# Barachias — Barlaam and Ioasaph character guide

> Barachias in Barlaam and Ioasaph by Anonymous.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** King Barachias

**First appearance:** 0038-xxxii

## Snapshot

A senator honored for godliness who alone stood by the disguised Nachor, and whom Ioasaph names his successor when he renounces the throne.

## Who they are

Barachias moves through the court as a man of rank and rare conviction, the one senator whose heart caught fire when a feigned Barlaam defended the faith before the philosophers. When Ioasaph begs him to take up the kingdom so he may depart, Barachias refuses with a sharp question: if kingship is a stumbling stone to your soul, why lay it in my path? His stubborn refusal forces the king to leave the crown by decree rather than persuasion, making him the hinge on which the realm's future turns.

## Relationships

### [Ioasaph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters/ioasaph)

_friendship_

Barachias is a Christian nobleman who becomes a loyal companion and supporter of Ioasaph after his conversion.

### [Nachor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters/nachor)

_rivalry_

Barachias distrusts Nachor and works to expose his deception against Ioasaph.

### [Barlaam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters/barlaam)

_friendship_

Barachias respects Barlaam as a holy man and works to protect him and advance his mission.

### [Ioasaph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters/ioasaph)

_friendship_

Barachias is a Christian nobleman who becomes a loyal companion and supporter of Ioasaph after his conversion.

## In the story

### [Chapter XXVI: The Great Debate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/chapters/xxvi)

The only Christian who comes to support the supposed Barlaam in the debate, showing great courage.

### [Chapter XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/chapters/xxxvi)

Appointed by Ioasaph as the new king, initially reluctant but eventually accepts the crown.

### [Chapter XL: The Death of Ioasaph and the Translation of the Relics](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/chapters/xl)

King of India who retrieves the bodies of Barlaam and Ioasaph and translates them with honor.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters/barachias
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/barlaam_and_ioasaph_se/characters