Grand Inquisitor

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Feodor Dostoevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Book Overview

Dostoevsky's portrayal of the Catholic Church during the Inquisition is a plea for the power of pure faith, and a critique of the tyrannies of institutionalized religion.

This is an except from the Brothers Karamazov which stands alone as a statement of philiosophy and a warning about the surrender of freedom for the sake of comfort.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804461252
• ISBN13: 9780804461252
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.8" x 7.6"
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

A nice introduction to a difficult book.

I haven't read much by Dostoyevsky which I've always considered above and beyond me. And so, the sleek thinness of the book allowed me to be less intimiated. I read the whole book, without reading the intro, just to see how it would go. I found that the seperate sections were very specific and I was able to follow Dostoyevsky's line of thought for once. His use of using the characters to represent political and social issues, in the Catholic view from the Western and Eastern perspecitve was very modern and fascinating. Despite its small stature, it took me a good while to go through it. I read it very carefully and gradually because you just can't read anything by Dostyevsky fast, otherwise, as I've learned, you won't get anything out of it. I then read Guignon's introduction which further enhanced my understanding and appreciation. It propelled me to read the whole thing again and I got even more out of it. I know I will be reading this book again, in the very near future. In fact, this book incites the desire to read the whole book, because you don't know how it all began and ended. It's a great introduction to not only the whole book but to Dostoyevsky's style and insight into the human condition in the modern world. It is not just Russian and Orthodox views that he questions but Western influence and its role as well. It's just worth the time and effort it takes to read it and trying to understand it.

The Grand Inquisitor is a Russian Russian story

The 'Grand Inquisitor ' is the central chapter of Dostoevsky's great work , "The Brothers Karamazov". In it the brother of intellect Ivan tells a story to the saintly Karamazov brother, Alyosha. He tells of how Jesus came once to Spain in the time of the Inquistion .He tells how Jesus performed a series of miracles which caused the people to cry out for him. He tells how the 'Grand Inquisitor ' whose exposition fills a good share of the text, tells why Christ must be banished and the Grand Inquisitor must continue to rule. The essence of his message is that the people cannot endure freedom. They are not really able to bear responsibility for themselves and must be fed, spiritually protected by an authoritarian power, the Grand Inquisitor and the Church. This assumption that the people cannot bear their own freedom seems to me very Russian. It is I think quite difficult for an American who supposes that freedom is natural and most desirable, to understand this. Dostoevsky as usual in powerful, dramatic, psychologically penetrating prose creates in this work one of World Literature's great chapters. A number of readers have rightly commented that it is preferable to read this chapter in the context of the whole novel. But it too can be read and understood on its own terms. One more point which comes to mind is that here the Church is made to be the instrument of interfering with true freedom.

An interesting Christian view

This book is a collection of select chapters from "The Brothers Karamazov."There is a lengthy introduction that explains in detail the author's philosophy and how it is revealed in each of the four chapters presented here."The Brothers Make Friends" is simply here to introduce the two brothers Ivan and Alyosha. Ivan is the Europeanized lover of science, and Alyosha is the young Romantic. Dostoevsky uses his characters as representatives of different worldviews, and develops action in such a way to show how each worldview could be flawed.In "Rebellion," Ivan's character is developed as he reveals his disdain at the suffering of children and how cruel it seems since they are without sin. Ivan says that he realizes there is suffering and that no one is responsible. This shocks him because he values order, and yet there seems to be no justice in the world.In "The Grand Inquisitor" chapter, Ivan tells a fable based in the Spanish Inquisition in which the Catholic Inquistor judges Christ, who has returned. He condemns Christ to death saying he valued freedom of faith over mankind's happiness (in ignorance of freedom).This small book concludes with the incredible story of Father Zossima. In the "Russian Monk," Dostoevsky explains the old Russian, holistic vision of sobornost (love of the entire world and one's taking responsibilty for the sins of all). In this worldview, if all choose to follow it, all will serve all and the world will be a paradise.Dostoevsky's storytelling is very emotional, and not so much picturesque. But there is so much impact in his words and message! This book is one of my all-time favorites, and I cannot wait to read "The Brothers Karamazov" in its entirity. This, probably, could also serve as a great introduction to Dostoevsky.

Powerful, provocative, and more relevant today than ever!

This is the best short piece I've ever read. This fictional dialogue between the head of the inquisition and Jesus is more than just a metaphorical commentary on the debate over whether or not humans willingly give up their existential freedom in order to avoid the sometimes awesome responsibility that accompanies it. Dostoyevsky's classic also serves as a powerful critique of institutional religion and, by implication, all institutions (gov't, education, corporations, welfare system, etc.) who offer "bread" in exchange for the sacrifice of free choice. A "must read" for educators, social scientists, politicians, organizational consultants, policymakers, and corporate executives.