The Brothers Karamazov is a book written in 16th century Russia. Chapter 5 of the book tells a story of Ivan reading a poem set in the Spanish Inquisition to Alyosha. The poem parallels Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, His arrest in the garden, and His trial with Pilate. The story in the poem is set in the Spanish Inquisition, and the Grand Inquisitor, whom resembles Pilate in this story, arrested Jesus and told Him to not say anything, for he already knew what He would say. The inquisitor then spoke to Him for some time and in that conversation, the inquisitor pointed out three ideas that caught my attention: the only ideas that would bring peace to man’s conscience, and He turned them all down- miracles, mystery, and authority.
The …show more content…
Man fears and follows those with authority and power. Man fears those with power and authority. In the poem, the Grand Inquisitor was so feared, that the people immediately parted for the guards and bowed in submission to him when he arrested Jesus. In the poem, the Grand Inquisitor stated: “Just eight centuries ago, we took from him what Thou didst reject with scorn, that last gift he offered Thee, showing Thee all the kingdoms of the earth. We took from him Rome and the sword of Caesar, and proclaimed ourselves sole rulers of the earth, though hitherto we have not been able to complete our work.” That was something Jesus rejected when He was being tempted in the wilderness. In taking Rome, man sided with the Devil rather than with Jesus. As in the poem, “Hadst Thou taken the world and Caesar’s purple, Thou wouldst have founded the universal state and have given universal peace.” The Jews believed that if Jesus conquered Rome, there would be universal peace, but He did not. So, they sided with those with power and killed Jesus. Man has always strived for a united power under one man of authority. The Jews wanted Jesus to fulfill that role as stated in the poem: “Why didst Thou reject the last gift? Hadst Thou accepted that last counsel of the mighty spirit, Thou wouldst have accomplished all that man seeks on earth- that is, someone to worship, someone to keep his conscience, and some means of uniting all in one unanimous and harmonious ant-heap, for the craving for universal unity is the third and last anguish of men. Mankind as a whole has always striven to organize a universal state.” The Jews believed that Jesus would finish His work, defeat Rome, and become ruler of all. But Jesus did not come to rule as the Jews wanted Him to. They wanted someone to look to and to worship and to follow. They wanted to worship Him if only He would defeat Rome. But when He did not, they scorned Him, and followed
The …show more content…
Man fears and follows those with authority and power. Man fears those with power and authority. In the poem, the Grand Inquisitor was so feared, that the people immediately parted for the guards and bowed in submission to him when he arrested Jesus. In the poem, the Grand Inquisitor stated: “Just eight centuries ago, we took from him what Thou didst reject with scorn, that last gift he offered Thee, showing Thee all the kingdoms of the earth. We took from him Rome and the sword of Caesar, and proclaimed ourselves sole rulers of the earth, though hitherto we have not been able to complete our work.” That was something Jesus rejected when He was being tempted in the wilderness. In taking Rome, man sided with the Devil rather than with Jesus. As in the poem, “Hadst Thou taken the world and Caesar’s purple, Thou wouldst have founded the universal state and have given universal peace.” The Jews believed that if Jesus conquered Rome, there would be universal peace, but He did not. So, they sided with those with power and killed Jesus. Man has always strived for a united power under one man of authority. The Jews wanted Jesus to fulfill that role as stated in the poem: “Why didst Thou reject the last gift? Hadst Thou accepted that last counsel of the mighty spirit, Thou wouldst have accomplished all that man seeks on earth- that is, someone to worship, someone to keep his conscience, and some means of uniting all in one unanimous and harmonious ant-heap, for the craving for universal unity is the third and last anguish of men. Mankind as a whole has always striven to organize a universal state.” The Jews believed that Jesus would finish His work, defeat Rome, and become ruler of all. But Jesus did not come to rule as the Jews wanted Him to. They wanted someone to look to and to worship and to follow. They wanted to worship Him if only He would defeat Rome. But when He did not, they scorned Him, and followed