This is a fascinating book. Tolstoy has taken the Greek texts of the synoptic gospels and formulated his own gospel. It is written in twelve chapters followed by the first epistle of John the evangelist. Each chapter begins with Tolstoy's summation of the chapter (in italics) followed by the actual narrative. Each chapter has an epigraph from the Lord's prayer, suggesting that the sum of Jesus' teachings can be encapsulated in that prayer.
The focus is wholly on Jesus' teachings. His resurrection, for example, is not discussed. Nor is the virgin birth, Mary's immaculate conception or her assumption. The teaching is the centerpiece; it is the story; Jesus is, in effect, His message and His role is that of a teacher.
The summary comes at the end of John's epistle. This is the message:
"Whoever believes that this spirit is the son of the eternal spirit and is the same as that spirit has eternal life. And for whoever believes this, there is no obstacle in life, and all that he desires, according to the will of the father, will all come to pass for him.
And therefore, whoever believes that he is a son of God does not live in falsehood but is purified from evil. Because he knows that the earthbound world is a delusion and knows that within himself, within man, there resides the intelligence capable of comprehending all that truly exists.
Only the spirit—the son of the father—truly exists (p. 163)."
The core of the message is love—love for God and love for our fellow man. The world of the flesh is nothing; the world of the spirit is everything. Hence, there is a great premium placed on divesting oneself of the things of this world and focusing completely on the world of the spirit. The story of the rich man and Lazarus, e.g., is central to Jesus' vision, as understood by Tolstoy. So too is the aphorism about the camel passing through the eye of the needle (= the difficulty of the rich entering heaven).
This is an austere message and one that might have been particularly meaningful for someone whose first name was "Count". I think it is particularly telling that Wittgenstein was influenced profoundly by Tolstoy's book. He did in fact give up his family fortune to focus on the world of the spirit.
Bottom line: a very important book by a very important writer.
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Looking for your Higher Power?
This book helped the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to find his. At a critical time it was the only book available for purchase in a small shop, it changed his life. Wittgenstein wrote "If you are not acquainted with The Gospel in Brief then you cannot imagine what an effect it can have upon a person." Written as part of his personal recovery by Leo Tolstoy after he had become a best selling author, was well off in every way but was profoundly depressed.
Top reviews from other countries
Simon Kwong
The greatest gospel no ones heard about...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2009