Written in a time of increased secularization The Grand Inquisitor by Fyodor Dostoyevsky examines the corruption caused by Christ’s rejection of temptation. The character the Grand Inquisitor argues that the human race is burdened with the responsibility of free will, though this contradicts the teachings of the Church. This contradiction sets up a religious counterpoint, as the general role of an Inquisitor is to purify the Church of heretics and false believers. Therefore, since the Grand Inquisitor himself is partially a heretic, this demonstrates the corruption with the Church. However, all of the Inquisitor’s claims seem valid, but they all fail to recognize crucial aspects of human life. The Grand Inquisitor corrupts the Church since he argues against free will. He argues this through Christ’s resisting three …show more content…
The third instance of temptation is when Christ resists the kingdom. The Inquisitor argues that since he denied the kingdom, the Church must now convince people to give up their free will for security. The only justification for this is that Church leaders would not rule as well as Christ. However, Christ had to deny the kingdom. Christ considers material possessions to be a sin, so his undertaking of this kingdom would be a complete contradiction of what he considers to be sinful, thereby weakening His purity. In addition, Christ would be considered an absolute power, and human nature is inherently power hungry. Whenever people see power, they want to seize it, therefore many people would turn on Christ to inherit this kingdom. Since the Inquisitor denies the Church’s position of promoting free will, he sets up a controversy which exists throughout the story as he constantly criticizes Jesus’s actions. While all of his critiques may seem justified, the Inquisitor doesn’t acknowledge human nature or human life. All of his alternative outcomes create an unstable Church where Jesus is seen not as a God, but as an object—an object of