《罪与罚》与东正教——从第四部第四章说起

Crime and Punishment and Orthodox Christianity

《罪与罚》的思想体现在两个层面,即法律层面和观念层面。第一个层面法律意义上的罪与罚。小说第四部第四章索尼娅给拉斯柯尔尼科夫读《约翰福音》,这一情节中并没有表现出东正教精神对拉斯柯尔尼科夫的触动和教益。不是索尼娅的宗教说教,而是她的爱情,是促成拉斯柯尔尼科夫自首的重要因素。第二个层面,他的自首和服罪并没有解决观念上的认罪问题。直到最后,拉斯柯尔尼科夫的内心也没有真正认罪和忏悔。道德问题和自由问题本身在陀思妥耶夫斯基那里没有终极答案。陀思妥耶夫斯基不仅是一位基督教思想家,更是一位具有现代理性思想和自由意识的俄国哲学家。

Crime and Punishment contains two layers of meaning： legal and conceptual. The first layer is the legal meaning of the novel. In the 4th part of chapter 4 in which Sonia read ＂The Gospel of John＂ to Raskolnikov and the text does not show that Raskolnikov is touched or enlightened by the teachings of Orthodox. It is not Sonia＇ s religious preaching but Sonia＇s love that eventually leads to Raskolnikov＇ s confession. The other layer is the conceptual meaning. Raskolnikov＇ s confession and compliance with his punishment on the outside doesn＇t match up with his will on the inside. In fact, Raskolnikov never truly pleads guilty or repents his crime from deep inside. As for Dostoevsky, there is no ultimate answer to the questions of morality and liberty. Dostoevsky is not only a great thinker of Christianity, but also a Russian philosopher open to rational thinking and liberalism.