The Gospel in Brief

Leo Tolstoy's "The Gospel in Brief" is a work where he reinterprets the Gospels, focusing on what he believed to be the core message of Jesus Christ. Tolstoy rejected traditional religious doctrines such as miracles, the Trinity, and the immortality of the soul, viewing them as distortions of true Christianity. He found the essence of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.1

For Tolstoy, Jesus was a wise man, not the son of God, who offered a true account of life. His interpretation emphasized five tenets: non-resistance to evil, not taking oaths, not lusting, not being angry, and loving one's enemies. This led Tolstoy to become a pacifist and a form of anarchist, as he believed governments relied on violence. He compiled his own version of the Gospels, believing he was correcting the established texts to reveal the true Christian message.12