The Image of Christ in Russian Literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Pasternak

NIU Series in Orthodox Christian Studies

by John Givens

Vladimir Nabokov complained about the number of Dostoevsky’s characters “sinning their way to Jesus.” In truth, Christ is an elusive figure not only in Dostoevsky’s novels, but in Russian literature as a whole. The rise of the historical critical method of biblical criticism in the nineteenth century and the growth of secularism it stimulated made an earnest affirmation of Jesus in literature highly problematic. If they affirmed Jesus too directly, writers paradoxically risked diminishing him, either by deploying faith explanations that no longer persuade in an age of skepticism or by reducing Christ to a mere argument in an ideological dispute.

The writers at the heart of this study understood that to reimage Christ for their age, they had to make him known through indirect, even negative ways, lest what they say about him be mistaken for cliché, doctrine, or naïve apologetics. The Christology of Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Boris Pasternak is thus apophatic because they deploy negative formulations (saying what God is not) in their writings about Jesus. Professions of atheism in Dostoevsky and Tolstoy’s non-divine Jesus are but separate negative paths toward truer discernment of Christ.

This first study in English of the image of Christ in Russian literature highlights the importance of apophaticism as a theological practice and a literary method in understanding the Russian Christ. It also emphasizes the importance of skepticism in Russian literary attitudes toward Jesus on the part of writers whose private crucibles of doubt produced some of the most provocative and enduring images of Christ in world literature. This important study will appeal to scholars and students of Orthodox Christianity and Russian literature, as well as educated general readers interested in religion and nineteenth-century Russian novels.
 

Genres: Russia, Christianity

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2021

Reviews

[Maggie Dakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book. It is incredibly well-researched and comprehensive. Every quote from each major work is perfectly selected, reflecting Givens' deep familiarity with the four eponymous authors. The chapter on Bulgakov was especially interesting—The Master and Margarita is a complex novel, and I love reading about the numerous interpretations behind its story.

A recurring theme in many Russian classics is the use of Christ-like characters to provide an apophatic description of God. However, in the Russian tradition, the contrast between these figures and Christ seems to take precedence over the integrity of the representation. Prince Myshkin is socially awkward and naïve, Yuri Zhivago is an absentee adulterer, and The Master is unsuccessful and insane.

By contrast, the Christ-like figures in American literature—those without overt references to religion—tend to embody idealized traits. Characters like Jim Casy (The Grapes of Wrath), Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia), or Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) are portrayed with far fewer flaws, if any. Perhaps this reflects a sort of American idealism.

This made me think about my own dad, who isn’t "Christian" in the traditional faith-based sense, but who embodies selflessness, kenotic love, and good works. Growing up Catholic, it’s interesting (and a bit funny) to realize, while reading this book, that one of the idyllic figures from the faith I was raised in could be someone not religious at all.

Back to the book—Givens is remarkably insightful. The text is perfectly organized, with logical and clear arguments throughout. *Chef’s kiss*