Abstract
In the article the basic principles of L. Tolstoy’s teaching are singled out, which according to his critics testify to its “non-Christian” character. Among these principles, there are emphasis on personal religious experience; emphasis on the importance of reason as the main ability of man in his relationship with God; the understanding of God as an impersonal absolute embracing all that exists. The main principle of Tolstoy’s teaching is the possibility of a person’s merging with God, this leads to the loss of the personality of man; on the other hand, after merging person with God evil, suffering and death become inessential: a religious person must come to an understanding of life as a blessing and realize his own eternity – uncreatedness and indestructibility. Jesus Christ is understood by Tolstoy as a great teacher, and not as a Savior: Christ brought the doctrine of how to make a life good and perfect. Tolstoy denies the idea of a personal bodily resurrection, considering it to be characteristic of Judaism; in the teaching of Tolstoy man is eternal, and death refers only to the empirical level of our existence. It is shown that Tolstoy’s teaching in all these principles coincides with the teaching of Gnostic Christianity. If the hypothesis that the Gnostic apocrypha express the most ancient layer of Christian ideas is true, Tolstoy’s teaching can be recognized as the exact expression of the true, original Christianity.
Highlights
The main principle of Tolstoy’s teaching is the possibility of a person’s merging with God, this leads to the loss of the personality of man; on the other hand, after merging person with God evil, suffering and death become inessential: a religious person must come to an understanding of life as a blessing and realize his own eternity – uncreatedness and indestructibility
Jesus Christ is understood by Tolstoy as a great teacher, and not as a Savior: Christ brought the doctrine of how to make a life good and perfect
Tolstoy denies the idea of a personal bodily resurrection, considering it to be characteristic of Judaism; in the teaching of Tolstoy man is eternal, and death refers only to the empirical level of
Summary
Аннотация В статье выделяются основные принципы учения Льва Толстого, которые часто рассматриваются как доказательства его «нехристианского» характера. Главным принципом учения Льва Толстого является возможность слияния человека с Богом, это ведет к утрате начала личности; с другой стороны, слияние с Богом делает несущественными зло, страдание и смерть: религиозный человек должен прийти к пониманию жизни как блага и осознать свою вечность – несотворенность и неуничтожимость. Автор проводит мысль о том, что учение Толстого во всех указанных принципах совпадает с учением гностического христианства. Согласно которой именно гностические апокрифы выражают самый древний слой христианских идей, то учение Толстого можно признать адекватным выражением истинного, исходного христианства. Лев Толстой и поиски истинного христианства в русской. Евлампиев Игорь Иванович – доктор философских наук, профессор Института философии Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета. (2018) Лев Толстой и поиски истинного христианства в русской философии // Философские науки.
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