batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l2642-l2785
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg-l2642-l2785
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
passage_locator:
label: TABLE II. / THE KALILAG AND DAMNAG LITERATURE. / TABLE III. / THE BARLAAM
AND JOSAPHAT SERIES.; lines 2642-2785
start: '2642'
end: '2785'
translation: Buddhist birth stories; or, Jataka tales, Volume 1
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A bibliographic table catalogs the Barlaam and Josaphat textual series
across Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Latin, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Scandinavian,
Spanish, and English versions. It notes lines of derivation, especially from a
Latin version, and identifies several titles and adaptations involving Barlaam,
Josaphat/Josafat, and related tales or fables.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage identifies a section called the Barlaam and Josaphat Series and
begins with a Greek text attributed to St. John of Damascus.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage states that a Syriac version of the Greek text exists in manuscript,
and that an Arabic version of the Syriac version exists in manuscript, with one
Arabic manuscript at least as old as the eleventh century.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that a Latin version of the Greek text exists, that twelfth-century
manuscripts of it survive, and that later medieval works on the subject derive
directly or indirectly from this Latin version.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage lists German, Dutch, French, Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish, and
English versions or adaptations of the Barlaam and Josaphat material.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: A Provençal prose tale is described as containing only the story of Josafat
and the tales told by Barlaam, without moralizations.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: An English prose romance is described as an abridged translation of an Italian
version and as containing one fable, the Nightingale and the Fowler.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: St. John of Damascus
description: Named in connection with the Greek text of Barlaam and Josaphat.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Barlaam
description: Named in titles as a hermit or confessor and described as the teller
of tales in a Provençal version.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Josaphat / Josafat / Jehoshaphat
description: Named as a saintly or royal subject in multiple titles; one title calls
him the son of a king in India, and another English title calls him a hermit and
son of Avenerian, king of Barma in India.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Avenero / Avenerian
description: Named in titles as a king and as the father of Josafat/Jehoshaphat.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: attributed textual authority
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage lists St. John of Damascus’s Greek text as the first item in
the series.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: hermit and tale-teller
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Titles call Barlaam a hermit or confessor, and the Provençal prose tale is
said to include tales told by Barlaam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: royal son and saintly subject
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Titles identify Josaphat/Josafat as a saintly subject and as the son of an
Indian king.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: royal father
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Titles identify Avenero/Avenerian as a king and as the father of Josafat/Jehoshaphat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
symbols: []
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Textual transmission sequence
summary: The passage presents a sequence of versions moving from Greek to Syriac
to Arabic and Latin, then describes later medieval and vernacular adaptations.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Barlaam’s tales within the Josafat story
summary: A Provençal prose version is described as preserving the story of Josafat
and the tales told by Barlaam, but not the moralizations.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Instruction through tales and fables
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage states that one version includes tales told by Barlaam and that
an English prose romance contains a fable of the Nightingale and the Fowler.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is bibliographic and does not narrate the content of the tales
or fable.
- id: motif:2
label: Holy life of a royal son guided by a hermit
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Several titles describe Josaphat/Josafat as a king’s son or saintly subject
and Barlaam as a hermit or confessor; one title explicitly describes Josafat as
converted by Barlaam.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: low
cautions: The passage provides titles and catalog descriptions rather than a narrative
episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage states that all later medieval works on the Barlaam and Josaphat
subject are directly or indirectly derived from the Latin version.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Later medieval Barlaam and Josaphat works derived from the Latin version
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is a bibliographic derivation claim within the passage, not an
independent demonstration of narrative motif transmission.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage presents the Barlaam and Josaphat material as a multilingual
textual series with Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Latin, and multiple European vernacular
versions.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: Multilingual Barlaam and Josaphat textual tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage lists versions and editions but gives little narrative
detail for comparing motifs.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage states that the English prose romance by Nicholas Herick is an
abridged translation of an Italian version published around 1600.
claim_level: historical_contact
target: English prose romance and Italian Barlaam and Josaphat version of about
1600
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim concerns textual adaptation and does not compare the internal
narrative content beyond the noted fable.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2642-2651
quote_or_summary: The section is titled the Barlaam and Josaphat Series and lists
St. John of Damascus’s Greek text, described as seventh century A.D. and edited
or reprinted in later scholarly editions.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2652-2657
quote_or_summary: A Syriac version of the Greek text and an Arabic version of the
Syriac version are listed; one Arabic manuscript is said to be at least as old
as the eleventh century.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2658-2673
quote_or_summary: A Latin version of the Greek text is listed, with twelfth-century
manuscripts; the passage states that later medieval works on the subject derive
directly or indirectly from this Latin version.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2674-2768
quote_or_summary: The table catalogs German, Dutch, French, Italian, Scandinavian,
and Spanish versions or adaptations of Barlaam and Josaphat.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2719-2724
quote_or_summary: A Provençal prose tale is described as containing the story of
Josafat and the tales told by Barlaam, without the moralizations.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2769-2785
quote_or_summary: The English section lists versions of the legend and an English
prose romance titled The History of the Five Wise Philosophers, or the Wonderful
Relation of the Life of Jehoshaphat the Hermit, Son of Avenerian, King of Barma
in India; it is described as an abridged translation of an Italian version and
as containing one fable, the Nightingale and the Fowler.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2726-2747
quote_or_summary: Italian titles include Vita di san Giosafat convertito da Barlaam
and a prose romance about Santo Josafat, son of King Avenero of India, from birth
until death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/buddhist-birth-stories-volume-1-rhys-davids.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from provided passage.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: low
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is primarily bibliographic, so textual-transmission observations
are strong, while motif candidates are limited and inferred only from titles and
brief catalog notes.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No taxonomy symbol references were assigned because the provided passage does not supply literal symbolic objects from the available symbol list.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-jataka-birth-stories-rhys-davids-gutenberg__l2642-l2785
passage_sha256=435362112ecf8334d81c7db3a05f7e46205d455f3d634d18d4bac1706c0ae4b8