Page:Barlaam and Josaphat. English lives of Buddha.djvu/35

 Rh book, brought forward a couple of pieces of evidence which at first sight seemed conclusive, coming as they do from such different sources, where there could be no question of collusion. Two of the MSS. of the Greek text (Nanianus 137, Paris, 1771) attributed the translation into Greek to a St. Euthymius. Kow in a Grusinian life of St. Euthymius it is stated of him that he had translated Balavari and Ahukura, and some other books from Georgian into Greek. Taking these two statements into connection with the fact that an ancient Georgian version of the Barlaam legend has been published by Marr, in which Barlaam goes by the name of Balavar, the conclusion seems almost forced upon us that this is the legend from which the Greek had been translated by Euthymius.

But further research and reflection prove that this conclusion is precipitate, even though Baron von Bosen and Professor Hommel have adopted it. The two Greek codices come from Mount Athos, where the tradition about St. Euthymius may be merely a bit of chauvinistic bluster, and is, at any rate, 400 years later than the composition of the Greek text.