Saint John of Damascus, also known as St. John Damascene (c. 676 – 4 December 749) was a Syrian Christian monk and priest. A polymath whose fields of interest and contribution included law, theology, philosophy, and music, before being ordained, he served as a Chief Administrator for the Islamic caliphate in Damascus, wrote works expounding the Christian faith, and composed hymns which are still in everyday use in Eastern Christian monasteries throughout the world. The Catholic Church regards him as a Doctor of the Church, often referred to as the Doctor of the Assumption due to his writings on the Assumption of Mary.Barlaam and Josaphat is a Christianized version of the story of Siddharta Gautama, known around the world today as Buddha. In the Middle Ages the two were treated as Christian saints, being entered in the Greek Orthodox calendar and in the Roman Martyrology in the Western Church as "Barlaam and Josaphat" on the date of 27 November. According to the legend, 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 some day become a Christian, Abenner had the young prince Josaphat isolated from external contact. Despite the imprisonment, Josaphat met the hermit Saint Barlaam and converted to Christianity. Josaphat kept his faith even in the face of his father's anger and persuasion. This edition of Barlaam and Josaphat is specially formatted with a Table of Contents.