The Grand Inquisitor

Dostoevsky’s description of the tragic Karamazov brothers and the murder of their father provokes questions about God’s sovereignty, the place of suffering in our world, human depravity, and redemption through pain. The Brothers Karamazov is a long book (almost 800 pages). Pevear and Volokhonsky’s translation is, undoubtedly, the easiest to read in English, but even the good translation cannot overcome some of the slow-moving moments where the novel labors in details. Many Karamazov fans (and I…

God. Also, it was unusual that Marranos were such a threat but so quickly denounced as one. In the next paragraph, The Inquisition at its Peak goes on to describe the horrific actions taken during the Inquisition. For example, Torquemada was a grand inquisitor who was cruel and used torture. It was surprising that it was so violent in nature. Furthermore, it was…

It was after reuniting with her, and learning that she was still alive did he learn that she was giving her favors to Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor. Both of whom Candide had killed, when they came to call upon Lady Cunegonde for her favors. This meeting was something that Candide had so looked forward to yet because of it he had committed two murders, and thus had to flee with Lady Cunegonde…

but they were later targeted. “The Sephardic Jews were the major targets of the Portuguese Inquisition”(bibliotecapleyades). “The Portuguese Inquistion was under the King, a Grand Inquisitor stood at the head, who was named by the Pope and chosen by the Crown, who was always from the royal family. The first Grand Inquisitor was Cardinal Henry”(bibliotecapleyades). Missionaries played a big impact during this era. Missionaries had to adapt and in order to communicate, they had to learn…

religiosity” of his court, an involvement which likely encouraged Voltaire’s subsequent critiques of organized government. From the age of nine until his seventeenth year, François-Marie received his formal education at the Jesuit college of Louis-le-Grand, studying Latin and Greek literature instead of law, which his father urged him to study. Known for his “brilliant and sarcastic wit” both during and immediately following his school years, François-Marie unfortunately found himself…

Literature is one of the most powerful tools when attempting to understand both the human condition and the surrounding world. A talented writer is not only able to tell a compelling narrative but also give key insights on themes and motives concerning why individuals and humanity, as a whole, carry out or experience certain actions or emotions. One of the overarching concerns many writers try to tackle is the nature of human cruelty and the justification of such cruelty. Two works separated by…

interpretations, however, are indeed relative. Don Isaacar, the Jewish merchant who purchases Cunegonde and forced her to live with him. Although he perpetuates the system of slavery, Isaacar according to Scherr, is far less wicked than the likes of the Grand Inquisitor, a man who virtually embodies all that is wrong with the Catholic Church, according to Voltaire. Cunegonde describes Isacaar as a generally benign master, “Although she is virtually Issacar's slave, so far as we are told he…

Similarly, in The Brothers Karamazov, during Ivan Karamazov’s recount of his poem “The Grand Inquisitor”, several references are made to the Book of Revelation from the Bible. Language from the story of the “False Prophet” can be seen interspersed throughout the scene as Ivan identifies with the Antichrist. Dostoevsky uses these references fluidly…

One of the points that the book conveys is the versatility of the Spanish Inquisition. When it was first created, the main objective of the inquisition at this point was the elimination of semitism, making its primary targets Jews and Muslims, but much more so Jews. As time went on, though, the need for the inquisition called for a change in victim; since the Jews and Muslims were less of a problems and it grew to persecute any person who strayed from Orthodox Catholicism, such as was…

For the philosophes, society was a rats nest of problems, problems they attempted to address through their writings. In Candide, Voltaire often poked at the issues around wealth and religion. Money, to Candide, seemed like the solution to all his problems. After visiting El Dorado Candide has the wealth to purchase the freedom of all his companions. He need not worry about repercussions or the law, however this power also begets his own unhappiness. Losing the majority of his sheep and wealth,…