Barlaam and Ioasaph · Character

Abenner

India's pagan king who builds a walled paradise to keep his son from Christianity, then watches that wall crumble from within.

major

Also known as king Abenner, King Abenner

First appearance: Chapter I

As a major figure in Barlaam and Ioasaph, Abenner is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The pagan king of India, mighty in riches and power, who persecutes Christians and monks, and is tormented by childlessness.

In the storyChapter IOpen this moment free

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Abenner rules with the paranoid zeal of a man who has seen his own astrologers predict his son's betrayal, and he answers that prophecy with persecution, isolation, and a palace designed as a gilded cage. His cruelty toward Christians is matched only by his desperate love for Ioasaph, a love that curdles into rage when the boy embraces the faith he fears. Late in the story, a letter reveals a king who has begun to see his own blindness — making his arc one of the book's most surprising turns.

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See Abenner in Chapter I

Character Web

3 connections

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Relationship types

Family
Other

Character groups

Biblical and pagan figures
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Ioasaph’s d…

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Relationships

Ioasaph
family · ambivalent
Abenner is Ioasaph's father, the pagan king who initially opposes his son's conversion… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Abenner in Chapter I

In the story

Abenner appears across 23 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter I
The pagan king of India, mighty in riches and power, who persecutes Christians and monks, and is tormented by childlessness.
Chapter II
King Abenner persecutes Christians, worships idols, and celebrates the birth of his son Ioasaph with pagan sacrifices.
The Astrologer's Prophecy and the King's Precautions
King Abenner consults astrologers about his son's future and, upon hearing the prophecy, isolates the child and intensifies persecution of monks.
Chapter IV
King Abenner tests a courtier's loyalty by pretending to convert to Christianity, and continues persecuting monks, burning two who defy him.
The Prince's Awakening to Mortality
The king, loving his son deeply but still trying to shield him from life's hardships, reluctantly grants Ioasaph permission to go abroad, unaware that this will lead to his son's spiritual awakening.
Chapter XVI
Mentioned as the tyrannical father who persecutes Christians and suppresses the preaching of the knowledge of God.
Chapter XXII
Filled with anger and dismay upon learning of Ioasaph's conversion; orders the capture of Barlaam.
Chapter XXIII: The Confessors' Stand and the King's Wrath
The king interrogates and tortures the monks, ordering their tongues, eyes, hands, and feet to be cut off. He later debates with another group of monks about relics and their faith.
Chapter XXIV: The False Barlaam and the Prince's Confession
The king devises a plot to capture a false Barlaam and confronts his son, accusing him of abandoning the gods.
XXV
Attempts to persuade Ioasaph through affectionate coaxing and reasoned arguments, defending his own pagan practices and appealing to filial duty.
Chapter XXVI: The Great Debate
The king, stubborn in his idolatry, orchestrates a public debate to defeat Christianity, but is secretly convicted by his conscience.
Chapter XXVII
The king is addressed directly by Ioasaph as 'O king' and is the audience for the theological argument.
Chapter XXVIII
Enraged by Nachor's speech, punishes his orators, and remains conflicted—scorning his idols yet unable to embrace Christianity.
Chapter XXIX
King Abenner, swayed by Theudas, returns to pagan worship and agrees to a scheme to corrupt his son.
The Temptation of Ioasaph and the Vision of Heaven and Hell
King Abenner is informed of his son's illness and confronts him; Ioasaph rebukes him for setting a trap.
XXXI
King Abenner, seized with despondency, again confronts his son Ioasaph, upbraiding him for his disobedience.
Chapter XXXIII: Ioasaph's Kingship and the Triumph of Christianity
Bewildered by his son's refusal to abandon Christianity, he agrees to divide the kingdom on the advice of Araches.
The Conversion of King Abenner
Renounces his false gods, writes a letter of repentance to his son, and is ultimately converted after receiving instruction from Ioasaph.
XXXV
Confesses Christ, destroys idols, is baptized, repents for four years, and dies in peace after being comforted by Ioasaph.
Chapter XXXVI
Mentioned as having died like any beggar, his death prompting Ioasaph's final actions.
Chapter XXXVII
Not directly present, but Ioasaph recalls his former kingly glory and bodyguard.
Chapter XXXVIII: The Reunion in the Desert
Mentioned in Ioasaph's account to Barlaam; Ioasaph reports that his father learned to know God and was delivered from error.
Chapter XL: The Death of Ioasaph and the Translation of the Relics
Mentioned in the vision as Ioasaph's father who repented and received a crown.

Chapter companion notes

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See Abenner in Chapter I