, the name
appears as "Budhasaf," "Bodisav," and "Bwdysdf" — all even closer to
the original. So there you have it: Gautama Buddha, a Catholic saint!
How tempting it is to imagine the hybrid saint as if the
historical-critical understanding of the tale were a component of it, as
if there really had been a Christian saint named Iodasaph who had Buddhist
leanings. What sort of saintly wisdom would he have imparted?
Longstanding Christian*New Age Quarterly readers will recall
Robert M. Price's "Tales of Saint Iodasaph," a series that ran intermittently
from our January-March 1991 to October-December 1994 issues. Then, a decade
later, the Saint reappeared! In all these tales — not quite fiction,
more than intellectual ingenuity — Dr. Price weaves together Eastern
and Western wisdom using as mouthpiece the curious historical happenstance
of a Buddhist legend that became a Christian saint.
Dr. Price has gathered his early "Tales" into an eBook collection,
Biblical Buddhism: Tales and Sermons of Saint Iodasaph, published
by eBookIt.com. A softcopy version is also available; to purchase, send $13,
payable to Robert M. Price, via PayPal to criticus@aol.com or via check to
Robert M. Price, 401 North Pollock Street, Selma, NC 27576.
If you'd like to order one of his fresh "Tales" — or are interested
in a particular title from the Saint's earlier years — you are
most welcome to order from our list below.
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"The Tales of Saint
Iodasaph"
"Will Only a Few Be
Saved?"
— Spring 2024 (V26, N3)
"Temptations Must
Come"
— Winter
2023 (V26, N2+)
(reprint from April-June 2005 [17, N2])
"The Scripture
is Fulfilled" — Autumn 2015 (V22, N1+)
(reprint from July-September-1992 [V4, N3])
"The Transformation
Body"
— Spring
2014 (V21, N2+)
(reprint from October-December 1991 [V3, N4])
"Saint Iodasaph"
and "A Sermon of Saint Iodasaph: The Great Commandment"
— Spring 2012 (V20, N2+)
(reprint of the series' introduction from January-March 1991 [V3,
N1])
"Blessed are the
Blind" — Winter 2009 (V19, N2)
"The Serpent's
Wisdom" — Summer 2009 (V19, N1)
"Invisible Light"
— June 2008-February 2009 (V18, N4)
"Revelation of Nothing"
— November 2007-May 2008 (V18, N3)
"The Cross and the
Raft" — May-October 2007 (V18, N2)
"Back in the Womb"
— August 2006-April 2007 (V18, N1)
"Seeking for
Signs" — October 2005-July 2006 (V17, N4)
"Gods in the
Gutter" — July-September 2005 (V17, N3)
"Temptations Must
Come" — April-June 2005 (V17, N2)
Earlier "Tales"
(for descriptions, ask for our full Back Issues
List*)
"The Ferryman" — October-December 1994 (V6, N4)
"The Dancing Corpse" — January-March 1994 (V6, N1)
"The Tree of Enlightenment" — January-March 1993 (V5, N1)
"The Scripture is Fulfilled" — July-September-1992 (V4, N3)
"The Banquet Without Guests" — April-June 1992 (V4, N2)
"The Man Beset by Robbers" — January-March 1992 (V4, N1)
"The Transformation Body" — October-December 1991 (V3, N4)
"The Koan of the Sheep and the Goats" — July-September 1991 (V3,
N3)
"Saint Iodasaph" and "A Sermon of Saint Iodasaph: The Great
Commandment"
— January-March 1991 (V3, N1)
Explore our
online Back
Issues List
Visit our
Ordering
Information
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As Christian*New Age Quarterly began publication
in 1989 — prior to the start of our website — information
on issues earlier than our July-September 1998 edition is not available online.
If you would like a hardcopy list of all available back issues, please send
a #10 SASE to Christian*New Age Quarterly, PO Box 276, Clifton, New
Jersey 07015-0276, USA.
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To order both back issue(s) or a new one, send your name and address, along
with your check or money order for $3.50 each ($5 each if outside the US)
to Christian*New Age Quarterly, PO Box 276, Clifton, New Jersey
07015-0276, USA. Please do make sure to indicate which issue(s) you wish
to receive.
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