Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor: Free Will vs Authority

Introduction

Fyodor Dostoevsky [1821-1881] was a Russian novelist whose works feature complex psychological themes and explore the intensity of human emotion. He began the genre of existentialist literature, influenced by prominent philosophical and literary figures like St. Augustine, Plato, Immanuel Kant, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allen Poe. The thoughts and actions of great characters in his stories were heavily influenced by true events from Dostoevsky’s life, including the eight months he spent in a Siberian prison and his struggle with a rare form of epilepsy.

The following extract, selected from Dostoevsky’s final novel The Brothers Karamazov, is a cutting satire on modern theology generally and the Roman Catholic religion in particular. Although the character of the Grand Inquisitor is Roman Catholic, Dostoevsky himself was Russian Orthodox, and his critique likely extends to aspects of the Orthodox Church as well. The idea is that Christ revisits earth, coming to Spain at the period of the Inquisition, and is arrested as a heretic by the Grand Inquisitor. One of the three brothers of the story, Ivan, an atheist of the new school, tells this story in the form of a poem to Alyosha—the youngest of the brothers, a young Christian mystic brought up by a “saint” in a monastery. You can read a PDF of the full text here if you prefer to work through that. Note, though, that this PDF contains the entire text while the digital essay only covers specific excerpts.

Key Concepts

Heretics
Cardinal Grand Inquisitor
Free Will

Christ’s Return

“… Fifteen centuries have elapsed since [Christ] left the world with the distinct promise to return ‘with power and great glory’; fifteen long centuries since His prophet cried, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’ since He Himself had foretold, while yet on earth, ‘Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven but my Father only.’ But Christendom expects Him still. …

“… He desired to come unknown, and appear among His children, just when the bones of the heretics, sentenced to be burnt alive, had commenced crackling at the flaming stakes. Owing to His limitless mercy, He mixes once more with mortals and in the same form in which He was wont to appear fifteen centuries ago. He descends, just at the very moment when before king, courtiers, knights, cardinals, and the fairest dames of court, before the whole population of Seville, upwards of a hundred wicked heretics are being roasted, in a magnificent auto-da-fe ad majorem Dei gloriam, by the order of the powerful Cardinal Grand Inquisitor.

“He comes silently and unannounced; yet all—how strange—yea, all recognize Him, at once! The population rushes towards Him as if propelled by some irresistible force; it surrounds, throngs, and presses around, it follows Him…. He extends His hands over their heads, blesses them, and from mere contact with Him, aye, even with His garments, a healing power goes forth. An old man, blind from his birth, cries, ‘Lord, heal me, that I may see Thee!’ and the scales falling off the closed eyes, the blind man beholds Him… The crowd weeps for joy, and kisses the ground upon which He treads. Children strew flowers along His path and sing to Him, ‘Hosanna!’ It is He, it is Himself, they say to each other, it must be He, it can be none other but He! … The crowd is violently excited. A terrible commotion rages among them, the populace shouts and loudly weeps, when suddenly, before the cathedral door, appears the Cardinal Grand Inquisitor himself…. He is tall, gaunt-looking old man of nearly four-score years and ten, with a stern, withered face, and deeply sunken eyes, from the cavity of which glitter two fiery sparks. … And now, his dark, grim face has grown still darker; his bushy grey eyebrows nearly meet, and his sunken eye flashes with sinister light. Slowly raising his finger, he commands his minions to arrest Him….

“Such is his power over the well-disciplined, submissive and now trembling people, that the thick crowds immediately give way, and scattering before the guard, amid dead silence and without one breath of protest, allow them to lay their sacrilegious hands upon the stranger and lead Him away…. That same populace, like one man, now bows its head to the ground before the old Inquisitor, who blesses it and slowly moves onward. The guards conduct their prisoner to the ancient building of the Holy Tribunal; pushing Him into a narrow, gloomy, vaulted prison-cell, they lock Him in and retire….

“… In the Cimmerian darkness of the old Tribunal Hall the iron door of the cell is suddenly thrown open, and the Grand Inquisitor, holding a dark lantern, slowly stalks into the dungeon. He is alone, and, as the heavy door closes behind him, he pauses at the threshold, and, for a minute or two, silently and gloomily scrutinizes the Face before him.

“… “’Hast thou the right to divulge to us a single one of the mysteries of that world whence Thou comest?’ enquires of Him my old Inquisitor, and forthwith answers for Him. ‘Nay, Thou has no such right. For, that would be adding to that which was already said by Thee before; hence depriving people of that freedom for which Thou hast so stoutly stood up while yet on earth…. Anything new that Thou would now proclaim would have to be regarded as an attempt to interfere with that freedom of choice, as it would come as a new and a miraculous revelation superseding the old revelation of fifteen hundred years ago, when Thou didst so repeatedly tell the people: “The truth shall make you free.” Behold then, Thy “free” people now!’ adds the old man with sombre irony. ‘Yea!… it has cost us dearly.’ he continues, sternly looking at his victim. ‘But we have at last accomplished our task, and—in Thy name…. For fifteen long centuries we had to toil and suffer owing to that “freedom”: but now we have prevailed and our work is done, and well and strongly it is done. ….Believest not Thou it is so very strong? … And why should Thou look at me so meekly as if I were not worthy even of Thy indignation?… Know then, that now, and only now, Thy people feel fully sure and satisfied of their freedom; and that only since they have themselves and of their own free will delivered that freedom unto our hands by placing it submissively at our feet. But then, that is what we have done. Is it that which Thou has striven for? Is this the kind of “freedom” Thou has promised them?’”

Main Idea

The interaction between Christ and the Grand Inquisitor represents the struggle between free will and authority. Christ upholds the importance of free will, believing that humans must have the ability to choose between right and wrong without force or coercion. However, over the course of the passage the Grand Inquisitor argues that this freedom of choice burdens humans with too much responsibility. Humans are inherently selfish and weak, meaning the vast majority will not be strong enough to find salvation and will spend an eternity in hell. In response to this problem, the Grand Inquisitor explains that the Church helps relieve this burden of freedom by providing people with security. The Church adopts the authority to command people’s beliefs and choices. At the heart of the disagreement between the Grand Inquisitor and Christ is the decision to value either comfort or freedom: if humanity is free, humanity will not be happy.

Argument

Argument Breakdown

The Grand Inquisitor makes a compelling argument against God granting humanity with free will. He clearly concluded that the Church’s authority should prevail, using the following logic:

(1) Humans are innately weak and rebellious beings.

Example: People constantly sin to experience meaningless pleasure or to fulfill their earthly needs (e.g. stealing bread to feed oneself).

(2) To achieve salvation, one must freely choose a life of refusing temptation and choose to strictly follow God’s teachings.

Example: Living a life of virtue and doing good works both pave the only road to salvation. If one denies earthly pleasures, it reflects an understanding of the importance of the eternal life that awaits.

(3) If humans are innately weak and rebellious, they will not choose to refuse temptation and hundreds of millions will be eternally damned.

Example: If a person constantly concedes to her earthly desires, she refuses to live a moral life and cannot be granted an eternity in heaven.

(4) A powerful Church can revoke people’s ability to choose how they live their lives in exchange for security.

Example: If the Church tells you what to do and when to do it, this leaves no room for moral error, therefore granting you complete certainty in moral decision-making without bearing the burden of having to figure it out yourself.

(5) If the Church uses its power to revoke people’s freedom of choice, people who were too weak to follow Christ will still be eternally damned, but they will at least have security and happiness while on Earth.

Example: A person being compelled to act in accordance with God’s teachings is not making a choice to be faithful and therefore still cannot be rewarded with salvation.

(6) Granting people with security and happiness on Earth is better than bestowing upon them the onerous burden of freedom.

Example: A life in which you don’t have to worry about whether a decision you made was right or wrong is a life free of stress and concern.

Thought Experiment

Thought Experiment: Security

Imagine yourself when you were thirteen years old. At this age, the majority of us were living with our parents, who made most of our decisions for us. They decided what time we had to be home, what clothes we were allowed to wear, and where we were allowed to go. Our parents granted us security– with this, we didn’t have to bear the burden of making our own choices. You probably never had to stress about paying a mortgage, finding a job with a good healthcare plan, or whether you should invest in the stock market. Maybe there were a few times where you wanted the freedom to choose to stay up all night or hang out with friends in an area that wasn’t very safe, but looking back, you’re probably glad someone stopped you. Were you happier back then? Now that you’re no longer a child, you have choices to make. Where to live, who to live with, what to study, where to work… does more freedom bring you happiness?

The Grand Inquisitor says no. The days when you lived in a carefree, responsibility-free world were happier times. Our parents protected us and shielded us from an endless chain of difficult decision-making. This is how the Inquisitor views the role of the Church in society– a powerful guardian who relieves people from the burden of moral choice for the good of humanity. Once again, adults can live like they did as children, free from stressing over life decisions but at a cost. Is the relief of security worth sacrificing the freedom of choosing your own path?

Essay Tab

Essay Tab – Temptation

“… ‘The terrible and wise spirit, the spirit of self annihilation and non-being,’ goes on the Inquisitor, ‘the great spirit of negation conversed with Thee in the wilderness, and we are told that he “tempted” Thee… Was it so? And if it were so, then it is impossible to utter anything more truthful than what is contained in his three offers, which Thou didst reject, and which are usually called “temptations.”

The Grand Inquisitor recalls the time in the Bible when Satan offered Christ three temptations, the first of which called upon Christ to turn stones into bread. In this scenario, bread represents comfort. This temptation was offered to Christ when he was fasting in the desert, an attempt by Satan to encourage Christ to succumb to earthly needs. However, Christ did not waver and rejected this temptation, proclaiming instead that humanity depends on the word of God, not bread alone.

“… ‘Decide then thyself.’ sternly proceeded the Inquisitor, ‘which of ye twain was right: Thou who didst reject, or he who offered? Remember the subtle meaning of question the first, which runs thus: Wouldst Thou go into the world empty-handed? Would Thou venture thither with Thy vague and undefined promise of freedom, which men, dull and unruly as they are by nature, are unable so much as to understand, which they avoid and fear?—for never was there anything more unbearable to the human race than personal freedom! Dost Thou see these stones in the desolate and glaring wilderness? Command that these stones be made bread—and mankind will run after Thee, obedient and grateful like a herd of cattle. But even then it will be ever diffident and trembling, lest Thou should take away Thy hand, and they lose thereby their bread! Thou didst refuse to accept the offer for fear of depriving men of their free choice; for where is there freedom of choice where men are bribed with bread? Man shall not live by bread alone—was Thine answer. … Thou has promised to them the bread of life, the bread of heaven; but I ask Thee again, can that bread ever equal in the sight of the weak and the vicious, the ever ungrateful human race, their daily bread on earth? And even supposing that thousands and tens of thousands follow Thee in the name of, and for the sake of, Thy heavenly bread, what will become of the millions and hundreds of millions of human beings too weak to scorn the earthly for the sake of Thy heavenly bread? Or is it but those tens of thousands chosen among the great and the mighty, that are so dear to Thee, while the remaining millions, innumerable as the grains of sand in the seas, the weak and the loving, have to be used as material for the former? No, no! In our sight and for our purpose the weak and the lowly are the more dear to us. True, they are vicious and rebellious, but we will force them into obedience, and it is they who will admire us the most. They will regard us as gods, and feel grateful to those who have consented to lead the masses and bear their burden of freedom by ruling over them—so terrible will that freedom at last appear to men! Then we will tell them that it is in obedience to Thy will and in Thy name that we rule over them.

Once again, although he questions the actions of Christ, the Grand Inquisitor is by no means a monster. Both characters believe they are acting with the intention of loving and preserving humanity. The Grand Inquisitor insists that the Church’s supreme authority relieves mankind of the burden of freedom, while Christ does not view freedom as a burden at all.

“… Thou hast given him the right henceforth to choose and freely decide what is good and bad for him, guided but by Thine image in his heart. But hast Thou never dreamt of the probability, nay, of the certainty, of that same man one day rejected finally, and controverting even Thine image and Thy truth, once he would find himself laden with such a terrible burden as freedom of choice? That a time would surely come when men would exclaim that Truth and Light cannot be in Thee, for no one could have left them in a greater perplexity and mental suffering than Thou has done, lading them with so many cares and insoluble problems. Thus, it is Thyself who hast laid the foundation for the destruction of Thine own kingdom and no one but Thou is to be blamed for it.

The second temptation presented was Satan’s request for Christ to prove that He is truly the Son of God by performing a miracle. Satan instructed Christ to throw himself off of a pinnacle, so that angels would be compelled to rush down and rescue God’s son from death. Christ again rejected the temptation, urging Satan that God cannot be tempted.

“‘Meantime, every chance of success was offered Thee. There are three Powers, three unique Forces upon earth, capable of conquering forever by charming the conscience of these weak rebels—men—for their own good; and these Forces are: Miracle, Mystery and Authority. Thou hast rejected all the three, and thus wert the first to set them an example. When the terrible and all-wise spirit placed Thee on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto Thee, “If Thou be the son of God, cast Thyself down, for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone!”—for thus Thy faith in Thy father should have been made evident, Thou didst refuse to accept his suggestion and didst not follow it. Oh, undoubtedly, Thou didst act in this with all the magnificent pride of a god, but then men—that weak and rebel race—are they also gods, to understand Thy refusal? Of course, Thou didst well know that by taking one single step forward, by making the slightest motion to throw Thyself down, Thou wouldst have tempted “the Lord Thy God,” lost suddenly all faith in Him, and dashed Thyself to atoms against that same earth which Thou camest to save, and thus wouldst have allowed the wise spirit which tempted Thee to triumph and rejoice… Is human nature calculated to reject miracle, and trust, during the most terrible moments in life, when the most momentous, painful and perplexing problems struggle within man’s soul, to the free decisions of his heart for the true solution? Oh, Thou knewest well that that action of Thine would remain recorded in books for ages to come, reaching to the confines of the globe, and Thy hope was, that following Thy example, man would remain true to his God, without needing any miracle to keep his faith alive! But Thou knewest not, it seems, that no sooner would man reject miracle than he would reject God likewise, for he seeketh less God than “a sign” from Him. And thus, as it is beyond the power of man to remain without miracles, so, rather than live without, he will create for himself new wonders of his own making; and he will bow to and worship the soothsayer’s miracles, the old witch’s sorcery, were he a rebel, a heretic, and an atheist a hundred times over. Thy refusal to come down from the cross when people, mocking and wagging their heads were saying to Thee—”Save Thyself if Thou be the son of God, and we will believe in Thee,” was due to the same determination—not to enslave man through miracle, but to obtain faith in Thee freely and apart from any miraculous influence. Thou thirstest for free and uninfluenced love, and refusest the passionate adoration of the slave before a Potency which would have subjected his will once for ever. Thou judgest of men too highly here, again, for though rebels they be, they are born slaves and nothing more… I swear man is weaker and lower than Thou hast ever imagined him to be!

The Grand Inquisitor insists that rejecting this temptation was a mistake. Mankind is weak and needs to witness a miracle to remain steadfast in its faith. Christ’s refusal to perform a divine, miraculous action leaves humanity unable to commit to a life worshipping God’s teachings. Christ is portrayed as wanting free and uninfluenced love, not faith that is ‘forced’ or enslaved by miracles that guarantee faith.

“… We corrected and improved Thy teaching and based it upon “Miracle, Mystery, and Authority.” And men rejoiced at finding themselves led once more like a herd of cattle, and at finding their hearts at last delivered of the terrible burden laid upon them by Thee, which caused them so much suffering. Tell me, were we right in doing as we did. Did not we show our great love for humanity, by realizing in such a humble spirit its helplessness, by so mercifully lightening its great burden, and by permitting and remitting for its weak nature every sin, provided it be committed with our authorization? For what, then, hast Thou come again to trouble us in our work?

For the final temptation, Satan presented every kingdom in the world and offered Christ ultimate power. With total control, Christ could have forced mankind into complete submission and obedience, which would save them from the destructive and miserable consequences of their freedom. Christ quoted scripture for the third time in this last rejection, knowing that kingdoms inherited by Satan were acquired through power and oppression. The Grand Inquisitor scoffs at this decision, informing Christ that the Church has stepped in to claim the authority that He once refused. The Church, operating on the principle of complete submission, will convince humanity to sacrifice their free will for security.

“‘Thou couldst accept the glaive of Caesar Thyself; why didst Thou reject the offer? By accepting from the powerful spirit his third offer Thou would have realized every aspiration man seeketh for himself on earth; man would have found a constant object for worship; one to deliver his conscience up to, and one that should unite all together into one common and harmonious ant-hill; for an innate necessity for universal union constitutes the third and final affliction of mankind. Humanity as a whole has ever aspired to unite itself universally… In accepting the kingdom of the world and Caesar’s purple, one would found a universal kingdom and secure to mankind eternal peace. And who can rule mankind better than those who have possessed themselves of man’s conscience, and hold in their hand man’s daily bread? Under our rule and sway all will be happy, and will neither rebel nor destroy each other as they did while under Thy free banner. Oh, we will take good care to prove to them that they will become absolutely free only when they have abjured their freedom in our favor and submit to us absolutely. Liberty, Freedom of Thought and Conscience, and Science will lead them into such impassable chasms, place them face to face before such wonders and insoluble mysteries, that some of them—more rebellious and ferocious than the rest—will destroy themselves; others—rebellious but weak—will destroy each other; while the remainder, weak, helpless and miserable, will crawl back to our feet and cry: “‘Yes; right were ye, oh Fathers of Jesus; ye alone are in possession of His mystery, and we return to you, praying that ye save us from ourselves!”

Christ’s Response

“… Having disburdened his heart, the Inquisitor waits for some time to hear his prisoner speak in His turn. His silence weighs upon him. He has seen that his captive has been attentively listening to him all the time, with His eyes fixed penetratingly and softly on the face of his jailer, and evidently bent upon not replying to him. The old man longs to hear His voice, to hear Him reply; better words of bitterness and scorn than His silence. Suddenly He rises; slowly and silently approaching the Inquisitor, He bends towards him and softly kisses the bloodless, four-score-and-ten-year-old lips. That is all the answer. The Grand Inquisitor shudders. There is a convulsive twitch at the corner of his mouth. He goes to the door, opens it, and addressing Him, ‘Go,’ he says, ‘go, and return no more… do not come again… never, never!’ and—lets Him out into the dark night. The prisoner vanishes.”