The Buffoon Pamphalon

Before us is a fine example of N. S. Leskov’s prose. It is an intricate plot seasoned with the aromas of Christian Byzantium. The characters live out their lives against the backdrop of Damascus and Edessa. In a word, an icon-painting antiquity.
The main plot line is God’s judgment over two Christians, Hermius and Pamphalon.
Hermius, a wealthy official who rejected riches, freed his slaves and distributed his wealth to the poor, withdrew from the world, embraced stylitism, and spent 30 years standing on a rock in prayer, is contrasted with the image of the layman Pamphalon, a city fool and buffoon. He earns his bread by entertaining at the feasts of the rich and receives for his labor scraps from the master’s table mixed with insults and abuse.
The Gospel story comes to mind. Luke tells of the robbers executed at the same time and next to the crucified Jesus. One, full of malice, mocks Jesus, urging him to come down from the cross, if indeed he is the Son of God and King of the Jews. The other robber rebukes the злобствующего, pitying Christ and forgetting his own torments. And then comes the response of the Son of God: «Today you will be with me in paradise»…. And all this in just a few lines.