Samantha J. Longoria US History 1301. P12 Extra Credit Essay The Grand Inquisitor In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, the chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” conveys the issues a cardinal has with Christ. The story of the conflict ensued when Christ appears in a town named Seville is told to Alyosha by the narrator Ivan. When Christ arrives on Earth “in that human shape” he walks through the streets healing the sick to prove his being. While doing so, he is arrested by the Grand Inquisitor’s guards and put in jail. The Grand Inquisitor visits the cell of Christ and explains why he has taken him as a prisoner and why he refuses to allow him to finish his works. He is unhappy with the return of Christ in Seville and ultimately feels as though he is hindering the work of the Church by returning. When visiting Christ in his cell, The Grand Inquisitor states “Thou hast no right to add anything to what Thou hadst said of old.” With this statement he is trying to convey that Christ has said all that is necessary and the Church has since taken over, ultimately establishing what the people should and should not believe. With Christ’s absence, the Church has reigned supreme authority in regards to faith and conduct. He believes that Christ has been absent for too long and does not have any reason to return. In reference of his opposition of Christs return, The Grand Inquisitor recollects the time when the Devil presented Christ with three temptations which he rejected entirely. The Devil first offered Christ the temptation of bread after forty days of fasting. He claimed that if he truly was the Son of
