Leo Tolstoy, An Artist’s Impression From Photographs
The chapter from Beelzebub’s Tales entitled “The First Growl” paints a satirical portrait of an author’s attempt to write a new version of the “Gospel” for fame and profit. He fancies himself superior to the original Gospel writers, believing he can create a better, more appealing and “cultured” version for the modern audiences. The author Gurdjieff is assailing is Tolstoy.
Leo Tolstoy, made famous by his celebrated works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, was spiritually inclined. He had his own worldview which he sought to reconcile with the teachings of Christianity. He found the Gospels, as presented by the Russian Orthodox Church, to be obscured by dogma and ritual, and difficult for ordinary people to appreciate.
Tolstoy believed that the essence of Jesus’ teachings was love, forgiveness, and non-violence. He felt that the church had distorted these teachings with elaborate rituals, hierarchies, and interpretations that served its own interests. He dreamed of stripping away these layers and presenting a clear and simple version of the Gospels that focused on the ethical and moral teachings of Jesus – and so he “edited” the holy books.
In his version, titled The Gospel in Brief, Tolstoy harmonized the four Gospels into a single narrative, removing elements he considered supernatural or contradictory to the central message of love and non-violence. He emphasized the importance of living a simple life, free of material possessions and dedicated to serving others.
His book was beyond controversial. It challenged the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church and the text of the gospels themselves. He was eventually very publicly excommunicated for his views. Despite the excommunication, which had no practical impact on Tolstoy and probably increased the readership of his ‘new gospel” Tolstoy continued to explore and express his religious beliefs, emphasizing the importance of love, non-violence, and a simple life dedicated to serving others. (All of this love of fellow man was, of course, swept away by the Russian Revolution.)
In “The First Growl”, Gurdjieff is merciless in his criticism of Tolstoy, but also merciless in his criticism of the Russian Orthodox authorities and their excommunication. He satirizes the public’s tendency to blindly follow trends and opinions without critical thought or genuine understanding. Gurdjieff notes that despite Tolstoy’s widespread recognition, few people actually read his books. They are content to discuss him and debate his merits without any real knowledge of his work. This underscores the modern prevalence of empty intellectualism and the tendency to form opinions based on hearsay and reputation rather than personal experience.
The irony is that, with “The Tales,” Gurdjieff himself is producing a new gospel and gathering adherents. This is typical of the book, which contains multiple instances of “point – counterpoint”, with Gurdjieff always putting the onus on the reader to form their own view.