Showing results for "Leo Tolstoy" in Spirituality

Leo Tolstoy's "A Confession," written in 1882 shortly after a life-altering spiritual crisis, is a brutally sincere reflection on life, morality, and the nature of faith. Tolstoy describes in great detail the process by which he lost his faith in established Christian churches, the meaninglessness of wealth and fame, the agony of acute depression, and how he overcame misery and dread through personal study of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Along the way, he contrasts the artificial faith and arrogance of educated people with the genuine faith and humility of the Russian peasant. This work, and...

Leo Tolstoy was born to an aristocratic Russian family, became a world-famous influential novelist, and then chose to lead the simple life of a peasant. Dating from this last part of his life, Tolstoy’s influential book What I Believe takes readers along on the path to a life modeled literally on Jesus Christ’s "Sermon on the Mount" and the teachings of the Gospels. In revealing and frank essays he reimagines a faith without dogma, centered solely on Jesus’ doctrine of love, humility, and self-denial.

When Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace was published in 1869, his genius was immediately recognized by people all over the world. In the later part of Leo Tolstoy's life, however, he began to share his deepest thoughts about Christianity in his writing. His definition of Christianity was not the same as the priests and bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church where there was so much pomp and pageantry. Tolstoy could care less for all that ceremony. He was a radical follower of Jesus Christ's teachings, particularly as found in the Sermon on the Mount (including Christ's controversial admonitions to "...

Leo Tolstoy's A Confession is a philosophical memoir exploring his existential crisis and search for meaning. At the height of his literary fame, Tolstoy grapples with despair, questioning life’s purpose despite wealth and success. He turns to science, philosophy, and religion but finds no satisfying answers. Ultimately, he discovers solace in the simple faith of Russian peasants, embracing a humble, God-centered life. The book reflects his spiritual awakening and rejection of materialism, paving the way for his later Christian anarchist beliefs. A Confession is a raw, introspective journey ...

The Gospel in Brief is a 1902 synthesis of the four gospels of the New Testament into one narrative of the life of Jesus by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. The work focuses on Jesus's teachings to his followers, presumably those which Tolstoy found most compelling. The Gospel in Brief is thought by some to be deeply reflective of Tolstoy's own interpretation of Christianity. The account presented in Tolstoy's gospel is also notable in its sharp contrast with the contemporaneous views of the Russian Orthodox Church.