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My Religion

Chapter 17: FOOTNOTES:
By graf Leo Tolstoy
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About This Book

The author sets out his personal religious convictions and the moral consequences he draws from a literal reading of the Sermon on the Mount. He recounts a spiritual awakening, rejects institutional religion and sanctioned violence, and argues that fidelity to Christ's teaching requires nonresistance, simplicity, and practical brotherly love. He criticizes clergy and state authority as incompatible with the gospel, offers concrete ethical prescriptions for daily conduct, and envisions social renewal achieved through widespread individual moral transformation rather than political or legal remedies.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Histoire de la littérature contemporaine en Russie.

[2] Count Tolstoi's rendering.

[3] More than this, as if to do away with all doubt about the law to which he referred, Jesus cites immediately, in connection with this passage, the most decisive instance of the negation of the law of Moses by the eternal law, the law of which not the smallest jot is to fail: "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery." (Luke xvi. 18.) That is, according to the written law divorce is permissible; according to the eternal law it is forbidden.

[4] Matt. v. 21-48, especially 38

[5] Deut. xxiv. 1.

[6] Levit. xix. 12; Deut. xxiii. 21, 34.

[7] This citation is taken from the Commentaries on the Gospel, by the Archbishop Michael, a work based upon the writings of the Fathers of the Church.

[8] See Levit. xix. 17, 18.

[9] Contra Celsum, book VIII. chap. LXXIII.

[10] Isaiah lxi. 1, 2.

[11] Heb. ii. 2. Literally, "Faith is the support of the hoped for, the conviction of the unseen."

[12] In all the translations authorized by the Church, we find here a perhaps intentional error. The words ἐν ὑμῖν, in you, are invariably rendered with you.

[13] Marcus Aurelius says: "Reverence that which is best in the universe; and this is that which makes use of all things and directs all things. And in like manner also reverence that which is best in thyself; and this is of the same kind as that. For in thyself, also, that which makes use of everything else, is this, and thy life is directed by this." (Meditations v. 21.)

Epictetus says: "From God have descended the seeds not only to my father and grandfather, but to all beings which are generated on the earth and are produced, and particularly to rational beings; for these only are by their nature formed to have communion with God, being by means of reason conjoined with him." (Discourses, chap. ix.)

Confucius says: "The law of the great learning consists in developing and re-establishing the luminous principle of reason which we have received from on high." This sentence is repeated many times, and constitutes the basis of Confucius' doctrine.

[14] The words of verse 25 are incorrectly translated; the word ἡλικίαν means age, age of life: consequently the whole phrase should be rendered: can add one hour to his life.

[15] Exod. iii. 6.

[16] John xi. 19-22; Matt. xii. 40; Luke xi. 30; Matt. xvi. 21; Mark viii. 31; Luke ix. 22; Matt. xvii. 23; Mark ix. 31; Matt. xx. 19; Mark x. 34; Luke xviii. 33; Matt. xxvi. 32; Mark xiv. 25.

[17] A city in Russia become famous by a recent catastrophe.

[18] The epistle of James was for a long time rejected by the Church, and when accepted, was subjected to various alterations: certain words are omitted, others are transposed, or translated in an arbitrary way. I have restored the defective passages after the text authorized by Tischendorf.

[19] Here, as in other passages, δόξα has been incorrectly translated "honor"; δόξα, from the verb δοκέω, means "manner of seeing, judgment, doctrine."

[20] Jesus is led into the desert to be tempted of error. Error suggests to Jesus that he is not the Son of God if he cannot make stones into bread. Jesus replies that he lives, not by bread alone, but by the word of God. Then Error says that if he lives by the word or spirit of God, the flesh may be destroyed, but the spirit will not perish. Jesus' reply is that life in the flesh is the will of God; to destroy the flesh is to act contrary to the will of God, to tempt God. Error then suggests that if this be true, he should, like the rest of the world, place himself at the service of the flesh, and the flesh will give him satisfaction. Jesus' reply is that he can serve God only because the true life is spiritual, and has been placed in the flesh by the will of God. Jesus then leaves the desert and returns to the world. (Matt. iv. 1-11; Luke iv. 1-13.)

[21] The justification of this existence made by parents is very curious. "I need nothing for myself," the father says; "this way of living is very distasteful to me; but, because of affection for my children, I endure its burdens." In plain terms his argument would be: "I know by experience that my way of living is a source of unhappiness, consequently I am training my children to the same unhappy method of existence. For love of them, I bring them into a city permeated with physical and moral miasma; I give them into the care of strangers, who regard the education of the young as a lucrative enterprise; I surround my children with physical, moral, and intellectual corruption." And this reasoning must serve as a justification of the absurd existence led by the parents themselves.

[22] See Appendix.

[23] This book has been in use in all the schools and churches of Russia since 1839.—Tr.

INDEX.

  • Abraham, 165.
  • Adam, fall of, 118, 122.
  • Age, consummation of, 139, 152.
  • Amusements, harmful, 105; maintained by coercion, 106.
  • Anger, the commandment against, 70 et seq.; destructive of happiness, 247; temptations to, 247.
  • ἀνίστημι, meaning of, 146.
  • Army, the Christophile, 15.
  • Art has forsaken the Church, 224.
  • auferstehn, meaning of, 146.
  • Aurelius, Marcus, 126.
  • Average man, the, and the problem of existence, 229.
  • Belief, if true, always brings forth works, 160 et seq.
  • Believers, and the problem of existence, 228.
  • Berditchef, circus at, 135, 157.
  • Bible, 17.
  • Biblical references.—O. T.: Gen. (iii. 22) 149; Exod. (iii. 6) 144; Levit. (xix. 12) 86, (xix. 17, 18) 94; Deut. (xiii. 21, 34) 86, (xxiv. 1) 77, (xxx. 15-19) 150, (xxxii. 39, 40) 149; Judges (ix. 4) 76; Sam. (I. viii.-xii.) 18; Isaiah (lxi. 1, 2) 110. N. T.: Matt. (iv. 1-11) 178, (iv. 37) 253, (v.) 17, (v., vi., vii.) 5, (v. 17-20) 51, 52, 53, (v. 18) 262, (v. 19) 70, (v. 21-26) 70, 76, (v. 21-48) 69, (v. 22-44) 109, (v. 27-32) 77, (v. 28-32) 109, (v. 32) 79, 81, (v. 33-37) 86, 91, (v. 34-37) 109, (v. 36) 89, (v. 38, 39) 7, 8, (v. 38-42) 92, 93, 110, (v. 40) 26, (v. 43-48) 95, 110, (v. 44) 256, (vii. 1) 23, (vii. 12) 57, (x. 10) 200, 254, (xi. 30) 14, (xii. 16-21) 138, (xii. 31) 217, (xii. 35-40) 139, (xii. 40) 145, (xiii. 52) 62, (xiv. 2) 146, (xvi. 13-21) 145, (xvi. 21) 145, (xvii. 23) 145, (xix.) 79, (xix. 4-6) 250, (xix. 4-9) 80, (xix. 9) 81, 84, (xix. 17) 151, (xx. 1-16) 167, 168, (xx. 19) 145, (xx. 20-28) 166, (xxi. 33-42) 139, (xxii. 44) 98, (xxiii. 13-35) 217, (xxv. 14-46) 142, (xxvi. 32) 145, (xxvii. 42) 163; Mark (viii. 31) 145, (ix. 31) 145, (x. 5-12) 79, (x. 28-30) 180, (x. 34) 145, (x. 35-48) 166, (x. 45) 202, 254, (xii. 21-24) 144, (xii. 26, 27) 144, (xii. 36) 98, (xiv. 25) 145, (xv. 32) 163; Luke (i. 71, 74) 98, (iv. 1-13) 178, (iv. 18, 19, 21) 111, (vi. 37) 23, (vi. 37-49) 24, (ix. 22) 145, (x. 5, 7) 200, (x. 26) 61, (x. 28) 151, (x. 29) 98, (xi. 30) 145, (xi. 35) 125, 216, (xii. 22-27) 137, (xii. 32) 263, (xii. 54-57) 136, (xiii. 1-5) 135, (xiv. 28-31) 136, (xvi. 15-18) 54, (xvi. 16) 57, (xvi. 18) 79, (xvi. 31) 147, (xviii. 33) 145, (xx. 43) 98, (xxii. 67) 163; John (i. 9-12) 171, (i. 17) 245, (iii. 5, 6, 7) 125, (iii. 19-21) 171, (iii. 14-17) 125, (v. 39) 150, (v. 44) 164, (vi. 30) 163, (vii. 18) 164, (vii. 19) 57, (viii. 17) 57, (viii. 28) 125, 258, (viii. 32) 258, (viii. 35) 141, (viii. 40) 171, (viii. 46) 171, (x. 25, 26) 163, (xi. 19-22) 145, (xii. 31) 244, (xii. 35) 125, (xiv. 6) 172, (xiv. 16, 17) 172, (xiv. 27) 109, (xv. 25) 57, (xvi. 33) 244, (xviii. 37) 172, (xix. 7) 57; Acts (vii. 27) 98, (xxiii. 8) 143; Rom. (i. 32, ii. 1, ii. 4) 31; Cor. (I. vii. 1-11) 80, (I. xv. 2) 75; Heb. (ii. 2) 115; Jas. (ii. 12, 13) 30, (ii. 13) 29, (ii. 14-26) 163, (iv. 11, 12) 28, (v. 6) 35, (v. 12) 89; John (I. v. 3) 14, (I. v. 4) 244.
  • Borovitzky Gate, 19.
  • Brahmins, 173, 218.
  • Buddha, 134, 218.
  • Buddhism, 124.
  • Catechism analyzed, 213.
  • Children, education of, 105.
  • Christian rationalists in Russia, 223.
  • Christianity, substance of, 2, 13; a spiritual tendency, 4; lack of ethical and moral instruction in, 123.
  • Christians may believe in Jesus, 241; duties of, 258 et seq.
  • Chrysostom, xi., 33, 63, et seq.; 79, 92.
  • Church, the fathers of, 31, 81, 93; the Orthodox, 2; creed of, 265; inadequacy of 3, 4, 175, 209-244; teachings of, 4, 40, 47, 58, 62, 107, 115, 127, 154, 178, 213-217, 227; compulsory in Russia, 216; the true, 262.
  • Churches, as useless sentinels, 224.
  • Civilization, characteristics of, 42, 233.
  • Clement, x.
  • Commandments, abrogated by the Church, 214.
  • Commentators, pseudo-Christian, 91; liberal, 93.
  • condemnare, 34.
  • Confucius, 124, 126, 127, 218.
  • Constantine, 31, 219.
  • Cosmopolitanism, importance of, 257.
  • Daniel, apocryphal book of, 149.
  • Death, inevitable, 137, 138, 139.
  • Death penalty, sanctioned by the Church, 221.
  • Debauchery, 77 et seq.; Paul's idea of, 80; destructive of happiness, 249; temptations to, 251.
  • Devotion, a pagan book of, 212.
  • Divorce, denounced by Jesus, 78 et seq.; sanctioned by the Church, 221.
  • δόξα, meaning of, 164.
  • ἐγείρω, meaning of, 146.
  • ehebruch, meaning of, 84.
  • εἰκῆ, meaning and textual authenticity of, 75.
  • Elijah, 48, 145.
  • ἡλικίαν, meaning of, 137.
  • Enemy, love for, 95 et seq.; meaning of, 98.
  • Epictetus, 89, 126, 127.
  • Error, temptation of Jesus by, 178; the cohesive power of, 262.
  • Esdras, 56.
  • Evil, submission to, 8 et seq., 13, 92-94; resistance to, 15; destructive of happiness, 253; to speak, 28, 32.
  • Existence, its futilities, 226.
  • Faith, defined, 115, 162, 166, 244; and works, 160, 169; based on the dictates of reason, 170; source of, 171; the false, 173.
  • Fall, dogma of the, 120, 153.
  • Family, the, a condition of happiness, 187.
  • Foreigners, hostility toward, 100; destructive of happiness, 255.
  • Formalism, evils of, 68.
  • fornicatio, meaning of, 83.
  • Free-will, an illusion, 124.
  • French war of 1870, 198.
  • Galilee, 41, 44, 48, 49, 178.
  • Galileans, massacre of, 135.
  • Germans, 45, 259.
  • Ghengis Khan, 36.
  • God, service of, 21; appears to Elijah, 48; commandments of, 51; kingdom of, 108, 111, 160; how brought, 209.
  • Gospels, exegesis, 1, 55, 75.
  • Griesbach, 175.
  • Happiness, conditions of, 185-189.
  • hayai leolam, meaning of, 148.
  • Health, a condition of happiness, 189.
  • Hebrews, 176.
  • Hegelianism, 122.
  • Herod, 25, 146.
  • High Priests, 25, 59.
  • Householder, parable of, 168.
  • hurerei, meaning of, 83.
  • Husbandmen, parable of, 139.
  • Immortality, belief in, 147, 150, 153, 155.
  • Irenæus, 62.
  • Isaiah, 56, 61.
  • James, 167.
  • Jesus, as the "charmant docteur," 41; divinity of, 15; the enemies of, 60; his use of the Mosaic law, 67; commandments of, 69, 76, 86, 194, 242, 246 et seq.; mission of, 108; the Messiah, 111, 145, 158; his revelation of the true life, 139; his doctrine of eternal life, 153; as a Saviour, 158; his definition of belief, 164; of true life, 167; his temptation in the wilderness, 177; offers the water of truth, 196.
  • Jesus, doctrine of, its simplicity, vi., 6, 7, 11, 12, 69, 194; as a metaphysical theory and an ethical system, 218, 231; a doctrine of grace and truth, 246; practical results of, 107; key to, 2, 16, 17; requirements of, 248; its meaning, 7, 43, 50, 58, 108, 172, 193, 199, 240; its rewards, 179, 202; to bring the kingdom of God, 209; its relation to the Church, 209-244; its adaptability to Christians, 241; to the philosopher, 242; to the "average" man, 243; difficulty in obeying, 14, 16, 112, 132, 160, 173, 194, 259; belief in, 160 et seq.; requirements of, 245 et seq.; a protest against ceremonial, 219; its concealment, 49, 68, 90, 173, 174; and military regulations, 19, 22, 104, 223; its universality, 241; delusions with regard to, 23, 101, 114, 191 et seq., 204; will overcome the world, 244; substance of, 124; and social customs, 58, 90, 93, 133, 194; where are its martyrs? 195.
  • Jews, criminal law of, 27.
  • John, 167.
  • John the Baptist, 43, 54, 108, 135, 145, 146.
  • Jonah, 146; story of, 176.
  • Judaism, 124, 220.
  • Judgment, parable of the last, 139, 152.
  • Laborer, worthy of his sustenance, 200, 205; rewards of, 201, 203.
  • Law, the eternal, 53, 55.
  • Law of struggle, 47, 181, 197.
  • Lazarus, 147.
  • libertinage, meaning of, 83.
  • Libertinism, 83, 85.
  • Liberty, law of, 29.
  • Life, essence of, 118, 138, 165; the personal, 134, 139, 174; salvation of, 152, 165; renunciation of, 141, 142; the eternal, 143; how perpetuated, 150; rewards of, 167; doctrine of, enforced by the police, 232.
  • Loaves and fishes, lesson of the, 206.
  • Luke, 34, 54, 55, 80.
  • Luther, 34, 84.
  • Manu, laws of, 89.
  • Mark, 80.
  • Martyrs, Christian, number of, 192.
  • Martyrs to the world, 183, 193.
  • Materialism, 122.
  • Men, brotherhood of, 110, 246, 256; intercourse with, essential to happiness, 188; nature of, 112; debt to the past, 141; mutual dependence, 207; temptations against, 246.
  • μετάνοια, meaning of, 135, 141.
  • Michael, Archbishop, 93.
  • Military regulations, 19.
  • μοιχᾶσθαι, meaning of, 83.
  • Monasticism, contrary to the doctrine of Jesus, 176.
  • Monogamy the natural law of humanity, 250.
  • Moscow, 183.
  • Mount, the Sermon on the, 5, 6, 10, 11, 17, 26, 78, 79, 108.
  • Müller, Max, 148.
  • Nationality, renunciation of, 257.
  • Nature, the law of, 46; communion with, essential to happiness, 185.
  • Neighbor, meaning of, 97 et seq.
  • Nicodemus, 60, 108, 125.
  • νόμος, meaning of, 56.
  • Oaths, the commandment against, 87 et seq.; destruction of happiness, 252; evils of, 252.
  • Origen, 102.
  • Pascal, 134.
  • Paul, x., 30, 56, 80, 88, 115; his metaphysico-cabalistic doctrine, 219.
  • Peace, the reign of, 108; how violated, 109.
  • Penalty, the death, 36.
  • Pentateuch, 57, 148.
  • Persons, respect of, 29.
  • Pessimism, 122.
  • Peter, 11, 145, 167, 168, 180.
  • Pharisees, 54, 59, 60, 85, 88, 143, 178.
  • Philosophers, and the problem of existence, 229.
  • Pilate, 135, 175.
  • πορνεία, meaning of, 83; et seq.
  • Poverty, the blessings of, 199; indispensable to the follower of Jesus, 200.
  • prissaiaga, meaning of, 85.
  • Prophets, the Hebrew, 43, 57, 143.
  • qum, meaning of, 146.
  • raca, meaning of, 73, 76.
  • Reason, authority of, 124.
  • Redemption, dogma of, 120, 122, 153.
  • Religions, requirements of, 220.
  • Renan, 31, 93.
  • Repentance, 60; necessity of, 135.
  • Resurrection, not taught by Jesus, 143.
  • resusciter, meaning of, 146.
  • Reuss, 79.
  • Revolution, the French, 36.
  • Revolutionists, atheistic, 39; Christian, 39.
  • Riches, the struggle for, 184.
  • Righteousness, progress toward, 48.
  • Sadducees, 60, 143.
  • Samaritan, 98.
  • Sanhedrim, 25.
  • Schopenhauer, 148.
  • Science, hostile to the Church, 223.
  • Security, struggle for, its futility, 198.
  • Seneca, 89.
  • Sisyphus, labor of, 184.
  • Slave, 39.
  • Slavery, sanctioned by the Church, 221.
  • Slavophile, 39.
  • Socrates, 124, 126.
  • Soldier, at Borovitzky Gate, 19, 88; Russian nickname for, 88.
  • Solomon, 134.
  • Son of man, doctrine regarding, 125 et seq.; 142, 150, 152, 156, 263.
  • Spirit, the Holy, 68.
  • Spiritism, 123.
  • State, service of, 21, 22, 257; independent of the Church, 223.
  • States, divisions into, a barbarism, 107.
  • Stoics, 124, 173.
  • Strauss, 41, 93.
  • Suffering, useless, 183.
  • Sukhareff Tower, 183.
  • Talents, parable of the, 142.
  • Talmud, 17, 56, 143, 173.
  • Theologians, declarations of, 6.
  • Theophylact, 33.
  • Thief, on the cross, vii.
  • Tiele, 148.
  • Tischendorf, 55, 75.
  • Tohu, 18, 19, 21, 22, 42, 43.
  • Torah, 56, 61, 68.
  • Tribunals, 23, 24; contrary to law of Jesus, 25 et seq.; sanctioned by the Church, 221.
  • Trinity, 14, 40, 58, 116, 117, 127.
  • Truth, Christian, 4.
  • Tübingen, school of, 33.
  • Turks, 259.
  • verdammen, meaning of, 34.
  • Violence, renunciation of, 38; organized, 45, 196; destructive to happiness, 253; temptations to, 254; futility of, 259 et seq.
  • Virgins, parable of, 139.
  • voskresnovit, meaning of, 146.
  • Vulgate, 34.
  • War, organized murder, 101, 192; justified by the Church, 211, 221.
  • Wars of our century, victims of, 193.
  • Work, an inevitable condition of happiness, 186, 201, 205, 207.
  • World, the doctrine of, illustrated, 129; sufferings for, 181, 185-192; its commands, 191; its necessities, 184 et seq.; justification of, 188; its relation to the Church, 221 et seq.
  • Worldly advantage, 11.
  • zanah, meaning of, 83.