Alyosha’s story of the Grand Inquisitor had an interesting tie to a story in the book of James. After Christ kisses the inquisitor, he shudders, and frees Christ from his cell. In the book of James, James writes, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19). The word James chose to describe the action of the demons is the same word Dostoevsky used to describe the Inquisitor. I wonder if Dostoevsky used this word to communicate that the life the inquisitor lived was equivalent to the faith of the demons.
