The legend of Barlaam and Josaphat was renowned in the medieval Christian world. Versions of it appeared across the globe and throughout the entirety of the Middle Ages. Everywhere it appeared, the story went something like this: There was once a powerful king of India who viciously persecuted anyone who practised the Christian religion. He was so vicious that when one of his close friends, a significant member of the court, chose to leave the king to become a monk, the king scoured the land to find the man. When he eventually did, he charged him to give up his faith and return to his luxurious court life. The man, however, refused and attempted to convert the king, at which point the king banished his friend forever from his sight.
In time, the queen became pregnant. Overjoyed, the king assembled a team of 55 astronomers and demanded to know what his son's
