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Document Details : Title: The 'Legend of the Grand Inquisitor' Reconsidered Subtitle: Literary Irony and Theological Seriousness in its Representation of Christ Author(s): VAN DEN BERCKEN, Wil Journal: Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Volume: 59 Issue: 1-2 Date: 2007 Pages: 103-121 DOI: 10.2143/JECS.59.1.2023429 Abstract : Dostoevsky’s chapter on ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ is an original imagery of the Jesus figure, different from the traditional image of Christ in Orthodox theology. It represents Jesus as the kenotic Godman and as a silent prisoner of the inquisitor. However, Dostoevsky turns the humiliation and silence into a medium for the message of Jesus. The Grand Inquisitor in his plea against Jesus and in his contra-message conveys indirectly the essence of Jesus’ own message on what belief should be. This literary device is on the one hand a sublime use of literary irony and on the other hand a metamorphosis of theological apophasy. As a second theme, the article demonstrates the trans-confessional meaning of the religious criticism of the Grand Inquisitor, which makes the story much more than just an anti-Catholic attack. By consequence, the role of the Grand Inquisitor is to be evaluated much more positively than traditionally occurs in Dostoevsky studies, especially by theologians. |
