Dostoevskij's guide to spiritual epiphany in the Brothers Karamazov

Julian W. Connolly

pp. 39-54

in: Robert Bird (ed), Dostoevskij's significance for philosophy and theology, Studies in East European Thought 59, 2007.

Abstract

The essay examines the three main epiphanic experiences in The Brothers Karamazov and shows how Dostoevskij's treatment of these experiences may offer a guide to spiritual renewal. The three experiences are Alësha's vision of the resurrected Zosima and transfigured Christ, Dmitrij's vision of the suffering babe, and Ivan's vision of the devil (which serves as a counter example to the first two). By examining the content of each of these visions, as well as the parallels and variations in the scenes leading up to these visions, this essay seeks to explore Dostoevskij's understanding of transformational revelatory experience.