St. Barlaam of Antioch

Barlaam was a country labourer whose life, as Butler describes it, had been formed by the practice of the Christian faith. He had little formal learning and spoke in the manner of the countryside. Arrested during the persecution begun under Diocletian, he remained for a long time in prison at Antioch before his trial.

The judge mocked his appearance and speech, but threats and torture did not make him renounce Christ. Butler’s account turns on a final attempt to make his refusal appear to be an act of sacrifice. His hand was held over a pagan altar, with incense and burning coals placed upon it, so that dropping them into the altar fire could be represented as compliance.

The narrative relates that Barlaam endured the burning rather than give that appearance. Butler draws on the ancient panegyrics associated with St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom, as well as other accounts of the martyr. His life is remembered through the contrast between outward social obscurity and the strength of his confession. The November 19 remembrance honours the labourer who remained faithful under persecution.