730 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



saint, and the decree, having been enforced by successive popes 

 for over two hundred and fifty years, was again officially ap- 

 proved by Pius IX in 1873. This decree was duly accepted as in- 

 fallible, and in one of the largest cities of Italy may to-day be 

 seen a Christian church dedicated to this saint. On its front are 

 the initials of his Italianized name ; over its main entrance is the 

 inscription Divo Josafat ; and within is an altar dedicated to the 

 saint above it being a pedestal bearing his name and supporting 

 a large statue which represents him as a youthful prince wearing 

 a crown and contemplating a crucifix. 



Moreover, relics of the saints were found, and bones alleged to 

 be parts of his skeleton having been presented by a Doge of Ven- 

 ice to a King of Portugal, are now treasured at Antwerp. 



But even as early as the sixteenth century a pregnant fact re- 

 garding this whole legend was noted : for the Portuguese historian 

 Diego Conto showed that it was identical with the legend of Bud- 

 dha. Fortunately for the historian, his faith was so robust that 

 he saw in this resemblance only a trick of Satan ; the life of Bud- 

 dha being, in his opinion, merely a diabolic counterfeit of the life 

 of Josaphat centuries before the latter was lived or written just 

 as good Abbe* Hue saw in the ceremonies of Buddhism a similar 

 anticipatory counterfeit of Christian ritual. 



There the whole matter virtually rested for about three hun- 

 dred years various scholars calling attention to the legend as a 

 curiosity, but none really showing its true bearings, until, in 1859, 

 Laboulaye in France, Liebrecht in Germany, and others following 

 them in research, demonstrated that this Christian work was 

 drawn almost literally from an early biography of Buddha, being 

 conformed to it in the most minute details, not only of events but 

 of phraseology ; the only important changes being that, at the end 

 of the various experiences showing the wretchedness of the world, 

 identical with those ascribed in the original to the young Prince 

 Buddha, the hero becomes a Christian, and that for the appella- 

 tion of Buddha "Bodesat" is substituted the more scriptural 

 name Josaphat. 



Thus it was that by virtue of the infallibility vouchsafed to 

 the papacy in matters of faith and morals Buddha became a 

 Christian saint. 



Yet these were by no means the most pregnant revelations. 

 As the Buddhist scriptures were more fully examined, there were 

 disclosed interesting anticipations of statements in later sacred 

 books. The miraculous conception of Buddha and his virgin 

 birth, like that of Horus in Egypt and of Krishna in India ; the 

 previous annunciation to his mother Maja ; his birth during a 

 journey by her; the star appearing in the east, and the angels 

 chanting in the heavens at his birth ; his temptation all these 



