The Testing of Jesus: Matthew 4.1-11 / Luke 4.1-13

·         Translate / read Matthew 4.1-11 or Luke 4.1-13.

·         Is Jesus being tempted? Tested? Tried?

·         What are the three temptations/tests? Start thinking about why they are temptations/tests and why Jesus refused them.

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 "The Grand Inquisitor" by Fydor Dostoevsky

For a little background on Dostoevsky and the story I want you to read, consider this description from the Baylor University page linked below.

Fydor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) is one of the most important Russian novelists. Deeply concerned with the question of freedom, he is considered a forerunner of existentialism. Among his major works are Notes From the Underground, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov from which "The Grand Inquisitor" passage is taken. This selection has been considered by some critics to be one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written.

Well, at least I would put it up there with some passages from the Bible like Genesis 1-3 and Genesis 22 and the Gospel of Mark as one of the great pieces of literature. Ideally, we would all read the whole Brothers Karamazov novel, but it is really long. Dostoevsky claimed, however that the whole novel was really built around "The Grand Inquisitor" chapter, and this chapter is really what is most pertinent to our study. 

 

By way of setup, Ivan and Alyosha are brothers, and Alyosha is the novel's main protagonist. The story is built upon Matthew 4.1-11 recounting the temptation of Jesus. Read Dostoevsky's retelling by clicking on the first link. Last year, some students loved the story (it is, after all, "one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written"), but others found it completely perplexing. If you find yourself being completely perplexed, I encourage you to try to figure it out.

·         The Grand Inquisitor by Dosteovsky

(OR    Dostoevsky The Grand Inquisitor ) OR   http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/235/1030/frameset.html  (complete novel: "Grand Inquisitor" is Book 5, chapter 5))

 

If you find the story to be too frustrating, try reading this article:

The Inquisitor's Argument
Appears to be a paper submitted for an English assignment that provides a decent summary of Dostoevsky's story, but I do not agree with the analysis. ("Dostoevsky makes a strong case against Jesus...") Still, very interesting reading to find a paper that quotes Dostoevsky, Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Thoreau, Marilyn Manson, and Nietzsche! (BTW, if you are a NIN fan, the song "Slavery to Happiness" is an outstanding complement to Dostoevsky's "Inquisitor" story.) 

  • How does the Grand Inquisitor interpret the point of the three temptations?

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  • Keep in mind that an antagonist in the novel (Ivan) tells "The Grand Inquisitor" story. What is inadequate or unsatisfactory in his description of both Jesus and the inquisitor?