Biblical stories of crime and punishment. Project: “Biblical motifs in the novel F

The influence of Christianity can be traced in the works of many Russian writers, since the belief in the triune God and his son Jesus Christ has been a generally accepted Russian religion since ancient times. F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” did not escape this fate. Religion in the novel is presented by the author as an opportunity provided to the main character in order to escape from the moral and ethical abysses of repentance. The main idea of ​​the novel can be expressed as follows: a person must be meek, be able to forgive and have compassion, and all this is possible only with the acquisition of “true faith.” This is a purely Christian point of view, so the work can be described as a “sermon novel.”
Sin and virtue, pride and repentance are clearly opposed to each other in Dostoevsky's novel. The image of a voluntary martyr is especially clearly expressed in the work. It is no coincidence that the author introduces into the text such characters as Sonya Marmeladova, Dunya Raskolnikova, Mikolka. These heroes represent purity and compassion for others.
Sonya goes to the panel to feed her family, in addition, she helps Raskolnikov repent and pushes him to confess by reading the Bible and exhortations. It seems to me that Dostoevsky introduced the scene of reading the Gospel in order to show how moral Raskolnikov and Sonya are. The episode of reading the Gospel in the novel is psychologically the most intense and interesting. The heroine's efforts were crowned with success. The apotheosis of joint conversations was the words of Raskolnikov: “Let's go together. I came to you. We are cursed together, we will go together!” The image of Sonya is comparable to the image of Mary Magdalene, the notorious biblical harlot.
Dunya, the sister of the main character, sacrifices herself for the sake of her brother and family, agreeing to marry Luzhin so that Raskolnikov stops living in poverty. The image of Dunya is associated with Jesus Christ, who accepted his fate to atone for our sins and simply out of love for mankind.
Mikolka is also trying to “suffer for others” by taking the blame; he can be called Dunya’s double, but one cannot compare him with the son of God, because he made a meaningless sacrifice, which might have prevented Raskolnikov from repenting and confessing, and his good spiritual impulse would have turned into evil.
Interesting for understanding Dostoevsky’s position is the image of Svidrigailov, which can be compared with the image of Judas. Marfa Petrovna buys Svidrigailov out of prison and gives him a comfortable life, but he betrays his wife, who gave him the receipt, and becomes the cause of her death. Later, repentance comes to him, like Judas, and he commits the sin of suicide. This act can be compared with the self-hanging of Judas on an aspen tree. Svidrigailov already during his lifetime had his own idea of the afterlife. His hell appears to us in the form of a “black bath with spiders and mice.”
The novel has a very strong connection with religion. The numbers that are symbolic in Christianity are the numbers three and seven. Dostoevsky repeatedly uses these symbols: for example, Raskolnikov rings the bell at the door three times and hits the old woman on the head the same number of times; There are only three meetings with Porfiry Petrovich. The number seven also carries a certain meaning: Svidrigailov lived with Marfa Petrovna for seven years; Raskolnikov learns that exactly at the seventh hour Lizaveta will not be at home, therefore, he commits a crime “at the seventh hour”; in the epilogue the hero remains to serve seven years of hard labor. Thus, Dostoevsky wants to show that each hero has his own path to God and, no matter what happens, the hero will pass this path.
Rodion Raskolnikov himself personifies the image of a repentant sinner. Having killed the old woman, the hero begins to experience mental torment that is incompatible with his subtle, intelligent mental organization. Raskolnikov was initially predetermined punishment, but not for the murder of the old woman and Lizaveta, but for his sinful theory, which consisted in dividing people into two classes, the lower - “trembling creatures” - and the higher - “Napoleons”, which is absolutely contrary to the canons of Christianity, because in in this religion all people are equal.
Also in the novel there are such religious images like the cross and the gospel. Sonya gives Raskolnikov the Gospel that belonged to Lizaveta, and this is a kind of punishment for the hero, as if a constant reminder of what he had done. In addition, Sonya puts her cross on Raskolnikov’s neck, and Lizavetin herself takes it, and the concept of “cross” takes on a figurative meaning: they both bear a common cross of suffering and repentance, which will be followed by spiritual cleansing and rebirth to life.
So, we can conclude that the idea of ​​F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” is that the heroes go through the path of suffering in order to come to the truth, and it is biblical motifs and images that help the reader understand the meaning of the work.

• “Life is boring without a moral goal...” (F. M. Dostoevsky). (Based on the works of A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, F. M. Dostoevsky) - -
• “Art creates good people, shaping the human soul” (V. G. Belinsky). (Based on the works of A. S. Pushkin, F. M. Dostoevsky, A. P. Chekhov) - -

Christian images and motifs in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"

I. Introduction

Dostoevsky was a Christian, Orthodox, deeply religious man. From these positions he approached the problems of his time. That's why author's position in any of his novels, including Crime and Punishment, cannot be correctly understood without taking into account Christian images and motives.

II. Main part.

1. The plot of the novel itself is based on the fact that Raskolnikov commits a mortal sin, violating one of the most important God's commandments- “thou shalt not kill,” and then atones for his guilt through suffering, repentance and purification.

2. Sonya also commits a mortal sin, and her image correlates with the Gospel image of the “harlot.” This is a complex image associated not only with the concept of sin, but also with the idea of ​​Christian charity. In the Gospel, Christ forgives the harlot who sincerely believed in him. Christ also commanded mercy to people, saying about the harlot: “He who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” The attitude of various characters in the novel towards Sonya serves as a kind of test of their Christian spirit (Raskolnikov sits her next to her sister, Dunya, Pulcheria Alexandrovna, Razumikhin “do not throw stones at her,” and, for example, Luzhin does just that).

Sin, oddly enough, connects Sonya and Raskolnikov: “a murderer and a harlot who came together to read the eternal book,” that is, the Gospel. But there is a fundamental difference between these two criminals: Raskolnikov does not believe in God and therefore cannot believe in redemption; he often falls into despair. Sonya, on the contrary, says about herself: “What would I be without God?” Therefore, the path of redemption through suffering and good deeds is open to her; there is no despair in her.

3. A very important gospel motif is the motif of suffering. Suffering atones not only for personal sin, but also for the sins of humanity, therefore, in a Russian Orthodox person the idea of ​​“suffering” is strong - simply, without any guilt (Mikolka; the prisoner about whom Porfiry Petrovich tells Raskolnikov in their last conversation).

4. The image of the cross, a symbol of the “passion of Christ,” is closely connected with the motives of suffering and redemption. The development of this image in the novel is quite complex. There is no cross on Raskolnikov - in the Russia of Dostoevsky’s time, this is an infrequent case and says a lot. Sonya puts the cross on Raskolnikov, bless him for his suffering. She puts her cross on him, then makes them like brother and sister in Christ, and she herself wears the cross of Lizaveta, her spiritual sister, who was killed by Raskolnikov.

5. For Dostoevsky, it was very important to show the possibility of the resurrection of any person, even a criminal, through turning to God. Therefore, one of the most important gospel motifs and images is the resurrection of Lazarus. Sonya reads the corresponding passage to Raskolnikov at his request, but even earlier, in Raskolnikov’s first conversation with Porfiry Petrovich, this motive already arises, and last time he is mentioned at the very end of the epilogue.

III. Conclusion

Christian motifs and images are an important part ideological content“Crimes and Punishments”, directly expressing Dostoevsky’s author’s position.

Orthodoxy, brought to Rus' back in the 10th century, profoundly influenced the mentality of the Russian people and left an indelible imprint on the Russian soul. And, in addition, Orthodoxy brought with it writing, and therefore literature. Christian influence can be traced in one way or another in the work of any writer. deepest inner conviction Christian truths and the commandments are carried, in particular, by such a titan of Russian literature as Dostoevsky. His novel “Crime and Punishment” is proof of this.
The writer’s attitude towards religious consciousness is amazing in its depth. The concepts of sin and virtue, pride and humility, good and evil - this is what interests Dostoevsky. Raskolnikov, the key character of the novel, bears sin and pride. Moreover, sin absorbs not only direct actions, but also hidden thoughts (Raskolnikov is punished even before the crime). Having passed through himself the obviously powerful theory about “Napoleons” and “trembling creatures,” the hero kills the old money-lender, but not so much her as himself. Having followed the path of self-destruction, Raskolnikov nevertheless, with the help of Sonya, finds the key to salvation through suffering, purification and love. As you know, all these concepts are the most important and important in the Christian worldview. People deprived of repentance and love will not know the light, but will see a dark afterlife, terrible in its essence. Thus, Svidrigailov already during his lifetime has a clear idea of ​​the afterlife. He appears before us in the form of a “black bath with spiders and mice” - in the Christian view, this is a picture of hell, for sinners who know neither love nor repentance. Also, when mentioning Svidrigailov, “devil” constantly appears. Svidrigailov is doomed: even the good that he is about to do is in vain (dream about a 5-year-old girl): his good is not accepted, it is too late. A terrible satanic force, the devil, is also pursuing Raskolnikov; at the end of the novel he will say: “The devil led me to commit a crime.” But if Svidrigailov commits suicide (commits the most terrible mortal sin), then Raskolnikov is cleared. The motif of prayer in the novel is also characteristic of Raskolnikov (after a dream he prays for a horse, but his prayers are not heard, and he commits a crime). Sonya, the landlady's daughter (preparing herself for a monastery), and Katerina Ivanovna's children constantly pray. Prayer, an integral part of the Christian, becomes part of the novel. There are also such images and symbols as the cross and the Gospel. Sonya gives Raskolnikov the Gospel that belonged to Lizaveta, and, reading it, he is reborn to life. At first Raskolnikov does not accept Lizaveta’s cross from Sonya, since he is not ready yet, but then he takes it, and again this is associated with spiritual cleansing, rebirth from death to life.
The Christian in the novel is enhanced by numerous analogies and associations with biblical stories. There is a reminiscence from the Bible about Lazarus, a parable that Sonya reads to Raskolnikov on the fourth day after the crime. Moreover, Lazarus from this parable was resurrected precisely on the fourth day. That is, Raskolnikov is spiritually dead these four days and, in fact, lies in a coffin (“coffin” is the hero’s closet), and Sonya came to save him. From the Old Testament the novel contains the parable of Cain, from the New - the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the parable of the harlot (“if anyone is not sinful, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”), the parable of Martha - a woman who has been focused on vanity and missing the most important thing (Marfa Petrovna, Svidrigailov’s wife, fusses all her life, deprived of the main principle).
Gospel motifs in the names are clearly visible. Ka-pernaumov is the surname of the man from whom Sonya rented a room, and Mary the Harlot lived near the city of Capernaum. The name “Lizaveta” means “who worships God,” a holy fool. The name of Ilya Petrovich includes Ilya (Ilya the prophet, thunderer) and Peter (hard as a stone). Let us note that it was he who was the very first to suspect Raskolnikov." Katerina is “pure, bright.” Numbers that are symbolic in Christianity are also symbols in “Crime and Punishment.” These are numbers three, seven and eleven. Sonya gives Marmeladov 30 kopecks, the first since she brings 30 rubles “from work”; Martha buys Svidrigailov for 30, and he, like Judas, betrays her, making an attempt on her life, Svidrigailov offers Duna “up to thirty,” Raskolnikov rings the bell 3 times and the same number of times. hits the old woman on the head. There are three meetings with Porfiry Petrovich: at the seventh hour he learns that Lizaveta will not be there, he commits a crime “at the seventh hour.” But the number 7 is a symbol of the union of God with man, Raskolnikov wants to break it off; This union therefore endures torment. In the epilogue: 7 years of hard labor remain, Svidrigailov lived with Marfa for 7 years.
The novel contains the theme of voluntary martyrdom for the sake of repentance, recognition of one’s sins. That is why Mikolka wants to take Raskolnikov’s blame upon himself. But Raskolnikov, led by Sonya, who carries Christian truth and love, comes (albeit through the barrier of doubt) to popular repentance, for, according to Sonya, only popular, open repentance in front of everyone is real. Reproduced the main idea Dostoevsky in this novel: a person must live, be meek, be able to forgive and have compassion, and all this is possible only with the acquisition of true faith. This is a purely Christian starting point, so the novel is tragicomic, a novel-sermon.
Due to Dostoevsky’s talent and deepest inner conviction, Christian thought is fully realized, produces a strong impact on the reader and, as a result, conveys to everyone the Christian idea, the idea of ​​salvation and love.

Tasks and tests on the topic “Christian ideas, motives and images in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment””

• Verb conjugation (general presentation) - Verb as part of speech grade 4

  Lessons: 1 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

The Bible belongs to everyone, atheists and believers alike. This is the book of humanity.

F.M.Dostoevsky

The ideas of Christianity permeate the work of many outstanding writers. The works of L.N. are filled with biblical motifs. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky. This tradition continues in the works of Bulgakov, Mandelstam, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Aitmatov and other writers of the twentieth century. Biblical issues are universal, because in the Bible we're talking about about good and evil, truth and lies, about how to live and die. No wonder it is called the Book of Books. Novels by F.M. Dostoevsky's works are filled with various symbols, associations and reminiscences. A huge place among them is occupied by motifs and images borrowed from the Bible. They are subordinated to certain ideas and are grouped mainly around three themes: eschatology, rebirth and utopia.

Eschatology. Dostoevsky perceived reality and the world around him as certain prophecies from the Apocalypse that had already become or were about to become reality. The writer constantly correlated the crises of bourgeois civilization with apocalyptic forecasts, and transferred images from the Bible into the visions of his heroes. Raskolnikov “dreamed in his illness that the whole world was condemned to be a victim of some terrible, unheard of and unprecedented pestilence coming from the depths of Asia to Europe... Some new trichinae appeared, microscopic creatures that moved into people’s bodies. But these creatures were spirits, gifted with intelligence and will. People who accepted them into themselves immediately became possessed and crazy.” Dostoevsky F.M. Collection cit.: In 12 volumes - M., 1982. - T. V. - P. 529). Compare with the Apocalypse, which says that at the end of time the army of Abaddon will appear on earth: “ And it was given to her not to kill them (people), but only to torture them for five months; and its torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.”(Apoc. IX, 5). Dostoevsky uses apocalyptic motifs to warn humanity: it is on the verge of a global catastrophe, Last Judgment, the end of the world, and the reason for this is the bourgeois Moloch, the cult of violence and profit.

The writer considered the propaganda of hatred, intolerance and evil in the name of good to be a disease of the world, demonic possession. This idea finds expression in both the novel “Demons” and the novel “Crime and Punishment.” Dostoevsky showed that the theory of violence, which captured Raskolnikov’s mind, leads to the extermination of the human in man. “I’m not an old woman, I killed myself!” he exclaims in despair main character. The writer believes that the murder of one person leads to the suicide of humanity, to the dominance of evil forces on earth, to chaos and death.

Revival. The theme of the spiritual resurrection of the individual, which Dostoevsky considered the main one in the literature of the 19th century, permeates all of his novels. One of the key episodes of Crime and Punishment is the one in which Sonya Marmeladova reads to Raskolnikov the Biblical story about the return to life of Lazarus: “Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live; and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (JohnXI, 25-26). Sonya, reading these lines, thought about Raskolnikov: “And he, he, too, is blinded and unbelieving - he, too, will now hear, he will also believe, yes, yes! Now, now” (V, 317). Raskolnikov, who committed a crime, must “believe” and repent. This will be his spiritual cleansing, figuratively speaking, the resurrection from the dead, trembling and cold, Sonya repeated lines from the Gospel: “Having said this, he cried with a loud voice: Lazarus! Get out. And the dead man came out..." (John.XI, 43-44). This symbolic scene has a symbolic and artistic continuation: at the end of the novel, the Raskolnik-convict, having repented, is reborn to a new life, and Sonya’s love plays a significant role in this: “Both of them were pale and thin; but in these sick and pale faces the dawn of a renewed future, a complete resurrection in new life. They were resurrected by love, the heart of one contained endless sources of life for the heart of the other” (V, 532).

The theme of faith is persistent in the novel. She is associated with the images of Raskolnikov and Sonya Marmeladova. Sonya believes, she lives according to the biblical laws of love for one's neighbor, self-sacrifice, faith, and humility. God will not allow what is “impossible to be.” Typologically connected with the life story of Sonya Marmeladova is the parable of the harlot forgiven by Christ. There is a legend about how Christ reacted to the decision of the Pharisees and scribes to punish a woman guilty of adultery in the temple: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Let us remember the words of Sonya’s father: “Now your many sins are forgiven, because you loved so much...” And she will forgive my Sonya, I already know that she will forgive...” (V, 25). This detail is curious: the evangelical Mary Magdalene lived not far from the city of Capernaum, which Christ visited; Sonya rents an apartment from the Kapernaumovs. It was here that she read the legend of the resurrection of Lazarus.

Raskolnikov turns to the Gospel and, according to Dostoevsky, must find answers there to the questions that torment him, must gradually be reborn, move into a new reality for him, but this, as the author wrote, is already the story of a new story. And in the novel “Crime and Punishment”, the main character, who has departed from the faith, from the biblical commandments, bears the mark of Cain, also a biblical character.

The biblical story about the first murderer and his punishment correlates with Raskolnikov's crime and punishment. In the Bible, after the murder, the Lord asks Cain about his brother: “And the Lord said to Cain: Where is Abel your brother?” What is the point of this question? Obviously, Cain’s crime was followed not by punishment, but by a call to repentance, because “ God does not want the sinner to die, but to turn to him and to live.” Cain has not yet been punished by anything, but his state is the same as before the murder - a darkened mind, for only madness can explain the fact that, in answering the omniscient God, Cain lies: "Don't know; Am I my brother’s keeper?” From God - a call to repentance, from man - an insane rejection of it.

Dostoevsky shows that darkening of the mind is an indispensable condition for a crime and persists after it has been committed. Thus, Raskolnikov’s consciousness in details, fragments, in individual truths is clear and true, but overall this consciousness is painful. Having conceived a murder, the hero decided that “reason and will will remain with him, inalienably, for the sole reason that what he has planned is not a crime.” When he woke up after the crime in his closet, “suddenly, in an instant, he remembered everything! At first he thought he was going crazy.” He recalled that after the crime he did not hide obvious evidence (he did not lock the door with a hook, left traces of blood on his dress, did not hide his wallet and money). All his further attempts to cover his tracks are tinged with madness, “even memory, even simple consideration leaves him... the mind is darkened.” He admits to himself, “Truly reason is leaving me!” (part 2, chapter 1)

For Raskolnikov, the call to repentance sounds in the events of his life: he receives news - a summons from the police demanding to appear. Two thoughts are fighting within him. The first thought is to hide the evidence, the second is to let them incriminate. Raskolnikov was ready to open up. But no one is forcing him to confess. According to the author, he is required to repent, an act of free will and a change of thought. Raskolnikov committed an ideological crime, a deliberate one, a man demands his “right to blood,” and his repentance could not be a painful impulse, it must be deliberate, a real change of thoughts. Therefore, during the course of the plot, Raskolnikov’s impulse to confess stops: the police “suddenly” begin to discuss yesterday in front of him.

Raskolnikov faces not only illness, but also punishment. We often perceive punishment as punishment, retribution, torment... Not so with God. “Punishment” is an “indication on” something, and it is also a command on what to do or what not to do. At the same time, something was “told” to you: openly and clearly, now you can do it or not. And even when you have transgressed what was “punished,” the “punishment” remains with you as an act of God’s mercy. We read about this in the Bible: how Cain begged God to punish himself - Cain’s seal. " And the Lord said to Cain: What did you do? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the earth. And now you are cursed from the land, which has refused its mouth to receive the blood of your brother at your hand. When you cultivate the land, it will no longer give you strength; you will be groaning and shaking on the ground.”

Cain is the first human being to be cursed. But no one cursed Cain... The Lord never curses anyone... Cain was cursed from the earth, he became " groaning and shaking on the ground." In the ancient Hebrew language, “punishment” and “sin” are used in one word: sin is the punishment for the criminal. Cain found himself outside the world of God. The Lord does not drive Cain away from himself, but Cain does not understand this : “And Cain said to the Lord: My punishment is more than can be endured. Behold, now You are driving me from the face of the earth, and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth...” Cain runs from God. Nobody wants to take revenge on him. Nobody is chasing him. But as the Holy Scripture says “The wicked flees when no one is pursuing (him).” Cain himself is hiding from the face of the Lord, but he is afraid of one thing - to be killed. And the Lord gives the first murderer protection, which will become his “punishment.” “And the Lord said to him: For this reason, whoever kills Cain will have sevenfold vengeance. And the Lord made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him. And Cain went from the presence of the Lord... And he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son.”

The “sign” that the Lord gave to the first murderer at his request protects the murderer from punishment other than exile and loneliness. The theme of Cain's seal becomes dominant in Raskolnikov's punishment. He is punished not so much by the pangs of conscience as by the double-digit seal of Cain: Raskolnikov is completely protected from persecution and excommunicated from the society of people. Only three people see this stamp on him: investigator Porfiry Petrovich (confident of Raskolnikov’s crime, he leaves him until it’s time to “take a walk”); Sonya (she is also a criminal, and the schismatics are trying to break through to her from his terrible loneliness) and Svidrigailov (“We are from the same background,” he says at the first meeting).

Utopia. Dostoevsky considered the second coming of Christ to be the key to the formation of a world of love and justice. It is this motive that sounds in the novel “Crime and Punishment.” The official Marmeladov is convinced that “the one who took pity on us all and who understood everyone and everything will take pity on us, he is the only one, he is the judge.” The timing of the second coming of Christ is unknown, but it will take place at the end of the world, when lawlessness, war and the worship of Satan reign on earth: “And he will stretch out his hand to us, and we will fall down... and weep... and we will understand everything! Then we will understand everything! ...and everyone will understand... Lord, may your kingdom come!” The second coming of Christ, Dostoevsky believed, would be the reason for the descent to earth of the New Jerusalem. Raskolnikov, who confessed his belief in the New Jerusalem, has in mind future socialism. In the Bible, the New Jerusalem is “a new faith and new land“, where people “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no crying, no sickness, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. XXI, 4). Raskolnikov sees the life of the future: “There was freedom and other people lived there, completely different from those here, it was as if time itself had stopped, as if the centuries of Abraham and his flocks had not yet passed” (V, 531). And another utopian vision is given to the hero of the novel: “He dreamed everything, and all the dreams were strange: most often he imagined that he was somewhere in Africa, in Egypt, in some kind of oasis. The caravan is resting, the camels are lying quietly; There are palm trees growing all around; everyone is having lunch. He keeps drinking water, straight from the stream, which flows and gurgles right there by his side. And so cool, and so wonderful blue water, cold, runs over multi-colored stones and along such clean sand with golden sparkles...” (V, 69). These “visions” suggest that Dostoevsky was close to the mythological utopia of the “Isles of the Blessed,” where people live in complete isolation from the whole world, without a state and laws that oppress people.

The spiritual rebirth of man through compassionate love and action, the improvement of society through the preaching of morality and unity - this is philosophical concept Dostoevsky. The theme of the end of the world and time, eschatology, the death of the world and man, the subsequent revival and the structure of a new world (golden age) are constantly in contact with each other, intertwined, making up a single utopian plan of the writer for remaking the Universe. One of the sources for this plan (besides Russian and European folklore) were motifs borrowed by Dostoevsky from the Bible.