Introduction

The chapter ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ in Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov is one of the most intriguing religious-philosophical pieces in world literature. It is an original interpretation of the figure of Christ and of the nature of Christian belief. The story has been commented on by many interpreters, but was more often used as an argument for or against a certain ecclesiastical theological standpoint, rather than appreciated as an autonomous piece of literature. In order to make a sound theological evaluation, however, one must first approach the story within its own literary framework. What literary means does Dostoevsky use to convey his view of Christ and Christianity? Before analysing the theological content of the story, I would like to treat three aspects of literary style in ‘The Grand Inquisitor’: irony in the presentation of the story, the anti-iconographical picture of Christ and the indirect method of presenting His message.

First, a word on the general structure of the story ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ itself. It is a story within the larger story of the novel and is not part of the plot. With regards to content, it is linked to the discussion between the brothers, Ivan and Aleksey, on the suffering in the world, described in the previous chapter.