The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor by Fydor Dostoevsky is a parable in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov. The story takes place in Seville, Spain, during the time of the Inquisition, when heretics were routinely burned at the stake. The first time I read The Grand Inquisitor I found it disturbing. There had been, according to Dostoevsky, during the sixteenth century, chatter among the masses about the fact that Christ had not returned, and many questioned if His miracles were real. According to the parable, Christ came back once again, briefly, and appeared quietly in the midst of the people, healing those who came to Him. The crowds recognized Him and clambered to be near Him. Christ healed the blind and the needy bowed down to Him. But Christ was too good, too powerful, and the guards came and took Him away. The Inquisitor came to the Prisoner and asked, "Why, then, art Thou come to hinder us?” There followed a conversation between the Prisoner and the Inquisitor where Christ’s thirty-three years on earth was distorted. The Inquisitor implied that Christ had failed at His mission; that He didn't set men free, for example, and therefore it fell on the church to set men free. According to the Inquisitor, freedom meant bondage. The …show more content…
I felt a sense of hopelessness in the parable. Did Dostoevsky have an answer? The Grand Inquisitor, who didn't give people enough credit to think for themselves and instead told them what he wanted them to believe.If you cherish your freedom, don’t be like the masses who expect the government to take care of them. Don’t take that government handout. Don’t expect the government to do for you what you can do for yourself. God gave us freedom in Christ. He knew there would always be tyrannical governments, like the Romans, and Alexander the Great, and Hitler. If each person takes a leap of faith, trusts God, and become his brother’s keeper, we can prevent our country from going the way of