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Christian motives in the work of Victor Likhachev. Christian motives and images in the novel Crime and Punishment

Christian motives in the work of Victor Likhachev. Christian motives and images in the novel Crime and Punishment

15.03.2019

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E. M. ZHILYAKOVA 

Tomsk State University

CHRISTIAN MOTIVES AND IMAGES

IN THE WORKS OF N. A. NEKRASOVA

(1830-1850s)

Russian literature XIX century is marked by a phenomenal phenomenon: the work of a number of major writers, such as N. A. Nekrasov, A. I. Herzen, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, is characterized by a synthesis of ideas and images of Orthodox Christianity and revolutionary enlightenment. This phenomenon is of great interest, since it uniquely expressed the complexity and tension of the spiritual life of Russian society in the middle of the 19th century, which cannot be reduced only to a split and a bare antithesis of the ideas of Orthodoxy and enlightenment. Revolutionary calls for rebellion and rebellion in the work of revolutionaries are paradoxically combined with a passionate desire for harmony and spiritual harmony. This synthesis has deep national roots, philosophical and aesthetic traditions.

Nekrasov's work of the period of the 1840-1850s - his lyrics, poems, especially "Silence", standing on the threshold of the creation of large poems, contains a whole array of themes, images, motives associated with religious ideas, with the text of the Bible. And this requires an explanation, since it is a reflection of the attitude and aesthetics of the poet.

Nekrasov's interest in the Christian tradition in art was unusually pronounced in his early work and practically predetermined the most important centers of his ethics and aesthetics. The poems of the early Nekrasov, collected in the book “Dreams and Sounds”, are immersed in the element of romantic and religious images, revealing a connection with the Russian and European elegiac tradition. This moment, namely the fact that the religious element of Nekrasov's poetry from the very beginning is connected with the traditions of Russian and European romantic lyrics, will prove to be extremely important for the poet in all epochs of his work.

The elegiac tradition opened up the possibility of creating an image of a reflective lyrical hero, psychologically subtly outlined, but most importantly, it opened up a lyrical source for confession, created an “idealistic” territory of the spirit, protecting it from the dictates of social determinism.

The well-known and noted by many observation that the young Nekrasov imitated the romantics, and especially Zhukovsky and Hugo 1 (a whole series of poems: “The Angel of Death”, “The Meeting of Souls”, “True Wisdom” is a direct analogue of the texts of Zhukovsky), in the aspect of the problem posed, acquires special significance. Nekrasov did not just develop the themes of Russian and European poetry - “mysteries of the universe”, “air way”, “meeting of souls”, etc. His philosophical and moral values were formed, the foundations were laid artistic thinking which, with the so-called overcoming of romanticism, do not leave his poetic world, on the contrary, they determine a special tone, style, tension of the confessional tone associated with the eternal search for God and justice. DS Merezhkovsky, speaking about Nekrasov's religiosity, pointed to its genetic predetermination as a quality of a poet of Russian culture 2 .

On the pages of Nekrasov's early lyrics, a peculiar dialogue of educational and religious ideas is outlined, where the ethics of Christianity, which determined the most important centers of both enlightenment (philosophy, ideology) and the Orthodox religion, are the basis and connecting them. This ambiguous dialogue, including both a moment of agreement and a sharp contradiction in the most important positions, will turn into the lyrics of the mature Nekrasov with the deepest dramatic collisions and the highest artistic discoveries.

1 Commentary on the Complete Works and Letters of N. A. Nekrasov // Nekrasov N. A. Full. coll. op. and letters: V 15 t. L., 1981. T. 1. S. 640-666; Vatsuro IN. E. To the literary history of Nekrasov's poem "Earthquake" // Nekrasovsky collection, V. L., 1973. P. 276-280; Prozorov YU. M. Nekrasov's book "Dreams and Sounds" and Russian Romantic Poetry // Influence of N. A. Nekrasov's work on Russian poetry. Yaroslavl, 1978. S. 3-14; Pikov H. H. On the poetic evolution of early Nekrasov // N. A. Nekrasov and Russian literature of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. Yaroslavl, 1982. S. 3-23; Eichenbaum B. M. Nekrasov // Eikhenbaum B. M. About poetry. L., 1968. S. 35-74.

2 Merezhkovsky D. WITH. Two secrets of Russian poetry // Merezhkovsky D.S. In the still waters. M., 1991. S. 424.

In the spirit of the romantic tradition, early Nekrasov's poetry is centered around the problem of human self-determination. In the foreground was the question of the soul, posed in a philosophical and religious perspective. The question of the soul is considered in the context of the main alternatives of early Nekrasov: soul and body, God and man, heaven and earth. Nekrasov's soul invariably opposes the body and personifies in man the ideal side of his existence - the soul is always turned to God. This formulation of the problem affected national identity Russian literature with its cult of cordiality, sincerity (“Thought”, “Death”, “Conversation”).

One of the earliest poems "Thought" (1838) is built as philosophical allegory in sharp contrast between the “decrepit world” and “young life”. Death is considered not in its tragic sense for a specific human destiny, but as a transition to another, heavenly, higher existence. In the poem of the same name, the lyrical hero, referring to death, begs her to appear not at the hours of the “evil spirit”, when “the mind is obedient like a low slave, and there is nothing sacred in it”, not at the hours of “heart storms and rebellions”, but in a moment of spiritual enlightenment: “I am close to heaven – it’s time for death!” 3

However, with the obvious dominance of the religious-romantic concept of the soul in Nekrasov's early poems, another trend is also visible - the poet's interest in the excitement and joys of life. The program is the poem "Conversation" (1839), built on the dialogue of Soul and Body. As a romantic, idealist, thinking religiously and sublimely, Nekrasov prefers the Soul, which mourns and is angry about the unholy desires of the Body. The part of the Soul is written in a high odic tone. But despite the fact that the Body “destroys” “my bright mind, my pure gift, my spirit” through inaction, the lyrical part of the Body is also distinguished by the energy of persuasion, inspiration and excitement:

There is ecstasy in the whirlwind of dance,

In game, dinner and wine

And in the paint of a timid blush

Beloved maiden by the moon. (1, 269)

At the level of intonation, the dialogue sounds on an equal footing, thus the art form balances

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3 Nekrasov H. A. complete collection works and letters: In 15 vols. L., 1981. Vol. 1. S. 189. In the future, all citations are given according to this edition, indicating the volume and page in brackets.

and the demands of the spirit and mortal life, and Nekrasov's position acquires complexity and ambiguity.

God occupies the highest place in the moral and philosophical system of the early Nekrasov. The image of the ideal, the beautiful is always correlated with Christ, with a picture of paradise, endowed with biblical details: “a quiet evening of prayers and inspirations”, “and the silence of a solemn summer, And the sound of the waters, And the singing of a nightingale, And a bird soaring above the earth, And a burning morning day in the sky ” (1, 223).

In the lyrics of early Nekrasov, the elegiac tradition is especially strong, in line with which a type of lyrical hero was created - always gloomy, outcast, lonely. basis psychological drawing in many of its variants, it makes up the drama of the hero's understanding of the imperfection of earthly life, and therefore the impossibility of living according to the commandments of Christ, he is torn between the divine ideal and the coldness of life (“froze his heart”). The development of the plot of the poem “The Exile” is based on a dramatic gap between the existence of the “son of dust” in the country of “azure semi-earthly existence”, where his soul once miraculously fell - and the suffering to which he is doomed, now the “son of faith”, in the “lower world ” in the midst of suffering and worldly battles. Instructs and consoles the lyrical hero "providence sent to him." The words spoken by the “invisible voice” are essentially a moral code, a commandment Orthodox Christian, expressed poetic word:

But you are iron chains

Surround the excitement of gloomy thoughts,

Don't trust your soul with doubt

Do not curse for the grief of life,

Pray to holy providence

And keep faith in the Lord. (1, 197)

Nekrasov combines the elegiac tradition, like Zhukovsky, with the ballad and odic. Connecting to the elegiac intonation of others blurs the dull monotony of the lyrical hero. Suffering and humility are replaced by joy, quiet jubilation, not alien to Christianity and especially perceived, like the idea of duty, by enlighteners. The poem "Meeting of Souls", built on a ballad basis, according to the plot, rhythm, mixed intonation of sadness and joy, mysterious solemnity and humor, is comparable with Zhukovsky's "Svetlana". Elegance of style, creating a feeling of lightness, ghostly ethereal space, through which

“something rushes along the air path like a trickle of light”, is subject to the creation of a special lyrical mood - ideality, grace, the joy of finding soul mate. The lexical composition of the poem is determined by the motifs of flight (“airway”, “solemn years are barely audible”, “span of light wings”), light (“pearl robe”, “trickle of light”, “azure edge”, “flame of new radiance”, “ light”, “golden”, “fire-colored radiance”), love (“hello”, “bliss ray”, “captivated by beauty”, “selfless love”, “happiness with pure rays”). The lofty romantic vocabulary is associated with the verbal elements of the religious sphere: God, prayer, robe, vows, light ether, crown, torment. Another poem of 1839 "Poetry" is full of internal dynamics and joyful energy, it contains the motives of Goethe's "Goddess of Fantasy" in Zhukovsky's translation. Thus, from within the developed Christian-religious conception, tendencies characteristic of the Enlightenment understanding of man break through. It is no coincidence that ancient images are used in Nekrasov's poems. And although in “Days of the Blessed” (1839) the memory of “the days of joyful flashed youth” appears for a “moment”, the whole work is permeated with light and hope, and next to “pale Diana” is “young Svetlana”. In other poems, when describing a happy past or moments of creative insight, “violent Bacchus”, “beloved Apollo” come to life in the texts.

Nekrasov's concept of history and culture stands behind the poetic synthesis of Christian and ancient texts. A man of the 30s, brought up on romantic traditions, Nekrasov in the poem "Colosseum" discovered an interest in philosophical problems stories. The romantic concept of historical development, which was based on the enlightening ideas of Herder and the French encyclopedists, turned out to be related to the early Nekrasov and was expressed in the interpretation of antiquity as a colossal stage that preceded Christianity. Image ancient rome and the Colosseum appears in the poem in grandeur (“great picture”, “majestic beauty”, “gigantic work”, “glory to art and ancient minds!”, “you capital letter on the dark tablet of the past centuries”) and in ruins (“the former great grave”, “skeleton, ugly freak”, “terrible decline”). The history of the Colosseum and Rome is seen as a philosophical model of the fate of man and mankind in its prime and at the end of life. In the last part of the poem in the confession of the Colosseum develops

the thought of Rome's punishment for "disastrous glory", for the cruelty of morals:

Good suffered, tyranny rejoiced,

Rivers of Christian blood flowed. (1, 204)

On the pages of Nekrasov's early lyrics, a dispute unfolded over the problem of faith and disbelief, about the possibility or impossibility of "haughty mind" to solve the riddle of life. In a number of poems (“True Wisdom”, “Incomprehensible Song”, “Riddle”) Nekrasov develops the concept of divine origin and the meaning of life. In the sonnet “The Riddle”, the poet, describing the picture of peace reigning over the world, is interested not so much in painting the landscape as in thinking about the greatness of everything created higher power:

an incomprehensible shrine

Before us, without speeches,

The sky is a round plain

Shines in a robe of rays.

What is there beyond the blue distance,

Distance, visible to the eyes,

Where it merges with the desert

During the day and in the twilight of the night? (1, 252)

The biblical image of the “grain” is placed at the top of the poem as an answer to the question about the “wonderful mystery” of nature:

And taken to the extreme

We only see one

That the world was not created by chance,

There is an initial seed... (1, 252)

The theoretical and at the same time passionate, deeply polemical treatise of the poet is the poem “True Wisdom”. In terms of content and intensity of the dispute with enlightenment rationalism, True Wisdom is close to Zhukovsky's Inexpressible.

The arrogant mind did not comprehend everything,

Not everything is light for the sage,

There are many mysteries in the universe

The keys of which are with the creator. (1, 209)

Measure God with an earthly mind,

To comprehend the secrets of life, -

No, it's bold, it's a lot

No, this is not your share! (1, 210)

With the question of the divine beginning of being, Nekrasov is connected with the solution of the central moral and philosophical problem - the self-determination of man in the world, the content of his

positions, his philosophy of life. In accordance with religious Orthodox principles, the ideal existence of a person is presented to Nekrasov as the complete harmony of a person with the world, wholeness, the ability to elevate the soul and emerge from suffering transformed and reconciled. Finishing the poem “True Wisdom”, Nekrasov defines the program of a person’s life destiny as the path of endless improvement of the soul in faith. The theme of faith is one of the most exciting of the poet:

There is no glory in a daring attempt

The incomprehensible to comprehend! (1, 211)

Nekrasov in a number of poems considers reflection, doubt, rebelliousness as a manifestation of the “unclean spirit”, “corrupt spirit”, a demon that corrupts the soul:

Wonderful, terrible these words!

Often the mind listens to them

And from every meeting

Christian motives in the work of A. S. Pushkin

Document

Pushkin's life gives us an example of a deep and tragic experience of spiritual experience. Starting with the lyceum poem "Unbelief", the poet, even in his youth, creates such religious masterpieces as "Vespers has departed long ago", "To Chaadaev", an excerpt

1. Christianity in the culture of Russia.

2. Basic Christian motives.
3. Symbolism of numbers.
4. Biblical names.
5. The idea of human humanity.

Christianity brought to Rus' in the 10th century left a deep imprint on almost all levels of human life - cultural, spiritual, physical. In addition, it was thanks to Christianity, or rather Orthodoxy, that writing appeared in Rus', and literature along with it. It is impossible to deny the influence of Christianity on a Russian person, just as it is impossible to deny the influence of this religion on art - painting, music, literature. In particular, the deepest conviction in the truth of the ideals of Orthodoxy is contained in the works of the great Russian writer F. M. Dostoevsky. The novel "Crime and Punishment" is the clearest confirmation of this.

The religiosity of the writer, his sincere faith in the power of Orthodoxy amaze with its purity and strength. Dostoevsky is interested in such categories as sin and virtue, sinner and saint, morality and its absence. The protagonist of the novel, Rodion Raskolnikov, is the key to understanding these concepts. Initially, he carries the sin of pride in himself, not only in deeds, but also in thoughts. Having absorbed the theory of earthly Napoleons, trembling and right-handed creatures, the hero turns out to be drugged by ideals unusual for him. He kills an old pawnbroker, not yet realizing that he is destroying not so much her as himself, his soul. This is followed by purgatory on earth - having gone a long way through remorse, self-destruction and despair, the hero finds his salvation in love for Sonya Marmeladova,

The concepts of suffering, love, purification are central to Christian religion. Deprived of repentance and love, people cannot know the true light and are forced to remain in darkness. So, Svidrigailov, even during his lifetime, knows what hell will look like for him - a place like "a black bathhouse with spiders and mice." When this hero is mentioned in the text, the word “devil” constantly appears, and even the good that he can and wants to do turns out to be unnecessary, useless. Later, Raskolnikov himself, in his penitential speech, will say that the devil is persecuting him: "The devil led me to a crime." But if Svidrigailov commits suicide, which is the most terrible sin in the Christian religion, then the repentant Raskolnikov is capable of purification and rebirth.

The motif of prayer is important in the framework of the novel. The protagonist himself prays, despite his initial aspirations. After the episode of the dream about the horse, Raskolnikov prays, but his prayers are not destined to be heard because of the depravity of the one who prays, and therefore he has no choice but to commit a long-planned and tormenting crime. Sonechka, the daughter of the owner of the apartment, the children of Katerina Ivanovna, who is preparing herself for the monastery, are constantly praying. Prayer, as an important and integral part of the life of a Christian, becomes the same integral part of the novel.

An important role is played within the framework of the work by two more holy symbols of the Christian religion - the cross and holy scripture. The gospel, which previously belonged to Lizaveta, is given to Raskolnikov by Sonya. Reading it, the hero is reborn spiritually. The cross, also Lizavetin, the hero at first does not accept it because he is not ready for repentance and awareness of his sin, but then he finds the strength to take it, which also indicates a spiritual rebirth.

The significance of religion in the novel, the religiosity of its text are enhanced by constant associations, analogies with biblical stories. There is also a reference to the biblical Lazarus, which sounds in the epilogue of the novel from the lips of Sonechka, who tells the story of him to Raskolnikov on the fourth day after the hero committed the crime. At the same time, in the parable itself there is a mention that Lazarus was also resurrected on the fourth day. In fact, Raskolnikov is dead, he lies in a coffin - in his closet, and Sonya comes in order to save, heal and resurrect him. Present in the text, organically intertwining in it, are such parables as the story of Cain and Abel, the parable of the harlot (“if anyone is not sinful, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”), the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the parable of Martha, fussing all over life about the empty and missing the very essence of life (associations with Svidrigailov's wife Marfa Petrovna).

It is easy to trace the gospel principles in the names of the characters. They are talking. Here it is necessary to give a Christopher example about Martha and Martha Petrovna, here it is necessary to say about Kapernaumov, the man from whom Sonya rented a room (Capernaum is the biblical city from which the harlot came), about Ilya Petrovich (combination of the names Ilya - the holy thunderer and Peter - hard as a stone), about Lizaveta (Elizabeth - worshiping God, holy fool), about Katerina (Catherine - pure, bright).

Of great importance are the numbers, which also refer the reader to biblical motifs. Most frequent numbers three, seven and eleven. Sonya gives Marmeladov 30 kopecks, the first time she brings 30 rubles “from work”, Martha redeems Svidrigailov with the same 30 kopecks, and he, like Judas, betrays her. Svidrigailov offers Duna "up to thirty", and Raskolnikov hits the old woman three times on the head. The hero commits a murder at the seventh hour, and the number seven in Orthodoxy is a symbol of the unity of man and God. Committing a crime, Raskolnikov tries to break the oppressive connection and ends up with mental anguish and seven years of hard labor.

The main biblical motif that matters for the novel is the motif of voluntary acceptance of torment and recognition of one's sins. It is no coincidence that Mikola wants to take the blame for the protagonist. But Raskolnikov, led by Sonya, refuses such a sacrifice: it would not bring him the long-awaited consolation. He accepts Sonya's request for public repentance and recognition of his sins and voluntarily goes for it. And only then does he become ready for spiritual and spiritual rebirth.

The work was completed by: Nadolinskaya Valeria, student of 10 "B" class MOBU secondary school No. 38

Scientific adviser: Sokolskaya Elena Viktorovna, teacher of the highest category, MOBU secondary school No. 38, Taganrog

Introduction

Chapter 1. The plot of the denial of the Apostle Peter in the Gospel

Chapter 2

A.P. Chekhov

Chapter 3. The plot of the famous Gospel parable in the story "Judas Iscariot" by L. Andreev

Conclusion

Bibliography

Annex 1 Electronic presentation "This WORD teaches us to live"

Introduction

The Book of Books... This is how they talk about the Bible, thereby denoting its place in culture with the utmost brevity.

Many people do not know or understand the meaning of God's word in our lives. And it is certainly great. Every day we speak thousands of words that have great power in the world. How carefully should they be used? How important it is that our word should have an atmosphere of kindness and teach us how to live. This is the Word of God. It is so immutable and true that God has connected Himself and the existence of all things with it. Man must be filled and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If we develop and fill ourselves with the Word of God, then we will know the biblical principles and will be able to teach this to others. The Bible is a collection of sacred texts of Christians, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. It teaches us to feed on every Word, meaning that we must read and study the entire Word of God. It contains the words of truth that God wanted to convey to us.

In my opinion, biblical stories are of considerable importance in our lives. How many different writers or artists turn to the Bible, use chapters from the Gospels, or take scenes from the Bible as the basis of their work. One such plot is the denial of the Apostle Peter.

I recently read a story by A.P. Chekhov "Student", he made a strong impression and made me think about a number of questions: do writers often use biblical stories, what is the author's interpretation of the motive of betrayal, why does Anton Pavlovich justify his hero, is there piece of art with a different view of Peter's act... The desire to get answers was the reason that prompted me to take on this project.

My work is an interdisciplinary, long-term, individual project, which was carried out as part of the learning activity in literature in the 10th grade during the third quarter. The project product is an electronic supplement to the lesson "The Word teaches us to live".

In the course of working on the project, I came to the conclusion that the boundaries of knowledge in history, the Russian language, literature, theology (the science of interpreting biblical texts), computer science are expanding, but the most important thing is that the study of biblical texts, the Gospel is a wonderful means of familiarization with the spiritual moral Orthodox culture of the Russian people, our country.

The relevance and novelty of the presented work lies in the fact that on the basis of the works of Russian literature, it offers a characterization of the plot of the teacher's betrayal on the basis of its gospel invariant and the most important plot variations.

According to researchers, now the role of the Bible in our lives has increased. Many people, in order to get answers to their questions, to find out how to act correctly in the current situation, turn to the Gospel.

The object of the study is biblical stories, known throughout the world, but not fully explored. The theoretical material obtained as a result of the search will help to delve deeply into the topic, to systematize the reasons for the use of biblical stories in the works of Russian writers, and the practical (electronic application) will help create a picture of these stories and will be a timely help in the work of both the teacher and the student.

Materials and results of the work can be used in special courses and optional classes; in the work of a librarian, as well as to continue scientific research related to the topic. The collected material may be of interest a wide range Internet users.

Target research work: to characterize the typological variants of one of the plots of Russian literature on the basis of representative works. In this paper, an attempt was made to analyze the work of A.P. Chekhov, L. Andreeva through the prism Holy Scripture. This goal involves the solution of the following specific research tasks:

"to analyze the plot of the denial of the Apostle Peter in different Gospels;

"to analyze the plot of the denial of the Apostle Peter in the work;

"to trace the transformation of the plot on the example of works of Russian literature and describe its plot modifications;

"to reveal the role and function of one of the key plots of the Bible in these works;

"create an electronic application in which versions of the famous gospel parable and the plot of Peter's denial from the Gospel will be characterized based on the works of Russian writers.

Chapter 1. The plot of the denial of the Apostle Peter in the Gospel.

The gospels (from Greek - "good news") are the life stories of Jesus Christ, which tell about his divine nature, birth, life, miracles, death, resurrection and ascension. The Gospels are part of the books of the New Testament.

The denial of the Apostle Peter is a New Testament episode that tells how the Apostle Peter denied Jesus Christ after his arrest, which was predicted by Jesus during the Last Supper. Peter denied it three times in fear that he too would be arrested, and when he heard the rooster crow, he remembered

words of his Master and bitterly repented. This story is found in all four Gospels (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-18, 18:25-27).

Among the four Gospels, the content of the first three - from Matthew, Mark and Luke - largely coincides, they are close to each other both in narrative terms and in the form of presentation. The fourth gospel of John differs significantly from the first three both in content and in the very style of presentation. But they all represent a single whole in the presentation of Divine truth, all four Gospels differ from each other in the properties of the character of each of the evangelists, the construction of speech, syllable, and some special expressions. They differ from each other both because of the circumstances and conditions under which they were written, and depending on the goal that each of the four evangelists set for himself. Peter's denial is evidence of human weakness. This prediction is described by all the evangelists, but with some difference between the story of Matthew, Luke and John from the testimony of Mark. Many do not attach much importance to the differences in these stories, considering them "small differences that do not turn into contradictions."

The 26th chapter is dedicated to the denial of Peter in the Gospel of Matthew. It consistently tells about the meeting of the high priests with the scribes about the Lord's betrayal of death, the betrayal of Judas, the Last Supper, the prediction of the denial of Peter, the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the taking of the Lord by the servants of the high priest, the trial at Caiaphas and the denial of Peter.

Peter's denial in the Gospel of Mark

He also bore the name of John, was a Jew by origin, but was not among the 12 apostles of the Lord. Therefore, he could not be such a constant companion and listener of the Lord as Matthew was. He wrote his Gospel from the words and under the guidance of the Apostle Peter. He himself, in all likelihood, was an eyewitness only last days earthly life of the Lord.

The Gospel of Mark is a recording of the oral sermon of the Apostle Peter, which Mark made at the request of Christians living in Rome, which is confirmed by many other church writers, and by the whole content. It says very little about the relationship of the teachings of Jesus Christ to the Old Testament and provides very few references to the Old Testament sacred books. However, the main focus is on

so that through a strong, vivid narration of the miracles of Christ, emphasize him

majesty and omnipotence. Basically, the content of the Gospel of Mark is very close to the content of the Gospel of Matthew, but differs, in comparison with it, in greater brevity and conciseness. It has 16 chapters in total. It begins with the appearance of John the Baptist, and ends with the departure of the holy apostles to preach after the Ascension of the Lord.

Peter's denial in the Gospel of Luke

Luke used not only eyewitness accounts of the Lord's ministry, but also some of the written records of the life and teachings of the Lord that already existed at that time. His gospel is distinguished by its particular accuracy in determining the time and place of events and strict chronological sequence, because this narrative and written records have been subjected to the most careful study. Saint Luke speaks of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest who offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. The Gospel of Luke contains 24 chapters. It begins with a story about the appearance of an angel to the priest Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, and ends with a story about the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. Chapter 22 is dedicated to Peter's denial, it includes a story about the betrayal of Judas, the Last Supper, the prediction of Peter's denial, the Lord's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord's arrest, Peter's denial, the trial before the Sanhedrin.

Denial of Peter in the Gospel of John

John the Evangelist was the son of a wealthy Galilean fisherman Zebedee and Salome. Together with Peter and his brother Jacob, he was honored

special closeness to the Lord, being with Him in the most important and solemn moments of His earthly life. The purpose of writing the fourth gospel was to complete the narrative of the first three evangelists. While the first three evangelists often narrate the same events and cite the same words of the Lord, the Gospel of John contains an account of those events and speeches of the Lord that are not mentioned in the first three gospels. The Gospel of John contains 21 chapters.

Thus, the parable of Peter's denial is present in all four Gospels. This confirms that the personality of the Apostle Peter is undoubtedly one of the central figures of the Gospel. He ranks first among the other apostles. The Lord uses his boat and house. All this confirms what an important position Peter occupied among the other twelve apostles. It is not for nothing that he is called "the supreme one", is called the "stone of Christ's Church". And so, on the eve of the Passion, in the Upper Room of Zion, the Lord, seeing the fall and rise of Peter, says: "Simon! Simon! behold, Satan asks to sow you like wheat; but I prayed for you, so that your faith would not fail; and you when you turn back, strengthen your brothers" (Gospel of Luke 22: 31, 32). The meaning of these words is associated with the dangers that threatened Peter, with his character, ardor, combined with ignorance of himself. The disciple did not hear the mournful warning, did not realize his weakness: "He answered Him:

God! with you I am ready to go to prison and to death" (Gospel of Luke

22:33), "and then the Lord directly told him about the upcoming renunciation"

(Gospel of Luke 22:34).

"Jesus said to him, "Truly, I say to you that this night, before

cock crows, you will deny me three times." But even here Peter did not listen to the words of Christ: "Peter

You, I will not deny You. All the disciples said the same thing" (Gospel

Matthew 26:35). Thus begins the description of Peter's betrayal, which emphasizes the haste and thoughtlessness of his oath of allegiance to the teacher. He is the same as everyone else, and says what the Teacher wants to hear from him. It is important that only in the text of the Gospel of Luke before the prediction

about Peter's denial, Jesus says that he prayed for Peter even before the denial, atoning for his sin before the Lord. This suggests that more

then Christ forgave him.

There is no contradiction in the description of Peter's first denial. To the question of the maid, Peter gives an evasive answer: "I do not know and do not understand what you are saying" (Gospel of Mark 14: 68). However, this evasive answer of Peter is countered by John's short, harsh, unsmoothed and direct denial of "no". The second renunciation seems to be the most difficult for the evangelists to agree on, because, according to Matthew, "another" maid addresses Peter, according to Mark - the same, according to Luke - "another", according to John - unknown people: "... they told him." In any case, these differences are insignificant, and the very fact of Peter's second denial is firmly established.

Between the second and third renunciations, according to Luke, "an hour

time". thunderclouds thicken over Peter's head, and with the last blow

for him it becomes a question of one of the slaves, a relative of Malchus, to whom

Peter cut off his ear: "Didn't I see you with Him in the garden?" (Gospel of John 16:26). "And suddenly a rooster crowed. Then the Lord, turning, looked at Peter, and

Peter, remembered the word of the Lord, how He said to him: Before he sings

cock, you will deny me three times" (Gospel of Luke 22:61).

The endings of the renunciations deserve special attention. The Gospels of Matthew or Luke have a common end: "And he went out, weeping bitterly." In the Gospel of John, the story ends with the words: "Peter denied it again; and immediately the rooster crowed" (Gospel of John 18:27). The author ends the story about the next fulfilled prophecy of Christ, without revealing the feelings of the rest of the characters. Mark completes the legend a little differently, noting: "And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him and began to weep" (Gospel of Mark 14: 72). But he also does not show either the feelings or the state of the hero. Thus, we can conclude that all these four Evangelists do not contradict each other, but only complement and in their totality create the image of Christ. In this story, it is important to pay attention to the betrayal of Peter, who renounced the person whom he loved so much, whom he aspired to with all his heart. Such absurd behavior is natural for us - for people. Very often our actions are similar to stories from the Bible. Peter never forgot his betrayal. St. Clement, his disciple, relates that during the rest of his life Peter knelt down on his knees at the midnight crowing of the rooster and, shedding tears, repented of his renunciation. God has mercy on us who repent and forgives us. For repentance, God forgave Peter for his denial of Christ. Any soul that at least once betrayed Christ will not find rest from this insane act of his, even after forgiveness by the Lord God, until he suffers for Him to death. It was not in vain that the blessed and exalted by God Apostle Peter mourned over his renunciation throughout his earthly life. He mourned not only the very fact of renunciation of Christ, but also the purity of his relationship with Christ lost in this renunciation. But the sin of renunciation is a sin against love. And it is not difficult to prove this, one has only to turn to the 15th chapter of the Gospels of John:

9. As the Father loved me, and I loved you; abide in my love.

10. If you keep My commandments, you will continue in My love, just as I kept My Father's commandments and continue in His love.

11. I have said this to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.

12. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13. There is no greater love than a man laying down his life for his friends.

14. You are My friends if you do what I command you.

Chapter 2. The plot of the denial of the Apostle Peter in the work "The Student" by A.P.

"In Russian literature, among the great Russian writers, religious themes were stronger than in any literature of the world. All our literature of the 19th century is wounded by the Christian theme, all of it is looking for salvation, all of it is looking for deliverance from evil, suffering, the horror of life. The combination of torment about God with torment, about man makes Russian literature Christian even when in their minds Russian writers retreated from the Christian faith" (N.A. Berdyaev). This is true, many Russian writers turned to the Word of God in their works and used biblical episodes in them. One such example is Chekhov's story "Student".

The protagonist of this work is a 22-year-old student Ivan Velikopolsky, returning home late in the evening and reflecting on life. Everything around him seems gloomy, frightening

and dull. When a person perceives everything in a black light, God's world loses its meaning. After all, God designed the world to be beautiful. If the meaning is gone

"at home" of your father, therefore, the father is also meaningless. A person commits a sin - departs from God, and retreat is the most terrible thing that cannot be redeemed. Ivan stopped believing in the Creator. And that is apostasy. In the episode of the hero's departure from home, the motif of homelessness and wandering is manifested. This night for the protagonist is a dedication night. The central episode of the story is the meeting with the widow Vasilisa and her daughter Lukerya. Ivan comes up to the women to say hello and warm up a little by the fire, and at that moment he recalls an episode from the Gospel about how the apostle Peter denied Jesus three times. It is no coincidence that Ivan finds consolation in a conversation with Vasilisa and Lukerya, retelling to them the gospel story of Peter's threefold denial. In Ivan's words we find exact quotations from the Gospel. In his retelling, the hero combines turns colloquial speech and Church Slavonic text. Here, undoubtedly, childhood impressions of Chekhov himself were reflected: reading aloud the texts of Holy Scripture, as well as the perception of church vocabulary, phraseology in the lively everyday speech of the father and uncle of the writer. It is no coincidence that Chekhov scholars repeatedly refer to the well-known testimony of I. A. Bunin - that Chekhov was distinguished by "a subtle knowledge of church services and simple believing souls."

In the same way, on a cold night, the Apostle Peter warmed himself by the fire, - said the student, stretching out his hands to the fire. So it was cold back then. Oh, what a terrible night it was, grandmother! Extremely dull, long night! The image of light, fire runs through the whole story, connects all its parts. IN this work light (fire) shows a connection with God, connects the two states of Ivan - despondency and transfiguration. The gospel bonfire, in which Peter's drama broke out, and the fire in the widow's gardens seemed to the hero to be two ends of a single chain that binds people at all times. For a believer, the mentioned gospel events have a special meaning. If the Lord forgave his disciple, who showed spiritual weakness, did not cease to love him, then, without a doubt, He will forgive every person who repents of his sin. It is no coincidence that the student

Theological academy, also a disciple of Christ, remembered precisely about Peter, warming himself by the fire in the company of two widows. For Chekhov, Peter's repentance is important, for it means salvation, the removal of sin. Indeed, according to the author, he did not immediately notice this, because the self-preservation instinct worked. The author expresses the unconsciousness, impulsiveness of Peter's action with the verb "woke up". Ivan, retelling this story, is trying to find an excuse for Peter.

It is also important to note the reaction of listeners to Ivan's story. The student sighed and thought. Continuing to smile, Vasilisa suddenly sobbed, tears, large, abundant, flowed down her cheeks, and she

shielded her face from the fire with her sleeve, as if ashamed of her tears, and Lukerya, looking

motionless at the student, blushed, and her expression became heavy, tense, like that of a person who is holding back severe pain". This lively, emotional response of kind women to the story of Peter struck the hero, set him up for painful thoughts. The student thought about Vasilisa: if she cried, then everything that happened in that terrible night with Peter, has something to do with her ... ". The young man thought that "if Vasilisa cried, and her daughter was embarrassed, then, obviously, what he just talked about, what happened nineteen centuries ago, is related to the present - to both women and, probably, to this deserted village, to himself, to all people. If the old woman began to cry, it was not because he knew how to tell a touching story, but because Peter was close to her, and because she was interested with all her being in what was happening in Peter's soul. "The hero reflects on the events of the distant past, about people who lived many centuries ago. He understands that everything that happens once makes sense for his contemporaries. Ivan on that day realized that truth and beauty are the main thing in a person's life. The moment of spiritual insight, enlightenment of the hero becomes the culmination in Chekhov's narration.

Can we say that turning to the Bible, remembering this story, the main character had an epiphany? After all, if we recall the beginning of the story "And now, shrugging from the cold, the student thought that exactly the same wind blew under Rurik, and under Ivan the Terrible, and under Peter, and that under them there was exactly the same severe poverty, hunger, the same leaky thatched roofs, ignorance, melancholy, the same desert all around, darkness, a feeling of oppression - all these horrors were, are and will be, and because another thousand years pass, life will not get better "Or remember a truly terrible phrase : "He didn't want to go home." The main character has no hope for a bright future.

In the finale, Ivan Velikopolsky experienced the highest, spiritual delight “on the threshold” of a new life that opened up its boundless expanses before him, “when he crossed the river on a ferry and then, climbing a mountain, looked at his native village and to the west, where a narrow strip a cold crimson dawn shone." The meeting of the hero with God took place: Divine love and true faith returned to his heart.

In the story "Student" there is a moral connection between the past - present - future - this is the Word of God, which directed "human life there, in the garden and in the courtyard of the high priest", continues "continuously to this day and, apparently, always" will be "the most important thing in human life." It will perform the greatest of all miracles -

miracle of soul transformation. That is why "what happened nineteen centuries ago is relevant to the present - to both women and, probably, to this deserted village, to himself, to all people."

Chapter 3. The plot of the famous gospel parable in the story "Judas Iscariot" by L. Andreev.

Leonid Andreev is another writer who also turned to the Gospel and took stories from the Bible as the basis of his works. In his story "Judas Iscariot" he gives his version of the famous gospel parable, saying that he wrote "something on the psychology, ethics and practice of betrayal. The story deals with the problem of the ideal in human life. Jesus is such an ideal, and his disciples must preach it teaching, to bring the light of truth to the people. Taking as a basis the gospel legend of Judas betraying Jesus the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver, Andreev rethinks its plot and fills it with a new one.

biography, while in Andreev this plot takes on an artistic

For example, the most striking differences are: Judas in the story looks more monstrous than in the Bible. In the image of L. Andreev, Judas is a living person, with his passions and feelings, betraying his teacher out of love for him. The image of this character inspires conflicting feelings: this is a low, selfish, deceitful type, at the same time, this is a brave fighter against human stupidity and cowardice. Judas betrays in a terrible way the purest person, while only he is one of all the students sincerely loves the teacher. Even the portrait description leaves the impression of duality. "Short red hair did not hide the strange and unusual shape of his skull: as if cut from the back of the head with a double blow of the sword (...) inspired distrust, even anxiety." Judas' face also left a strange impression: "one side of it, with a black, keenly looking out eye, was alive, mobile, while the other was deathly smooth, flat and frozen." This duality was expressed in all his nature. His statements are caustic, caustic, bilious, he "attributed to people such inclinations that even an animal does not have," while the replicas are insightful, accurate, witty, independent, perfect in meaning, he managed to appreciate and love Jesus Christ, but did not understand and did not accept His teaching.

Leonid Andreev portrays the unfaithful student as jealous, offended, obsessed with deadly, perverted love and devotion to the Teacher. All this is unique

image. If the Gospel Judas is deprived of some human characteristics, this is a symbol of betrayal and vice, then Andreev's is a living person. In L. Andreev, Judas betrays Christ of his own free will, in the Bible - "but the devil seduced him, and he began to hate the Savior." In the Bible, the disciples intercede for Christ: "They who were with Him, seeing what was going on, said to Him:" Lord! Shouldn't we strike with a sword?" And one of them

struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said:

leave enough. And, touching his ear, he healed him "... Peter denies Jesus 3 times... The disciples run away, but this act is a momentary weakness, since then they preached the teachings of Christ, for many of them they paid with their lives.

The Bible reveals to us the images of the apostles as courageous people, devoted to their Teacher and faith, who brought the light of Christianity to people after the death of the Teacher and died a martyr's death, defending the Christian faith. Andreev's students are traitors. The author portrays the disciples of Christ as cowardly and worthless, caring only about their well-being. "Like a bunch of frightened lambs, the disciples huddled together, not obstructing anything, but interfering with everyone - even themselves" - this is how the author characterizes the apostles. The disciples fall asleep during Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he asks them to stay awake, to be with him in the hour of trial. And finally, they did not protect Christ from the Roman guards during his arrest.

Unlike Chekhov, Andreev portrays Peter with malicious irony. Huge, strong and limited - this is how the author describes it. It is he and another disciple of Jesus, John, arguing about which of them will be in the Kingdom of Heaven next to Jesus. Peter drinks almost all of the wine bought for Jesus "with the indifference of a man who cares only about quantity." In L. Andreev, Jesus Christ is mostly silent and always in the background, the main character is Judas; More than once, "obsessed with insane fear for Jesus," he saved him from the persecution of the mob and possible death. He repeatedly demonstrated his organizational and economic abilities, shone with his mind, but he failed to stand next to Christ on earth. Thus arose the desire to be near Jesus in the kingdom of heaven. Judas suspects that "every untruth, abomination and lie" is hidden in every person in the depths. "Is it people?" he complains about his students. To confirm his suspicions, Judas may go to ultimate test. If Christ is handed over to death, will they defend him, protect him, will they save him - the disciples, the believers, the people? What will be their love, loyalty, courage? Judas creates a situation of choice, which should become a moment of psychological, moral revelation for all participants in this great test. He is trying to prove to Christ, to all people, and to himself to find out what the disciples of Christ really are. The result of the experiment does not leave him any hope. People turned out to be powerless, insignificant, their love is helpless, their fidelity is unreliable. Peter apostatized from Christ, the other disciples did nothing, the crowd betrayed Jesus. Judas is convinced of the correctness of his contempt for people. He "felt the powerlessness of all the forces acting in the world, and threw them all into the abyss." Judas came to the conclusion that a person in this world is doomed to fatal loneliness, even if Jesus Christ was left without support in a difficult hour. Having committed his crime, Judas commits suicide, as he cannot bear his act and the execution of his beloved Teacher.

Muravin A.V., Candidate of Philology D., Associate Professor Zaporozhye National University The article is devoted to the study of Christian motives in the work of V. Vysotsky. In addressing eternal themes, the poet acts as one of the heirs of the Russian classical literature.Key words: Bible, gospel image, humanization, interpretation, Orthodox culture. and V. Visotsky. He sings as one of the declines in Russian classical literature at animalistic to eternal themes. Key words: Bible, gospel image, folklore, interpretation, Orthodox culture. YSOTSKIY / Zaporizhzhya National University, Ukraine.The article deals with the research of Christian motives in creative activity of V.Vysotskiy. In his approach to eternal subjects the poet is considered to be one of the heirs of the Russian classical Literature. Key words: the Bible, gospel image, personification, interpretation, orthodox culture. The Bible is one of the most mysterious books in the cultural heritage of all mankind . Its reading provokes a great variety of interpretations, which often lead to the most cruel religious wars. The great Ukrainian philosopher G. Skovoroda in his "theory three worlds"assigned the Bible the role of the third world - the world of symbols, having known which, a person will be able to know himself and his destiny in life. All writers, poets and philosophers, brought up on Christian values, touched in their work on the eternal issues raised in the Bible. Was no exception and Russian culture - the themes of the Bible, Orthodoxy, faith and unbelief have been raised in the works of all major masters of the word since ancient times. , N. Fedorova, V. Rozanova and many others became famous for the original interpretation of the Gospel, trying to interpret its spirit and connect it with the messianic features of the Russian consciousness. V. Vysotsky, as a representative of the literature of the 60s - 70s of the XX century, could not help At the same time, realizing himself as one of the heirs of Russian classical literature, he touched on eternal topics in his works, one of which was the theme of God and faith in contemporary society. Of course, from the point of view of a devout believer, the very assumption of the presence of Christian motives in Vysotsky's songs is extremely controversial, all the more so to talk about them as something defining. Many will be offended by the image of the "evil jester" from which Vysotsky often spoke about God. However, some important factors should not be forgotten: the socio-political and cultural atmosphere of the 60s-70s and the literary traditions in which these problems were developed and considered. It can be said with confidence that in his interpretation of biblical stories, Vysotsky followed his literary predecessors - in particular, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov and Gogol. The poet is related to them by elements of phantasmagoria, fantasy, irony, which turn into evil satire when biblical images are superimposed on the surrounding reality (as, for example, in "The Scapegoat Song" of 1973). At the same time, thinking about faith and man, Vysotsky, who was hardly familiar with the work of Russian religious philosophers, involuntarily followed their developments - in particular, much in common can be found in Vysotsky's songs and the works of Berdyaev - which once again allows us to talk about some general spiritual beginning uniting people of different origins, education and views who lived in different historical eras. Since the end of the 19th century, Russian literature has established an attitude towards the Russian people as the bearer of the highest moral principle in the person of the Orthodox faith. Through the mouth of one of his characters, Dostoevsky called the Russian people "a God-bearing people, coming to renew and save the world in the name of a new god, and to whom alone have been given the keys of life and a new word." N. Berdyaev wrote in the final lines of his work "The Russian Idea": "The Russian people are religious in their type and in their spiritual structure. Religious anxiety is also characteristic of non-believers. Russian atheism, nihilism, materialism acquired a religious coloring. Russian people from the national, labor layer, even when they left Orthodoxy, they continued to search for God and God's truth, to search for the meaning of life... Orthodoxy". This aesthetic also easily fit famous characteristic Nikolai Stavrogin Kirillov: "If Stavrogin believes, then he does not believe that he believes; if he does not believe, then he does not believe that he does not believe." Berdyaev also owns the paradoxical, at first glance, the idea of a deep inner relationship between early Christian ideas and Russian communism. In a few decades, the same idea will sound like a matter of course in the Strugatsky brothers' novel Burdened with Evil. The events of 1917. And civil war were a real shock for representatives of the Russian intelligentsia; Zinaida Gippius wrote in her diary (entry dated December 22, 1919): "The Russian people have never been Orthodox. They have never been consciously religious... They renounce without scratching themselves! The innocence of a child or an idiot" [cit. according to 7, 319]. On long years the connection between people and faith was severed. Some reconciliation of the state with the church took place during the Great Patriotic War, when they resorted to any methods to raise the spirit of the troops, but by the beginning of the 60s, an unspoken taboo was again imposed on the topics of faith and the human spirit: "about God, about faith as the basis of being (rather than just mentioning) it was not allowed to speak." In this regard, the representatives of "village" literature were in a particularly difficult position. Solzhenitsyn spoke about the complete lack of spirituality of the new generation in the essay "The Easter Procession" (1966), widely known in samizdat: "The procession without those praying! The procession without those who are baptized! The procession in hats, with cigarettes, with transistors on the chest!. What will become of these born and bred chief millions of ours? Why the enlightened efforts and hopeful foresights of thoughtful minds? What good do we expect from our future?" . The conclusions of the writers B. Mozhaev, F. Abramov, V. Astafiev, Soloukhin and others were also disappointing: "the drying up of moral principles ..., the destruction of the entire moral order." But if "village prose" was characterized by pessimism, then a return to the reader M. Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" marked not only the return of a literary masterpiece, but also the acquisition of this ideal lost among the people. And in this regard, the image of Yeshua Ha-Nozri is very indicative, behind which one could easily guess the image of Christ created by no means according to the gospel canons. Bulgakov was the first domestic literature singled out the human hypostasis of Jesus, thereby bringing him as close as possible to an ordinary person. In his interpretation, Christ was more like a poet-dreamer who piously believed in the coming kingdom of justice than a sent son of God, which is why his loneliness was so insistently emphasized in the novel (in contrast to the corresponding passages in the Bible that described the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, his sermons in the crowd of thousands people, his disciples). With such an interpretation, Bulgakov gave the biblical image a creative principle, which brought Christ even closer to man, and at the same time affirmed the divinity of man himself through this creative principle. It would be a mistake to call this interpretation of the image of Christ a revision of the Gospel, which was characteristic of Western religious thought; rather, it is a kind of humanization of the Gospel images. A similar interpretation is already found in the early poetry of V. Vysotsky. So, his quatrain dates back to 1964, which could well have become the beginning of a song: Don’t look at my young age, And there’s nothing to cling to youth. Christ was sold by Judas at thirty-three, Well, I was sold at eighteen. The lyrical hero of this song is sketches initially associates himself and his destiny with Jesus, which, in principle, is not a contradiction to one of the main provisions of the Bible: "And He created man in his own image and likeness." The logic of the hero of the song could be built something like this: if Jesus is the Son of God, and people for God are also children created by Him, then each person in his destiny repeats life path Christ. Unfortunately, we cannot say with certainty whether Vysotsky intended further development this theme in this song, however, the idea of the humanization of Christ gets its unexpected development in another, more famous song - "About poets and hysterics" (another name is "About fatal dates and figures"), 1971 with a dedication to "My poet friends". The theme of the poet in modern society merges in it with the humanization of Christ and the likening of the poet himself to Christ. The first lines are already indicative: "Whoever ends his life tragically, that is a true poet, and if at the exact time, then in full measure." It is difficult to imagine a more tragic death in Christianity than the death of Christ - from a religious point of view, all other earthly deaths are only a reflection and repetition of His death. Indirectly, this is also indicated by the folk saying "Christ endured - and he commanded us." A little further on, the final rapprochement of the poet and Christ takes place on the basis of the creative principle in Bulgakov's traditions: And at thirty-three Christ - He was a poet, he said: Don't kill! If you kill, I’ll find it everywhere, they say. But nails in His hands, so that he doesn’t do anything, And nails in the forehead, so that he doesn’t think about anything. At concerts, the poet often performed the second version, which further strengthened this rapprochement. Thus, Vysotsky gives religious depth to one of the key themes of world literature. Against this background, the ending of the song (“Those who left without dates gained immortality, so do not rush the living too much!”) Sounds not only as a call for sensitivity and careful attitude of society towards its poets, but also as a question: how many more such deaths are needed in order to so that society is finally satiated? And this is not about the simple death of an ordinary person, which is already terrible and difficult to endure, but about the death that "selects the best and mows down one by one." There is an episode in the Gospel of Matthew: when the guards came to arrest Jesus, he asks his apostles not to resist: “Or do you think that I cannot now implore My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of Angels? How will the Scriptures come true, what should it be?" In Vysotsky's song, the question latently sounds: should it always be like this and should it be like that at all? Should the old prophecies have their former force when "the life span is increased"? It is not at all necessary for a modern poet to accept a martyr's crown - he is from that breed of people who "walk with their heels on the blade of a knife and cut their bare souls into the blood," because they are the bearers of the highest truth, the spiritual heirs of Jesus. The Russian religious thinker N. Fedorov suggested "interpreting apocalyptic prophecies as conditional, which has never been done before." N. Berdyaev, analyzing his work, adds: "Indeed, the end of the world cannot be understood ... as a fate. This would be contrary to the Christian idea of freedom. The fatal end described in the Apocalypse will come as a result of the paths of evil. If ... Christian humanity will unite for the common fraternal cause of victory over death and the general resurrection, then it can directly pass into eternal life. The Apocalypse is a threat to humanity, immersed in evil, and it sets an active task for man. Passive expectation of a terrible end is unworthy of man ". Vysotsky also leads to something similar, only in a narrower sense: I pity you, adherents of fatal dates and numbers. Languish like concubines in a harem. the long one is a bait for the noose, And the chest is a target for arrows, but do not rush! .A similar motive sounds already two years earlier, in 1969, in the song "I do not love", which the poet himself called program. The first line of the song is already eloquent: "I do not like a fatal outcome." It is not only about the rejection of fatalism: the very words "fatum", "rock" have a more religious meaning than is commonly thought. For example, in English language the word "rock" in a religious sense sounds like "doom", and in this form it appears in English translation Bible (in particular, in the Apocalypse this word translates the combination "Last Judgment"). In the same song, V. Vysotsky for the first time clearly and directly formulates his attitude towards Christ as pity: "I do not like violence and impotence, that's just a pity for the crucified Christ." This pity has nothing to do with contemptuous pity towards "followers of fatal dates and figures", rather, it can be regarded as an aesthetic allusion to famous phrase Dostoevsky: "Pity, do not expel pity from our society, because without it, without pity, it will fall apart." Apparently, Vysotsky pities Christ as a brother in misfortune and sees in his fate a symbolic reflection of his probable future, which will later be said as follows: My turn will come after. nonsense, That I will break my back And I will also break my head. And they will sympathize slightly with the deceased - from afar. This also reflects the logic of the hero from the quatrain "Do not look at my young age ...", which from a literary abstract space passes into concrete reality. The motif of fighting the "fatal outcome" and disagreeing with the dogmatism of the prophecies also appears in the 1973 song "I left the business ...", which is based on the famous words from the Book of Ecclesiastes "There is no prophet in his own country." The postulate of Ecclesiastes varies both in the form of bureaucratic vocabulary ("There are no irreplaceable - and let's sing a requiem to the departed - let them be empty!"), And as a parallel with the ancient Greek legend about the philosopher Diogenes, who was looking for a person ("There are no prophets - you will not find them by day with fire"). The truth revealed to the character of the song sounds similar: "The face was opened - I stood facing him and he told me lightly and sadly: - there are no prophets in your Fatherland, but there are not many in other fatherlands either." However, this wisdom is alien to the hero of Vysotsky. Like the poet himself, he is a fighter, and his natural reaction to this truth is this: I take off into the saddle, I grow into a horse - body to body. The horse will fall under me - I already bit the bit! I left the business, from such a good Because of the blue mountain, other things caught up. hero - not to be consoled, but to prove precisely his innocence. In a 1978 poem "It's destiny for me..." this thought is expressed more specifically: It's my destiny - to the last line, to the cross Arguing to the point of hoarseness, and behind it - dumbness, Persuading and proving with foam at the mouth, That this is not all, not the same and not the one that the labazniks lie about the mistakes of Christ, that the stove has not yet been buried in the ground ... If it’s fate to drink the cup for me, if the music with the song is not too rough, if I suddenly prove it, even with foam at the mouth, I’ll leave and I will say that not everything is vanity! .Among the literary allusions and allusions in this poem, the line about "a slab that was not buried in the ground" attracts attention. In combination with the previous one, it clearly points to the New Testament parable about the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus and speaks of the belief that such a metaphorical resurrection of the soul is not an invention and is possible for everyone, regardless of their lifestyle and upbringing. The last phrase of the poem is also taken from the book of Ecclesiastes. And here one gets the impression that Vysotsky is arguing with the Old Testament for the New Testament. At first glance, this may seem like a paradox, but it is a paradox that can be explained in the light of the history of the spread of Christianity in Rus'. As you know, the New Testament became known in Rus' much earlier than the Old. And it was New Testament Christianity, according to the well-known culturologist V. Polikarpov, that was perceived by the pagan East Slavic consciousness as true. It is noteworthy that Russian literature, in its canonical patterns, also developed the provisions of the New Testament. The Gospels became the subject of study and interpretation of Russian religious thought. This shows the peculiarity of the Russian perception of the Bible, which was refracted in the work of V. Vysotsky. If we talk about the humanization of biblical images, then one cannot help but pass by the comic song "About the carpenter Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit" (or "Anticlerical"), written in 1967. At first glance, it may seem to offend religious feelings, but this is not entirely the case. The history of all world cultures knows the phenomenon of folk (or, in the terminology of N. Krymova, "street") theater, widespread in the Middle Ages and reflecting the popular perception of book culture, not excluding church culture. Plays on biblical subjects, especially on the theme of the birth of Christ, were very popular. Far from always, these productions were of a reverent nature, which was already noted by D. Likhachev. Their seeming anti-religiousness, as insisted Soviet literary criticism, has a completely natural explanation based on knowledge of the mentality of the Russian people. N. Berdyaev also wrote that “the nature of a Russian person is very polarized. On the one hand, humility, renunciation; on the other hand, a rebellion caused by pity and demanding justice. On the one hand, compassion, compassion; on the other hand, the possibility of cruelty ; on the one hand - the love of freedom, on the other - a propensity for slavery ... The Russian people, according to their eternal idea, do not like the structure of this earthly city ". In this case, the "earthly city" was understood as the actual state structure with all its attributes, including the church as an institution of the state. The free interpretation of biblical stories was a spontaneous protest against religion, but not against faith. V. Vysotsky's song just has powerful folklore grounds under it, especially since its beginning - "I'm returning from work, I put the rasp against the wall ..." resembles numerous jokes about deceived husbands. The Gospel of Matthew tells about the birth Christ: “After the betrothal of His Mother Mary to Joseph, before they were combined, it turned out that She was pregnant with the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, being righteous and not wanting to divulge Her, wanted to secretly let Her go. But when he thought this , - behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife; for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit. The apostle especially insists that Joseph did not know Mary as a wife until her very birth - this is mentioned twice in the Gospel. Vysotsky's song is a play on this plot, a fantasy on how this could happen in reality. We can say that this is a masculine view of the gospel legend in the spirit of folk theater. And if it is appropriate in this case to talk about the atheistic orientation of this song, then one should also recognize the atheistic beginning in the very people's mentality, which fundamentally contradicts all Russian literature of the last two centuries. Moreover, in the work of V. Vysotsky there are songs with a play on plots from Eastern culture - "Song about the transmigration of souls", "Song about yogis", also dating back to 1967, which by no means indicates a deliberate denial or ridicule of the world a religious culture that knows more serious encroachments on its postulates - in particular, the teachings of the Albigensians, which questioned the divine origin of Christ. eternal theme in a biblical context, then in this song the play is based on linking the plot to concrete reality the turn of the 60s - 70s - the departure of Jews from Soviet Union to Israel, declared the "Promised Land" and political environment that time. In this song, Vysotsky is rather ironic not in relation to biblical subjects, but to the stereotypes of Soviet society and Jewish messianism created on the basis of them. In particular, this is indicated by the occasional phraseological unit "Israeli sea", a kind of synonym for the Russian folklore expression "milk river, jelly banks". Vysotsky is also ironic in relation to his heroes - this is how Mishka Shifman reacts to his friend's criticism of Moshe Dayan: Mishka immediately fell into ecstasy After drinking a liter And says: "They kicked us out of Egypt! Insults I can't forgive this! I I want to wash away the shame from the birth of Christ! .The indignation of Mishka Shifman can be connected both with the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1967, and with the ordeals of the Jewish people after their exodus from Egypt, as described in the Old Testament. The combination within one song of linguistic and historical-biblical playing out gives as a result an idea of author's assessment situations. Vysotsky makes it clear that at its core Israel is the same ordinary state, like many others, very far from the "promised land". However, the obsession with one's chosenness may eventually play a cruel joke on the state in general and its population in particular. In this context, the poet's irony sounds warning. In general, any messianic idea, according to N. Berdyaev, is very dangerous, since its adherents can easily fall into chauvinism, which will have a very negative impact on relations between countries, especially if you have to defend this idea with arms in hand. So biblical story is filled with modern content, relevant to this day. The theme of the relationship between man and God in the songs of V. Vysotsky is closely connected with the traditions of humanization. And here one important aspect attracts attention: the heroes of Vysotsky speak with God on an equal footing. This is very clearly expressed in two songs of the military cycle - "Song of a Fighter Pilot" (from a kind of mini-cycle "Two Songs about One Air Combat") in 1968 and in "Song of a Lost Friend" in 1974. Religious cultures were founded on deep respect and reverence for the warriors who fought and died for their country. At the same time, no distinction was made between those who fell in the wars of conquest and liberation: after death, everyone was prepared for eternal life, which, in the minds of different peoples, differed only in details. Russian Orthodox culture was no exception: for example, the participation of two Orthodox monks, Peresvet and Oslyaby, in the battle on the Kulikovo field with the personal blessing of the hegumen of the Trinity Lavra Sergius of Radonezh became a historical fact. The defense of the Solovetsky Monastery by monks and Pomors during the Crimean War of 1853-1856 also went down in history. This did not contradict the Orthodox canons with regard to wars: the only type of repentance imposed on the monks and lay soldiers was the ban on communion for a year, since any sin, even involuntary, must be atoned for. The heroes of Vysotsky, if they have to think about their afterlife, do not even doubt that the ancient traditions will be observed in their regard: I know that others will settle scores with them. But, gliding through the clouds, Our souls will take off like two planes - After all, they cannot live without each other. At the same time, it does not matter in what society they grew up and who they were during their lifetime - believers or atheists: death for their homeland automatically writes off all sins from them and even gives them the right to stand on a par with angelic host: The archangel will tell us: "It will be tight in paradise." But only the gates - click! We will ask God: - Enter us with a friend In some angelic regiment! And I will ask God, the Spirit and the Son, To fulfill my will: May my friend forever close my back, As in this last battle. The word "will" draws attention to itself, which once again speaks of the equality of this hero before God: he deserved not to ask, but to express his will, which is allowed only by equals. And there is no doubt that his will will be fulfilled. In this song, you can still notice a certain dreaminess, a certain touch of youthful maximalism, confidence that everything will be exactly as it should be. However, what seems natural from a human point of view is far from being so indisputable from the point of view of God. Here is how, for example, they meet the deceased pilot in "The Song of the Lost Friend": The pilot was met dryly by the Paradise airfield. He sat on his belly, But did not crawl on it. But the reception given to the deceased is hardly for this reason. Of course, Christianity of any kind took the manifestation of human dignity for pride, but, as mentioned above, death in battle wrote off all sins, regardless of their severity and what faith the deceased had. Rather, the point here is in disbelief - more precisely, in the words of Christ addressed to his apostles: "According to your faith, let it be rewarded to you." Woland utters the same words in The Master and Margarita, referring to the severed head of Berlioz: a preacher of the theory that after cutting off the head, life in a person stops, he turns into ashes and disappears into oblivion. I am pleased to tell you ... that your theory is both solid and witty. However, after all, all theories are worth one another. There are among them is one according to which each will be given according to his faith. May it come true! You are going into non-existence, and it will be joyful for me to drink from the cup into which you turn into being. " According to The Tale of Bygone Years, the victor drank from the same cup, made from the skull of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav. But if for the chronicler this is, first of all, a story about the triumph of the victor over the vanquished, and only then - a silent reproach to the prince for his refusal to accept Christianity, then for Bulgakov this motive is the desire to convey the gospel truth to the reader through "a part of that force that always wants evil and does good forever." Woland himself does not need to prove the obvious to satisfy his pride - this would be an unworthy act for him. The same theme - the theme of disbelief and retribution for it - is one of the most important in Vysotsky's work, which brings him closer to the works of writers - "villagers". Analyzing Vysotsky's work as a whole, we can draw the following conclusion: regardless of what beliefs he held himself, in his songs he reflected the spiritual emptiness of a society devoid of traditional moral principles. Consequently, the conclusion drawn in relation to the writers of representatives of "village" literature can also be applied to him: a Russian person cannot exist outside of Orthodoxy. In this, Vysotsky and his like-minded people are the direct spiritual heirs of Dostoevsky's work. LITERATURE Berdyaev N. The Russian Idea. / N.A. Berdyaev - Kharkov: Folio, 1999 - 398 p. Berdyaev N. Dostoevsky's worldview / N.A. Berdyaev Russian idea. - Kharkov: Folio, - 1999.398 p. Bulgakov M. Master and Margarita. White Guard. / M.A. Bulgakov - Khabarovsk: Khabarovsk book publishing house, 1989 - 606 p. Vysotsky V. Selected / V.S. Vysotsky - M .: Soviet writer, 1988. - 592 p. Vysotsky V. Poems / V. S. Vysotsky - Smolensk: Rusich, 2003. - 480 p. cit.: In 10 t. - T. 7. - M .: State publishing house of art. literature, 1957. - 757 p. Kara-Murza S. Soviet civilization / S.G. Kara-Murza: In 2 volumes - V. 2. - M .: EKSMO Publishing House LLC, 2007. - 768 pp. Muravin A. Spiritual searches of writers of the sixties. Teaching aid / A.V. Muravin - Zaporozhye, 2007. - 53 p. Polikarpov V. Lectures on the history of world culture / V.S. Polikarpov - Kharkov: Foundation, 1995.365 p. Solzhenitsyn A. Stories / A.I. Solzhenitsyn. - M.: Inkom NV, 1991. - 286 p.

Christian motives in the work of Russian writers

I AM GOING TO THE LESSON

Tatiana FOMINA,
school number 14,
Polysaevo,
Kemerovo region.

Christian motives in the work of Russian writers

Teaching the humanities at school opens up opportunities for getting to know the key texts that have made up the culture of mankind. Among such texts, the Bible occupies one of the first places.

Acquaintance with the Bible at school should interest us from the point of view of literary criticism and linguistics, primarily because it is one of the first written texts (translated), representing “a rather economical collection of texts in terms of volume, including different genres. These are works in which the myth of the origin of the universe and man is presented, ethnological works, theological, ethical-legal, historical-political, hymnological, biographical, love canon, parables, prophetological and military-historical works” (Rozhdestvensky Yu.V.).

All World culture- music, painting, literature, theater - is permeated with the motives of the Bible, to one degree or another contains its elements. Without knowledge of biblical commandments, plots, biblical expressions, it is impossible to fully join the culture created by mankind.

In most current literary education programs, exposure to the Bible is kept to a minimum and only takes place in the 6th grade. The program edited by T.F. Kurdyumova (M.: Drofa, 2000) is supposed to read and discuss the story "The Nativity of Jesus Christ" and the parables "About the Prodigal Son" and "About the Good Samaritan".

In the textbook-reader on literature for the 6th grade, the author-compiler of which is V.P. Polukhina (M.: Prosveshchenie, 1999–2001), the legend of the Tower of Babel has been added to the Bible texts listed above. The named textbook is included in the complex that provides the process of literary education according to the program edited by V.Ya. Korovina (M.: Enlightenment, 2000). But for some reason, not a single hour is allotted for acquaintance with biblical stories by the program itself, and the Bible is not mentioned at all. The program edited by G.I. Belenky and Yu.I. Lyssogo (M.: Mnemozina, 2001).

Noteworthy is the program edited by A.G. Kutuzov. In grades 5–9, students are supposed to get acquainted with spiritual literature and its influence on secular literature, but only mainly in connection with the study of any work of ancient Russian literature.

As you can see, the conversation about the Bible is conducted in most cases with students of middle school age. Will a ten-eleven-year-old student be able to appreciate the Bible as a literary monument if he is offered not the original text (which is quite understandable by the age of the students), but a retelling of biblical stories?

This is where the acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures in the school course ends and is in no way linked with the works of Russian writers. The programs do not provide for the study of the influence of Christian ideas, the moral meaning of Christianity on the formation of Russian literature, and even more so, they do not aim to study the embodiment of Christian plots and images in the work of writers.

To fill this gap, I consider it necessary to create a system of work in this direction, and you need to start from the 6th grade.

At first school year at the lessons of literature with students of the 6th grade (the study of literature is carried out according to the program of V.Ya. Korovina), we get acquainted with the history of the birth of Jesus Christ, with the tradition of celebrating Christmas in Russia and other countries.

Before the Christmas holidays, we return to this topic: at the extracurricular reading lesson, we talk about Christmas stories by Russian writers (“Angel” by L. Andreev, “Christ's Boy on the Christmas Tree” by F.M. Dostoevsky). Pupils of the 6th grade easily recall a “story” with a similar plot - about a girl who got on a Christmas tree to God (G.-H. Andersen. “The Girl with Matches”).

It is appropriate to talk about the Christian subtext in connection with the study of Belkin's Tales by A.S. Pushkin. The guys easily draw parallels between the parable "About the Prodigal Son" and "The Stationmaster". moral sense parables are quickly captured by the students, and they themselves can evaluate the actions of the heroes, their comrades, their actions against the backdrop of biblical stories.

We are talking about the use of Christian motives with students when studying in the 7th grade "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom", the poems "Angel" and "Prayer" by M.Yu. Lermontov.

Acquaintance with the Bible and Christian motives in Russian literature at this stage is of a propaedeutic nature. A deeper understanding of the Holy Scriptures and Christian stories and images is supposed to start from the 9th grade.

The study of literature in the senior classes, based on the historical and literary approach, does not imply an appeal to the texts of the Holy Scriptures, although it seems to me possible and necessary to include a system of lessons devoted to getting to know the Bible in the course of literature of the 9th grade. The system of lessons does not aim to give an "overview", much less an exhaustive comprehension of the Bible. It is important that in these lessons the students feel the artistic perfection and the religious-humanistic, moral content. greatest monument world culture, felt the originality of the poetic language of the Bible, were able to determine the meaning of the Bible in the context of world literature.

I take 3 hours to get acquainted with the Bible in the 9th grade.

In the first lesson, the conversation is about the origin of the Bible, about the book of Genesis (ch. 1–4, 7), about creation and the divine basis of the universe, about the moral and everyday postulates of human life.

In the next lesson, we are talking about the prophets, about their special purpose. We read the book of Exodus (ch. 3), the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (ch. 6, 58). After getting acquainted with the poem by A.S. Pushkin's "Prophet" compare biblical prophet and Pushkin's (we speak in more detail about the biblical basis of the poem when studying the work of A.S. Pushkin). We dwell on the Psalms (51, 52, 81) from the Psalter and do not disregard the Parables of Solomon (ch. 2-3, 13), drawing a parallel between the parables of King Solomon and the "Instruction" of Vladimir Monomakh. At the end of the lesson, we conclude that in the Old Testament one can hear the voices of both prophets and kings who are not indifferent to the fate of their people. We note that the Psalter and the Proverbs of Solomon are distinguished by special poetry and musicality.

The third lesson is devoted to the Song of Songs (1-4, 6, 8) and the Gospel of Matthew (ch. 1, 4, 5) and their influence on literature. At the lesson, excerpts from the story of A.I. Kuprin "Shulamith" (ch. 4), poems by A. Blok, A. Akhmatova. Students notice that the Song of Songs is a hymn of sublime love, filled with poetic inspiration, created on the basis of love folk lyrics.

Having become acquainted with the key pages of the Gospel, the students felt that this book is more restrained than the Old Testament, it does not have that emotionality that is inherent in the Old Testament. We conclude the lesson with a discussion of the fragments of Ch. Aitmatov's "Plakha" (part 2, ch. 2) in comparison with the original source (ch. 27 of the Gospel of Matthew). Summing up, we say that many writers turn to the image of Christ, since again it becomes the highest moral ideal for man and mankind, showing the way to goodness, love, and mercy. The appeal to gospel stories is also explained by the search for new means of artistic generalization.

Only after such a preliminary acquaintance will students be able to consciously approach the conversation about Christian images and plots, their reflection in Russian literature. The Bible is a literary monument that lies at the origins of our entire written verbal culture. Writers of different times and peoples used the images and plots of the Bible as the basis of their stories, novels, and novels.

“In Russian literature, among the great Russian writers, religious themes and religious motives were stronger than in any literature of the world. All our literature of the 19th century is wounded by the Christian theme, all of it seeks salvation, all of it seeks deliverance from evil, suffering, the horror of life ... The combination of torment for God with torment for man makes Russian literature Christian even when in their minds Russian writers retreated from Christian faith” (N.A. Berdyaev).

The student who is not familiar with the Bible by paraphrasing does not have to impose his explanation when reading such works as A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov or N.A. Nekrasov, "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky, poems by Yuri Zhivago from the novel by B.L. Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago" and others. Such a student himself will be able to compare "Judas Iscariot" by L. Andreev and chapters from the novel "The Master and Margarita" by M.A. Bulgakov, and in their correlation with the Bible. In order to organize work with students to study works in comparison with biblical stories, I developed didactic materials that consist of a system of questions and tasks for a work (or episode) and an informer card. The information card includes texts of the Holy Scriptures, reference material from encyclopedias, dictionaries, works or excerpts from the works of writers or (for comparison) excerpts from the critical works of literary critics.

Turning to the study of literature in high school classes of works of the 19th-20th centuries from the point of view of the use of Christian plots and images in them, we solve the following tasks:

involving students in spiritual heritage his people;
education of love and respect for the Motherland, for its people, for its culture, traditions;
the formation of students' ability to determine their attitude to what they read, to the interpretation of the canonical text in the work of a particular writer.

In the 9th grade, studying the work of A.S. Pushkin, we are talking about the biblical basis of the poems "The Prophet" (The Book of the Prophet Isaiah, ch. 6), "The gift is in vain, the gift is accidental" (The Book of Job, ch. 1, st. 1, 6, 8, 12; ch. 7, st. . 17-18, 20-21), "Remembrance" (Psalm, psalm 50).

For the analysis of poems, students receive an informer card with a biblical text and a card with tasks.

We analyze the poem "Prophet" on the following issues:

Compare the poem with a passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. What is the difference between the plot of Pushkin's poem and the biblical plot?
Why did the seraph choose this particular person?
What does the meeting place mean - "crossroads"?
Why, in your opinion, did the seraphim change the organs of sight and hearing? How have the organs of vision and hearing changed?
Why was human language changed?
Why is a “quivering” heart not suitable for a prophet?
What turned a “corpse” into a prophet?
How does the vocabulary of the poem show the solemnity of the event?

Having examined the poem, we conclude that despite the fact that the poet uses a biblical story, the difference between them is obvious. In the Bible, the emphasis is on the unrighteousness of the surrounding society, which managed to defile the future prophet, from which he wished to be cleansed. In Pushkin, the emphasis is on the torturousness of the operation to transform a person into a prophet. The hero goes through torment and death, being reborn as a prophet, and gets the right to bring the will of the Divine to people. The poem makes extensive use of words and phrases from the Bible. The poem sounds solemn.

Getting acquainted with the work of M.Yu. Lermontov, we compare the "Prophet" by Pushkin and Lermontov. The information card contains passages from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (ch. 1, vv. 4–10, ch. 19, vv. 14–15, ch. 20, v. 8), from the Lamentations of Jeremiah (ch. 4, v. 11 -13).

The following questions help you compare the two poems.

Are the plots of the poems "The Prophet" by Pushkin and Lermontov similar? What biblical story does Lermontov use?
How does the image of the poet-prophet M.Yu. Lermontov? How does he differ from the prophet A.S. Pushkin?
What was revealed to the poet-prophet in the poems of Pushkin and Lermontov?
How is the confrontation between the poet and society intensified in Lermontov's poem? What images create an idea of the poet's tragedy?
Do people need a prophetic gift?
Where does it find peace of mind Lermontov's poet
What role does the image of the desert play in the poems of A.S. Pushkin and M.Yu. Lermontov?
What is the lexical structure of Lermontov's poem?
What is the mission of the prophet in Lermontov's poem?

After analyzing the poem, the students notice that the theme of the prophet in the work of M.Yu. Lermontov is revealed as tragic. Unlike Pushkin, who endowed the prophet with supernatural properties, Lermontov introduces simple human traits into the description of his hero, even everyday details. Lermontov deliberately renounces the solemn elation of Pushkin's poem, saturated with Slavicisms and archaisms, using modern vocabulary, simplicity of style, colloquial intonations.

The Christian model of the world as the basis of the idea of "Dead Souls" is discussed in connection with the study of the poem by N.V. Gogol.

In the 10th grade, we again turn to the topic of prophecy when we get acquainted with the works of N.A. Nekrasov. Here it is appropriate to mention the interweaving of historical and evangelical reality in the poems “Vlas”, “Prophet” (“Do not say: “He forgot caution!”), In the poem “Who lives well in Rus'”.

Card with tasks for the poem "Prophet" by N.A. Nekrasov looks like this:

Who fulfills the mission of the prophet in Nekrasov's poem?
From whose perspective is the story being told? How many points of view are expressed in Nekrasov's poem?
What is the mission of the Nekrasov prophet? Who evaluates the fate of the prophet?
Find in each stanza poems words, which, in your opinion, correlate with the theme of God's chosenness, destiny, renunciation of one's "I".
How is this reflected in the tone of the poem? Can we say that we are talking about stylization, a deliberate choice of words of high style?
Has the mission of the prophet been fulfilled in Nekrasov's poem? Is there an indication of this in the poem?
Read the last stanza of the poem. The poem was originally published without it. In 1877, Nekrasov gave I.N. Kramskoy a copy of "The Last Songs", which includes the poem "Prophet", and the last stanza was inscribed by the poet by hand, and the sixteenth, last, line was accidentally cut off when the book was bound. What has changed in the poem with the inclusion of the last stanza?
What are the first two lines talking about? Whose fate is related to the fate of the prophet? Why?
Consider a reproduction of the painting by I.N. Kramskoy "Christ in the Desert".

According to art historians, Kramskoy's canvas and Nekrasov's poem are consonant. What do you think this consonance is?

Having become acquainted with the poem, the guys conclude that the mission of the prophet in the poem by N.A. Nekrasov performs an ideal public figure. In addition to the point of view of the lyrical hero himself, in the poem, with the help of direct speech, the points of view of the unknown, reproaching prophet, and the prophet are conveyed. Nekrasov shows the history of the prophet not from the inside, but from the outside, objectifying it to the utmost.

The assessment of the fate of the prophet is made by people - a “reproachful” and lyrical hero. The purpose of the prophet is to remind people immersed in fuss and “life for themselves” about God not in word, but in deed, by their sacrifice on the cross.

In a similar way, we organize the work in the study of "Crime and Punishment", speaking about the Christian symbolism of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky. The gospel subtext is evident in the works of A.P. Chekhov ("Student", "Bishop", "Ionych"). Through the prism of the Christian value system, we consider Chekhov's ideal of harmony between man and the world.

In the 11th grade, work on the study of Christian plots and images continues with the analysis of L. Andreev's story "Judas Iscariot", the stories "Shulamith" and "Garnet Bracelet" by A.I. Kuprin, the play “At the Bottom” and the story “The Old Woman Izergil” by M. Gorky, the poems by A. Blok “The Nightingale Garden” and “The Twelve”, “Bible Verses” by A. Akhmatova, the novel “The Master and Margarita” by M.A. Bulgakov and the novel by B.L. Pasternak "Doctor Zhivago".

When speaking in literature lessons about the use of Christian motifs, it must be remembered that we are dealing with the interpretation of the canonical text in the work of one or another writer, but not copying biblical stories and not an attempt by any author to create his own “Scripture”.

Interest in the Bible has not weakened among scientists, philosophers, writers for centuries. The need to turn to the Bible, its great educational value was emphasized by L. Tolstoy: "It is impossible to replace this book." Turning to the Bible in literature lessons is the displacement of the lack of spirituality that has struck society, the revival of our roots.