What Is The Grand Inquisitor Unjust

In “The Grand Inquisitor” from The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevski, the Grand Inquisitor blames Christ for not succumbing to the Devil’s three temptations because it left man with freedom, which the Grand Inquisitor sees as a burden. The Inquisitor feels that the church has to clean up Christ’s mess by replacing freedom with security. I, however, argue that the Grand Inquisitor’s charges are unjust because he reasons from a corrupted perspective. He makes major claims simply from his own opinions, and his arguments are self-contradicting, unethical, and, sometimes, illogical. As a result, he does not provide a plausible alternative to Christ’s succumbing to the Devil’s temptations, so he has no right to blame Christ in the first place, making his charges unjust. With Christ’s refusal of the temptations, the Grand Inquisitor believes that, with their freedom, people will remain rebellious and untied to the church. In the first temptation, the Devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. The Inquisitor says Christ should have accepted the temptation because He must first “feed men, and then ask of them virtue!” (Dostoevski), suggesting that people would stay loyal to the church if it provided nourishment. The …show more content…
He criticizes Christ, saying what He “should” have done based on the state of the Inquisitor’s society that Christ might not have anticipated. However, were Christ to have accepted the temptations, there is no guarantee that the Inquisitor’s prediction would occur- he is no psychic. He may be angry with Christ for rejecting the temptations, but Christ was simply fulfilling His duty. Of all people, the Grand Inquisitor should understand that. After all, he does say that his job is to allow people to sin, and then take their punishments upon himself. The Inquisitor sacrifices himself, just as Christ did, for others, so, by blaming Christ, he is hypocritical, making his charges