The purpose of the first lessons is to show how to independently in a certain sense the work dedicated to Yershalaim history is closely intertwined with chapters telling about modernity.
Teacher's word
The novel, written by the Master, is the core on which the entire work rests. It is based on certain chapters of the New Testament. But the difference work of art theologically obviously. The master creates an original work of art: the Gospel of John, which Bulgakov loved most, does not talk about the suffering of Pontius Pilate after the execution of Jesus.
Woland asks the Master: “What is the novel about?” What does he hear in response? "The Novel about Pontius Pilate." Consequently, it was the procurator of Judea who was the main character for the author himself, and not Yeshua Ha-Nozri. Why? This question will be answered in class.
Question
The master is not talking about God’s son; his hero is a simple man. Why? What problems will be resolved in Bulgakov's novel - theological or real, worldly?
Answer
The once disgraced novel is dedicated to earthly life, and it is no coincidence that the story of Yeshua and Pilate will unfold in parallel with the story of the Master and Margarita.
Chapters 2, 16, 25, 26, 32, and the epilogue are taken for analysis.
Exercise
A portrait is one of the ways to reveal the character of a hero; in it, the author reflects the internal state, spiritual world of the person depicted. Let's see how the two heroes appear before the reader - Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea with unlimited power, and Yeshua Ha-Nozri, a wandering twenty-seven-year-old philosopher, who, by the will of fate, now finds himself before the eyes of the ruler.
Answer
“This man was dressed in an old and torn blue chiton. His head was covered with a white bandage with a strap around his forehead, and his hands were tied behind his back. The man had a large bruise under his left eye and an abrasion with dried blood in the corner of his mouth. The man brought in looked at the procurator with anxious curiosity.”
Second participant in this scene: “In a white cloak with a bloody lining and a shuffling cavalry gait, early in the morning of the fourteenth day of the spring month of Nisan, the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, came out into the covered colonnade between the two wings of the palace of Herod the Great.”.
Teacher
One word in this description immediately attracts attention: the lining is “bloody”, not red, bright, purple, etc. The man is not afraid of blood: he, who has a “cavalry gait,” is a fearless warrior; it is not for nothing that he was nicknamed “Horseman of the Golden Spear.” But, probably, he is not only like this in relation to enemies in battle. He himself is ready to repeat about himself what others say about him, “a ferocious monster.”
But now he suffers from headaches. And the author will talk about his suffering, constantly referring to one detail of his portrait - his eyes.
Exercise
Let's follow through the text how the procurator's eyes change: “The swollen eyelid lifted, the eye, covered with a haze of suffering, stared at the arrested man. The other eye remained closed..." "Now both sick eyes looked heavily at the prisoner"... "He looked with dull eyes at the prisoner"...
It is the fact that Yeshua guessed about his suffering and freed the procurator from it that will make Pontius Pilate treat the arrested man differently than he probably treated similar people before. But the man standing in front of him also interested him with his speeches.
Question
Is the prisoner afraid of Pontius Pilate?
Answer
He is afraid to experience physical pain again (on the orders of the procurator, Ratboy beat him). But he will remain unshakable when he defends his view of the world, of faith, of truth. He carries an inner strength that compels people to listen to him.
Question
What fact, mentioned by Yeshua himself, confirms that he knows how to convince people?
Answer
This is the story of Matthew Levi. “Initially, he treated me with hostility and even insulted me... however, after listening to me, he began to soften... finally threw the money on the road and said that he would travel with me... He said that from now on money became hateful to him.”
When asked by Pilate whether it is true that he, Yeshua Ha-Nozri, called for the destruction of the temple, he replies: “...said that the temple of the old faith would collapse and a new temple of truth would be created”. The word has been spoken. “Why did you, tramp, confuse people at the market by talking about the truth about which you have no idea? What is truth?.
Yeshua declares that the truth is, first of all, that Pilate has a headache. It turns out that he can save the ruler from this pain. And he continues the conversation with the “tramp” about the truth.
Question
How does Yeshua develop this concept?
Answer
For Yeshua, the truth is that no one can control his life: “...you must admit that cutting the thread” on which life hangs “probably only can be done by the one who hung it”. For Yeshua the truth is that « evil people not in the world". And if he had talked to Ratkiller, he would have changed dramatically. It is significant that Yeshua speaks of this “dreamingly.” He is ready to move towards this truth with the help of conviction and words. This is his life's work.
“Some new thoughts came to my mind that might, I think, seem interesting to you, and I would gladly share them with you, especially since you give the impression of a very smart person... The trouble is that you are too closed and completely lost faith in people. You can’t, you see, put all your affection into a dog. Your life is meager, hegemon.”
Question
After this part of the conversation, Pontius Pilate makes a decision in favor of Yeshua. Which?
Answer
Declare the wandering philosopher mentally ill, without finding any corpus delicti in his case, and, removing him from Yershalaim, subject him to imprisonment where the residence of the procurator was located. Why? You want to keep such a person with you. Pilate, who sees around him only those who fear him, can afford the pleasure of having a person of independent views nearby.
Question
But everything cannot be resolved so peacefully, because life is cruel and people who have power are afraid of losing it. At what point will Pontius Pilate's mood change? Why would he be forced to abandon his original decision? Let's follow this through the text.
Answer
The secretary, who takes notes during the interrogation, also sympathizes with Yeshua. Now he will “unexpectedly” and regretfully answer negatively to Pilate’s question: “Is everything about him?” - and will give him another piece of parchment. “What else is there?” – Pilate asked and frowned. “After reading what was submitted, his face changed even more. Whether the dark blood rushed to his neck and face, or something else happened, but his skin lost its yellowness, turned brown, and his eyes seemed to have sunken.
Again, the culprit was probably the blood rushing to his temples and pounding through them, only something happened to the procurator’s vision. So, it seemed to him that the prisoner’s head floated away somewhere, and another one appeared in its place. On this bald head sat a thin-toothed golden crown; there was a round ulcer on the forehead, corroding the skin and covered with ointment; a sunken, toothless mouth with a drooping, capricious lower lip...”
This is how Pilate sees Caesar, and therefore does not serve him out of respect. And then why?
“And something strange happened to my hearing - it was as if trumpets were playing quietly and menacingly in the distance, and a nasal voice was very clearly heard, arrogantly drawing out the words: “Lese Majesty Law” ...
Question
What did Pontius Pilate read in this parchment?
Answer
Yeshua will say this out loud a little later, and it turns out that the conversation about the truth is not yet finished.
“Among other things, I said... that all power is violence against people and that the time will come when there will be no power of either the Caesars or any other power. Man will move into the kingdom of truth and justice, where no power will be needed at all.”
Question
Does Pontius accept this truth?
Answer
“Do you believe, unfortunate one, that the Roman procurator will release a man who said what you said? Oh gods, gods! Or do you think I'm ready to take your place? I don’t share your thoughts!..”
Question
What happened to the procurator? Why did he, a few minutes ago, prompt Yeshua with a saving answer: “Have you ever said anything about the great Caesar? Answer! Did you say?.. Or… didn’t… say? “Pilate drew out the word “not” a little longer than was appropriate in court, and sent Yeshua in his gaze some thought that he seemed to want to instill in the prisoner.”, - why will Pilate now confirm the death sentence?
Answer
Being a brave warrior on the battlefield, the procurator is a coward when it comes to Caesar and power. For Pilate, the place he occupies is a “golden cage.” He is so afraid for himself that he will go against his conscience.
Teacher's comment
No one can make a person freer than he is free internally. But Pontius Pilate is internally unfree. Therefore he will betray Yeshua.
There are people who commit such betrayals calmly: Judas does not suffer morally by selling Yeshua. But Pontius Pilate is one of those people who have a conscience. That is why, realizing that he will be forced to pass judgment on Yeshua, he knows in advance that along with the death of the wandering philosopher, his own death will come - only a moral one.
“The thoughts rushed through, short, incoherent and extraordinary: “Dead!”, then: “Dead!..” And some completely ridiculous one among them about someone who must certainly be - and with whom?! – immortality, and for some reason immortality caused unbearable melancholy.”
And after the Sanhedrin confirmed its decision regarding the execution of Yeshua and the release of Bar-Rabban, “The same incomprehensible melancholy... permeated his entire being. He immediately tried to explain it, and the explanation was strange: it seemed vague to the procurator that he had not finished speaking to the convict about something, or perhaps he had not listened to something.
Pilate drove away this thought, and it flew away in an instant, just as it had arrived. She flew away, and the melancholy remained unexplained, because it could not be explained by another short thought that flashed like lightning and immediately went out: “Immortality... Immortality has come... Whose immortality has come? The procurator did not understand this, but the thought of this mysterious immortality made him feel cold in the sun.”
Question
Why does the possibility of immortality not please a person, but give rise to horror in his soul?
Answer
A conscientious person cannot live with a stone in his soul. And now Pilate is sure that he will have no peace day or night. He will try to somehow soften his “sentence”; he even threatens Caif: “Take care of yourself, high priest... There will be no peace for you... from now on! Neither you nor your people... will regret that you sent the philosopher to death with his peaceful preaching.”
Question
What other action will Pilate perform in an attempt to alleviate the torments of his conscience?
Answer
He orders the suffering of Yeshua, crucified on a pillar, to end. But everything is in vain. This is nothing compared to the words that Yeshua, before his death, asks to convey to Pilate.
Exercise
We will find these words in chapter 25. They will be repeated to the procurator of Judea by Afranius, the head of the secret service.
Answer
“Did he try to preach anything in the presence of the soldiers? - No, hegemon, he was not verbose this time. The only thing he said was that among human vices, he considers cowardice to be one of the most important.”
Teacher's comment
This is retribution. It is impossible to escape from him. You, Rider of the Golden Spear, are a coward and are now forced to agree with this description of yourself. What can you do now? Something for which Caesar will not punish, but which will at least somehow help him, Pilate, justify himself. What order and how will he give to the chief of the secret police? Let's read this dialogue between two smart people, respecting and understanding each other, but still afraid to speak openly. This conversation is full of omissions and half-hints. But Afranius will understand his master perfectly.
“And yet he will be killed today,” Pilate repeated stubbornly, “I have a presentiment, I tell you!” There was no chance that it deceived me,” then a spasm passed over the procurator’s face, and he briefly rubbed his hands. “I’m listening,” the guest responded obediently, stood up, straightened up and suddenly asked sternly: “So they’ll kill you, hegemon?” “Yes,” answered Pilate, “and all hope lies only in your diligence, which amazes everyone.”
The efficiency of the head of the secret police did not fail this time. (Chapter 29.) At night, Afranius reported to Pilate that, unfortunately, “he was unable to save Judas from Cariath, he was stabbed to death.” And his boss, who cannot and does not want to ever forgive the sins of his subordinates, will say: “You did everything you could, and no one in the world,” here the procurator smiled, “could have done more than you!” Recover from the detectives who lost Judas. But even here, I warn you, I would not want the punishment to be even the least severe. In the end, we did everything to take care of this scoundrel.".
In the chapters we are considering, there is another hero. This is Levi Matvey.
Question
How will Matthew Levi behave when he learns about the inevitability of Yeshua’s death?
Answer
The former tax collector followed the procession of convicts all the way to Bald Mountain. He “made a naive attempt, pretending that he did not understand the irritated shouts, to break through between the soldiers to the very place of execution, where the convicts were already being removed from the cart. For this, he received a heavy blow to the chest with the blunt end of a spear and jumped away from the soldiers, screaming, not from pain, but from despair. He looked at the legionnaire who hit him with a dull and completely indifferent gaze, like a man insensitive to physical pain.”
He managed to settle into a crevice on a rock. The man’s torment was so great that at times he began to talk to himself.
“Oh, I’m a fool! - he muttered, swinging on a stone in heartache and scratching her dark chest with her nails - a fool, an unreasonable woman, a coward! I am carrion, not a man."
Question
What does Levi Matvey want most of all, having realized that he cannot save his teacher?
Answer
"God! Why are you angry with him? Send him death". And then he dreams of jumping on the cart. “Then Yeshua is saved from torment. One moment is enough to stab Yeshua in the back, shouting to him: “Yeshua! I save you and leave with you! I, Matvey, are your faithful and only student!” And if God had blessed him with one more free moment, he would have had time to stab himself himself, avoiding death on the stake. However, the latter was of little interest to Levi, the former tax collector. He didn't care how he died. All he wanted was for Yeshua, who had never done the slightest harm to anyone in his life, to escape torture.”
Question
How will Levi Matvey fulfill his last duty to his teacher?
Answer
He will remove his body from the pillar and carry it from the top of the mountain.
Question
Let us remember the conversation that took place between Pontius Pilate and Matthew Levi. (Chapter 26). Why can we say that Matthew Levi is truly a worthy disciple of Yeshua?
Answer
He will behave proudly and will not be afraid of Pilate. He was as tired as a man can be who thinks of death as a rest. At Pilate's offer to serve him ( “I have a large library in Caesarea, I am very rich and I want to take you into my service. You will sort and store papyri, you will be fed and clothed.") Levi Matvey will refuse.
"- Why? - The procurator asked, darkening his face, - I am unpleasant to you, are you afraid of me?
The same bad smile distorted Levi's face, and he said:
- No, because you will be afraid of me. It won’t be very easy for you to look me in the face after you killed him.”
And Pontius Pilate only momentarily realizes his triumph over Levi, when he responds to his statement about the desire to kill Judas that he has already done it.
Question
How did fate punish Pilate for his cowardice? (Chapter 32).
Answer
Woland, his retinue, the Master and Margarita, rushing on magic horses in the night, see in the light of the moon a sitting man, and next to him a dog. Woland will tell the Master: “...I wanted to show you your hero. For about two thousand years he sits on this platform and sleeps, but when he comes full moon, as you can see, he is tormented by insomnia. She tortures not only him, but his faithful watchman, the dog. If it is true that cowardice is the most serious vice, then perhaps the dog is not to blame. The only thing the brave dog is afraid of is thunderstorms. Well, the one who loves must share the fate of the one he loves.”
When asked by Margarita what this man is talking about, Woland replies that “to his usual speech about the moon, he often adds that most of all in the world he hates his immortality and unheard-of glory.”
Pilate long ago, immediately after the death of Yeshua, realized that he was right when he argued that cowardice is one of the most terrible vices. And even more: “Philosopher, I object to you: this is the most terrible vice”. And for the most terrible vice man pays with immortality.
- show how independent work, dedicated to Yershalaim history, is intertwined with chapters on modernity;
- the novel belonging to the Master is the core of the entire work;
- the difference between a work of art and a theological work.
- find out what truth is.
Equipment and visibility:
- illustrations of Ivanov’s paintings “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, Kramskoy “Christ in the Desert”, Ge “What is Truth”;
- board design: interpretation of the word “truth” and epigraph.
Its theme is the theme of general
human responsibility
for the destiny of goodness and beauty,
truths in the human world.
I. Vinogradov.
The Master's Testament. 1968
Teacher's word. We begin a conversation about the novel by M. Bulgakov, which rethought the gospel story. Special attention we will turn during the lesson to artistic media and vocabulary work. Now the whole class is divided into 2 groups:
Group 1 answers questions related to the image of Yeshua Ha Notsri, group 2 analyzes episodes that reveal the image of Pontius Pilate. (See attached questions for questions)
– Identify the main characters of Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita” (the answer to this question will help determine the theme, idea of the work, its problems, and understand the plot lines).
- So who are the heroes?
- Let's see if you're right. Woland asks the Master: “What is the novel about?” And what does he hear in response? (“The novel about Pontius Pilate,” the Master’s remark)
The master creates an original work. The Gospel of John, which Bulgakov loved, does not talk about the suffering of Pontius Pilate.
So, it was the procurator of Judea who was the main character for the author himself, and not Yeshua Ha Nozri. Why? We will find out this in our further conversation.
What detail is important to reveal the character of the hero?
You know well that revealing the character of the hero, his inner world The portrait is of great importance. How do the two heroes appear before us - Pontius Pilate and Yeshua Ga Notsri, a wandering 27-year-old philosopher who found himself before the eyes of the ruler. What does this mean?
a) “this man was dressed...” (ch.2)
– The Master is not talking about God’s son, his hero is an ordinary, simple person. Why? What problems will be solved: theological or real, worldly?
(the novel is dedicated to earthly life, the story of Yeshua and Pilate will unfold in parallel with the story of the Master and Margarita.)
– What detail in the description attracts attention? (bloody lining, not red, not bright... This is one of the symbols that carries a certain load).
– What does this mean? ( the man is not afraid of blood, he is a fearless warrior, it is not for nothing that he was nicknamed “Horseman of the Golden Spear.” He himself is ready to repeat about himself what others say about him: “a ferocious monster”).
Now he suffers from a headache, the author talks about this, referring to one detail of his portrait - his eyes. And this detail plays a huge role in the characterization of the hero. Watch how his eyes change. What does this detail do? (ch.2) ( Painful eyes. It was this detail that helped Yeshua guess about Pilate’s suffering and free him from it. And P.P. began to treat the arrested person differently from other people like Yeshua. The man standing in front of the procurator interested him with his speeches).
– Is the prisoner afraid of Pontius Pilate? (ch.2) ( With P.P. he speaks calmly. He is afraid to experience physical pain. But he is unshakable when he defends his view of the world, the truth. He has an inner strength that makes others listen to him).
– What fact confirms that he knows how to convince people? (story of Matthew Levi, chapter 2). And then the Procurator asks the question whether it is true that he, Yeshua Ha-Nozri, called for the destruction of the temple, he answered: “I, the teacher, ...ch2)
– After these words, the question arises: what is truth?
– The purpose of our lesson is to understand what truth is? Whose position is closer to us: Bulgakov or his heroes. Let's try to formulate this concept. ( I give 1-2 minutes; write down the sentence as you understand this word. Everyone writes down, then reads.)
– Everyone understands the truth in their own way. This is how the dictionary interprets this concept. ( There is a note on the board: Truth: 1) what exists in reality, reflects reality, truth. 2) a statement, a judgment, verified by practice, experience).
– The theme of goodness and truth is reflected not only in fiction, but also in art. The artist Ivanov in his painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People” gives his concept of truth. Truth is what was originally given from God, this truth is carried by the Son of God.
Kramskoy in his canvas “Christ in the Desert” showed the tragedy of the thinking man of his era. Exhausted, having washed away the sins of the world with tears and torment, in humble simplicity he brings the truth to the world. The biblical theme is also reflected in Ge’s painting “What is Truth?”
– Something surprising arises in the conversation between Pontius Pilate and Yeshua. What will Yeshua answer to this ironic question from the procurator?
What does Yeshua say about this? (Find Yeshua's answer in chapter 2.)
– Why is the answer amazing? – The fact that an abstract, distant concept - truth - turns out to be alive, the fact that it is now the truth, and what then? Here it is - in the pain that debilitates you. Truth turned out to be a human concept; it comes from a person and is locked in him. Why does Pontius have a headache: from roses - a symbol of the Christian faith, truth. And further Yeshua develops this concept and says that for Yeshua the truth is that “there are no evil people in the world.” And if he had talked to Rat-Slayer, he would have sharply changed his view. He is ready to move towards the truth with the help of conviction and words. This is his life's work. (p. 23 chapter 2) “Some thoughts came to my mind...”
– Pontius Pilate after this part of the conversation makes a decision in favor of Yeshua. Which? Why? (p.26 chapter 2)
Declare Yeshua mentally ill, without finding evidence of a crime, remove him from Yershalaim and place him in his residence. To keep him with him because the only people around him are those who are afraid of him, and he can afford the pleasure of having a person with independent views nearby.
“But everything cannot be resolved this way; people who have power are afraid of losing it. At what point will Pilate's mood change? Why is he forced to abandon this decision? Let's follow the text. The secretary, taking notes during the interrogation, sympathizes with him (pp. 26-27, chapter 2)
This is how Pilate sees Caesar, and therefore does not serve him out of respect. Then why?
– Later Yeshua will say this out loud, the conversation about the truth is not finished. ("Among others…)
– Does Pontius need such truth? (no, confirm your answer with words from the text)
– What suddenly happened to the procurator? A few minutes ago, he himself suggested to Yeshua a way out, a saving answer? (p. 27. “Listen, Ga Notsri,” he suddenly spoke...)
Why is Pilate now approving the death sentence?
Pilate is a brave warrior on the battlefield, but a coward when it comes to Caesar's power. For him, the place he occupies is a “golden cage”; he is so afraid for himself that he will even go against his conscience. Pontius Pilate is not internally free, so he will now sell Yeshua. There are people who commit such betrayals calmly. Judas does not suffer morally by betraying Yeshua. Pontius Pilate is among the people who have a conscience. Forced to pass judgment on Yeshua, he knows that along with the death of the wandering philosopher, his own death will come, but only a moral one. (p. 27 “Thoughts ran short...).
– After the decision of execution was approved by the Sanhedrin, some incomprehensible melancholy pierced his entire being, it seemed to him that he had not finished speaking to the condemned man, had not listened to something. This thought flew away, and the melancholy remained unexplained. Another thought came, the thought of immortality. But whose immortality has come? The procurator did not understand this. (Ch. 2)
– Why does the possibility of immortality not make a person happy, but gives rise to horror in his soul? ( A conscientious person cannot live with a stone in his soul. Already now Pilate knows that he will have no peace day or night. He is trying to soften his “sentence” (chapter 2)
– What other act will Pilate commit, trying to alleviate the pangs of conscience? ( He orders the suffering of Yeshua, crucified on a pillar, to end. But everything is in vain. This is nothing compared to the words that Yeshua conveys before his death. And these same words will be repeated by Afranius, head of the secret police of Pontius Pilate. (Ch. 2)
-Watch how Pilate’s voice changes? Why? What came to Pilate with this? What does this detail – the voice – mean? (Here comes retribution. It is impossible to escape from it. The Horseman of the Golden Spear is forced to agree that he is a coward).
What can you do now? Something for which Caesar will not punish, but which will at least somehow help Pilate justify himself. What order and how does he give to the chief of the secret police? (The conversation is full of omissions, half-hints. But Afranius will understand his master. (Ch. 25). Afrania's diligence did not disappoint this time either. At night, Afranius reported to Pilate that, unfortunately, “he was unable to save Judas from Cariathus; he was stabbed to death at night.” (Ch. 26 p. 311)
Let's leave Pontius Pilate for a moment and remember another hero - Matthew Levi. How will Matthew Levi behave when he learns about the inevitability of Yeshua’s death? ( The former tax collector followed the procession of convicts all the way to Bald Mountain. He made an attempt to break through to the place of execution. For this he received a heavy blow to the chest with the blunt end of a spear and jumped back, and looked at the legionnaire with a dull, indifferent gaze to everything, like a person insensitive to physical pain (chapter 16 p. 169). Matvey wants most of all (chap. 16). And further - ch. 16 p. 171.
– How will Levi Matvey fulfill his last duty to his teacher? ( He will remove Yeshua's body and carry it away from the top of the mountain. This is how the problem of loyalty and betrayal is solved.)
– Remember what conversation took place between Pontius Pilate and Levi? (chapter 26)
– Why can we say that Matvey Levi is a worthy student? ( Levi will behave proudly and will not be afraid of Pilate. He was as tired as a man can be who thinks of death as a rest. Levi refuses Pilate’s offer to serve him “chapter 26 p. 317”. Only once does Pontius realize his triumph over Levi when he says that he killed Judas).
– How did fate punish Pilate for his cowardice? Let's turn to chapter 32 “Forgiveness and eternal peace.” ( Woland and his retinue ride on magic horses...). To Margarita’s question: “What is he saying?”, Woland answers: chapter 32 p. 367. Pilate long ago, immediately after the death of Yeshua, realized that he was right when he argued that cowardice is a great sin, and for this a person pays with immortality).
– Do you remember that the topic of immortality has always worried people. Immortality was often punished for a person who had committed evil in life. Already in the Bible there is a similar story dedicated to Cain and Abel. God makes Cain immortal to punish him for killing Abel. Cain is tormented by repentance, but death does not come as a deliverance from torment.
– Which of literary heroes suffered a similar fate? ( M. Gorky “Old Woman Izergil”, legend of Larra).
So. Pontius Pilate has been suffering for about two thousand years. And Margarita, traveling with Woland, asks to let him go (chapter 32).
– Will the procurator of Judea calm down now? Why don't these words end the stories of Pontius Pilate and Yeshua? What episode will conclude the novel written by the Master? ( epilogue).
So, it is not enough for Pontius Pilate that he was forgiven. The soul will calm down when Yeshua tells him that there was no execution.
– Let’s summarize what has been said. Why did Bulgakov need such an artistic device - parallel to the narrative of modernity, to also carry on the line of a novel written by the Master and telling about events that took place two thousand years ago? ( The novel is dedicated eternal problems, they exist in the present just as they did thousands of years ago. It will take a long time for humanity to reach the truth and whether it will come to its knowledge is unknown).
– What are these problems: (make a diagram or table...)
Lesson summary. General question: “What is the meaning of the Gospel story reproduced by the author in the novel?”
Homework. Select material relating to a) the history of the Master; b) depiction of the world of art in the novel c) the general atmosphere of life in the 30s of the 20th century, using Ch. 5,6,7,9,13,27.
References:
- Magazine “Literature at School” for 1990-1993.
- N.V. Egorova. Lesson-based developments on Russian literature of the 20th century. Grade 11. Moscow 2005.
- V.V. Agenosov. Russian literature of the 20th century. Grade 11. Bustard, 2007.
The Master and Margarita combines two novels. Ha-Nozri and Pilate are the main characters of the so-called “ancient” novel created by the Master. The “ancient” novel describes one day in the life of a Roman procurator, who, on the eve of Easter, must decide the fate of the beggar philosopher Ha-Nozri.
The “ancient” novel consists of four chapters. In the first (“Pontius Pilate”) there is a dispute between the procurator and Yeshua on the most important philosophical issues relating to morality. The reason for the dispute is a phrase from the court charge brought against a wandering preacher: he told people at the bazaar that the temple of the old faith would collapse and a new temple of truth would be created. And so the procurator asks the “eternal” philosophical question: “What is truth?” In response, Ga-Nozri sets out his philosophical system, which is based on the idea that a person is initially good, an illogical continuation of the doctrine of the “good person” is a discussion about the nature of power: “...every kind of power is violence against people, and the time will come when there will be no power of either Caesars or any or other authority. Man will move into the kingdom of truth and justice, where no power will be needed at all” (1, 2), and people will live according to “good will,” which represents the highest philosophical and religious law.
Pontius Pilate, as a man living in real world, does not agree with such a philosophy and clearly proves to Yeshua that he is mistaken. The procurator points to the Roman legionnaire Mark the Rat-Slayer, who, having no personal enmity towards the philosopher, is ready to beat him to death with a whip. In addition, during the interrogation it turns out that the “good man” Judas of Kiriath betrayed Ha-Notsri for thirty tetradrachms, which he had already received from the high priest Kaiphas. The “good man” Kaifa wanted to deal with the poor preacher, since he considered his preaching about man and justice dangerous for the power of the Jewish priests.
The “good man” Pontius Pilate himself turned out to be a coward. After a conversation with Yeshua, the procurator was quite sure that the arrested philosopher was an honest, intelligent person, although a naive dreamer. Yeshua is completely different from the terrible instigator of popular rebellion, as Kaifa described him. However, Pilate was frightened by Yeshua’s reasoning about human power and freedom: the thread of life “can only be cut by the one who hung it” (1, 2). In other words, a person is free from human arbitrariness, only God has power over him. These words clearly deny the power of the Caesars and, therefore, lese the majesty of the Roman emperor, which is a serious crime. So that he himself would not be suspected of sympathizing with the ideas of the impoverished philosopher, the procurator loudly shouted out praise for the living Emperor Tiberius and at the same time looked with hatred at the secretary and the convoy, fearing denunciation from them. And Platos approves the death sentence of the Sanhedrin, passed on the poor philosopher, because he was afraid of the threats of Caiaphas and troubles in his service.
Thus, Yeshua appears before the reader as an empty dreamer who does not know life and people. He talks about the “good man” and the kingdom of truth and does not want to admit that around him there are cruel people (Mark the Ratcatcher), traitors (Judas), power-hungers (Kaifa) and cowards (Pontius Pilate). At first glance, in the dispute about the “good man,” the realist Pilate wins, but the Master’s romance does not end there.
Further, the author shows that Yeshua was not a completely naive dreamer; in some ways he was right. The procurator begins to be tormented by his conscience because, being a coward, he signed the death warrant of a defenseless philosopher. He feels remorse, so he orders the executioner (chapter “Execution”) to kill the philosopher on the cross so that he does not suffer for a long time. Then Pilate orders Afranius (chapter “How Pontius Pilate tried to save Judas from Kiriath”) to kill Judas. But seemingly fair retribution to the traitor does not calm the procurator’s conscience. The poor philosopher turned out to be right: it is not a new murder, but deep repentance that can alleviate Pilate’s mental suffering. The procurator wants to help Levi Matvey, a student of Ha-Nozri. The Roman invites Levi (chapter “Burial”) to live at his residence and write a book about Yeshua. But the student does not agree, because he wants to wander the world like Yeshua and preach his humanistic philosophy among people. Levi Matthew, hating the procurator as the murderer of his teacher, softens, seeing that the Roman sincerely experiences the death of Yeshua, and agrees to accept the parchment from Pilate. Thus, Bulgakov shows that the idea of a “good man” is not an empty and ridiculous invention of a naive philosopher. Good qualities, indeed, are present in almost every person, even in such a cruel ambitious person as Pontius Pilate. In other words, the philosophical idea of a “good person” receives concrete life confirmation.
To summarize, it should be noted that Bulgakov describes in detail the philosophical dispute between the two main characters of the “ancient” novel - a poor preacher and the all-powerful governor of Rome in Judea. The essence of the dispute is in relation to man. What does a person deserve - respect, trust or contempt, hatred? Yeshua believes in great power human spirit; Pilate is confident that all people are evil and the kingdom of truth will never come. Therefore, Yeshua, recognizing the natural kindness of people, appears before the reader wonderful person, and Pontius Pilate, who sees only base thoughts and feelings in people, is portrayed as a completely sober, but ordinary official.
By the way, Yeshua’s idea that a “good man” does not need a state was quite seriously developed by utopian philosophers of modern times. They proved the reality of the kingdom of freedom, provided high level development of civil society and the consciousness of citizens themselves. In other words, on the one hand, Yeshua’s reasoning about universal love and tolerance seems naive and causes a smile. On the other hand, talking about the events after the execution of the philosopher, Bulgakov confirms the rightness of his hero-dreamer. Indeed, one can agree with Yeshua: despite the fact that people fight, betray, and deceive each other from century to century, descendants appreciate and remember with gratitude mainly the benefactors of humanity - people who gave the world a lofty idea, who invented a cure for serious illness who wrote a smart book, etc. Great villains tend to be remembered normal people scarecrows that cause fear and indignation.
The writer completed the first complete version of the novel in 1934, the last in 1938, although the writer continued polishing it until the end of his days. The novel can be considered at the same time both everyday, and fantastic, and philosophical, and love-lyrical, and satirical.
The four chapters with Woland's story about Christ and Pontius Pilate are a novel within a novel and the basis of the entire work. Pontius Pilate - procurator of Judea.
IN New Testament The Bible contains four gospels, four different options depictions of the life and execution of Jesus Christ. Bulgakov creates another, fifth version, which also seems plausible, since the historical details are presented quite successfully. In the Master's imagination, Yeshua Ha-Nozri seems like an ordinary person. He is indignant when speeches that he did not pronounce are attributed to him, and he feels annoyed when his sermons are misinterpreted. Judas even provoked him into reasoning that led him to a death sentence.
Yeshua like a common person afraid of both pain and death. He asks Ratboy: “Don’t hit me.” “Would you let me go, hegemon,” the prisoner suddenly asked, “I see that they want to kill me.” But his spiritual world is marked by genius. He has a huge influence on people. Halfway through his speeches, the tax collector followed him like a faithful dog. For Pilate, he relieves his headache with just words. The procurator forbids the secret service team to talk about Yeshua.
His spirit and mind are absolutely independent and free from stereotypes. At first, people see him as a madman. He speaks completely freely with the powerful Roman procurator. It is the independence of the philosopher that becomes an attractive example for his listeners. Thanks to her, he reveals truths invisible to others, and sets them out in his sermons, which are very dangerous for the authorities. The master who wrote the novel realized for himself that Good is primary.
“. Everyone is good by nature. We just need to release the energy of their kindness.”
But this was not in the spirit of the 30s. It turned out that the country’s enemies were good internally and externally. And the hero’s attacks against violence and power! So, against the dictatorship of the proletariat!
Bulgakov made the Master his double, with some coincidences in fate and love.
The author's focus is mostly on ordinary people. And in the Yershalaim chapters there are representatives of the authorities. And these two layers can be combined very well in the reader’s mind. During a session of black magic, Woland and Fagot-Koroviev come to the conclusion that the townspeople in Moscow are the same people as thousands of years ago: “People are like people. They love money, but that's always been the case. Ordinary people. “
And the government officials have changed little.
In two of the four chapters written by the Master, the main attention is paid to Pontius Pilate - a statesman, politician, and warrior in the past. Pilate serves Emperor Tiberius faithfully because he fears the emperor. Pilate values his own career. Pilate wanted to save Yeshua. suggested to the latter the correct answers at the trial. But Yeshua does not accept compromise. Pilate organized (with Afranius) the murder of Judas, but this did not correct the morning verdict for Yeshua.
Everyday sketches make a strong impression.
Berlioz’s death caused a flood of statements with claims to the deceased’s living space: “They contained pleas, threats, slander, denunciations, promises to make repairs at their own expense, indications of unbearable cramped conditions and the impossibility of living in the same apartment with the bandits. Among other things it was. two promises to commit suicide and one confession of a secret pregnancy.”
The picture of the life of Muscovites leaves a depressing impression. And it is supplemented with explanations about the disappearances of people, arrests, and confiscations. We find this in the description of Nikanor Bosy’s dream, in the history of apartment No. 50, in Bezdomny’s desire to imprison Kant in Solovki.
Bulgakov's novel met with great readership in Russia and abroad.
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Essays on topics:
- The poem "The Cup of Life", dated 1831, belongs to the early philosophical lyrics Lermontov. It was first published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski...
There are not so many lines in the novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, dedicated to events associated with Yeshua Ha-Nozri and Pontius Pilate. But it is these few chapters that become the basis on which the entire narrative of the book rests.
The chapters describing Yeshua are part of the manuscript of the Master, a character who appears in the novel only after the reader has already read a significant portion of his work. A mysterious stranger suddenly plunges two literary figures, peacefully talking under the shade of the linden trees of the Patriarch's Ponds, into the atmosphere ancient city Yershalaim.
The procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, is certainly familiar to unwitting listeners of the story, but Yeshua, at first, is a little-known and mysterious character. However, throughout the dialogue between Pontius Pilate and Yeshua, despite the fact that the author avoids direct parallels with Jesus, an understanding arises of who the unfortunate defendant really is. The prosecutor is tormented by an unbearable headache, and the need to resolve issues related to the eccentric prisoner, who persistently calls him “ kind person", only annoys Pilate. But the further the conversation of these two people, exhausted by life, flows, the more a genuine interest in Yeshua penetrates into the procurator’s soul.
It seems that the strange ragamuffin says simple and banal things. That everyone around is good, that if they do evil or slander, it means they are simply confused or misunderstood that it is necessary to love and trust people. At the moment when the tramp’s speech concerns the internal state of the procurator himself, as well as the small miracle predicted by the accused - a headache that has ceased tormenting its victim, Pontius Pilate is no longer able to hide his confusion. Seeing a living person in front of him, afraid of both pain and anger, the hegemon understands that this holy fool can save him not only from an ordinary migraine, but also from unbearable loneliness and inner aching emptiness.
The meeting with Yeshua changes the soul of the cold procurator. Pilate is imbued with the truth and thoughts of his involuntary interlocutor. He develops a passionate desire to save the unfortunate Ga-Notsri. All sorts of options for saving the accused are swarming in the head of the hegemon, but all hopes of leaving Yeshua alive are dashed by the accusation of insulting the great Caesar. Fear of the emperor's power forces the procurator to order the execution of Ga-Notsri.
The dispute between Yeshua and the harsh hegemon did not become a confrontation between good and evil, since Pilate sincerely believed the prisoner, who had comprehended the great truth, had his own philosophy and selflessly shared his knowledge with all good people.
But the conversation did not stop with the death of one of the interlocutors. And after the execution of the mysterious tramp, the procurator found himself doomed to an eternal continuation of the dialogue in his inflamed and conscience-stricken mind.
Essay on Yeshua and Pontius Pilate in Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita
The heroes of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" Pontius Pilate and Yeshua Ha-Nozri meet under very difficult circumstances for the procurator of Judea and tragic for the poor philosopher.
Sent by the Emperor of Rome to govern the restless outskirts of the empire, Pontius Pilate, to put it mildly, does not like his position. Here in Judea, everything disgusts him: the terrible climate, the deserted, rocky land, and, most importantly, the incomprehensible, restless population, which is always causing unrest and riots. And the procurator especially does not like the Jewish high priests, who also hate the invaders and can incite the population to disobey the Roman authorities. On top of that, the prefect of Judea suffers from terrible migraines.
It was at such a moment, when Pilate’s head was splitting from severe pain, that the beggar philosopher Ha-Nozri was brought to him for trial. It is clear that under such circumstances the procurator does not feel any sympathy for the ragamuffin, but is only even more irritated by the fact that he has to waste time on some kind of nonsense that the Jewish judges could handle themselves. But Yeshua somehow manages to save Pilate from his headache, and he begins to look at the philosopher differently, he is curious about Ha-Nozri’s ideas and, although they seem crazy to the procurator, he does not see anything bad in them.
Obviously, these two people are very different. The cruel, harsh, quick to kill ruler of Judea, the rich and powerful Pontius Pilate and the beggar vagabond, who does not know his parents, defenseless, arrested on a denunciation, hoping for salvation. Talking with the arrested Pontius Pilate understands that standing in front of him is a very intelligent interesting companion. And, although his ideas about universal equality, about the life of people without oppression, are rightfully unrealistic, and the experienced and pragmatic ruler is convinced of this, he does not see any danger in this philosophy. He wants to save Yeshua from death, settle him in a palace, and have a little conversation with him. strange person, argue with him, because the procurator has his own view of the structure of life. Perhaps the two of them will be able to find the truth that philosophers of all times and peoples want to find and have not found!
But Pilate’s plan was not destined to come true. The high priests do not want to let the philosopher live in whose speeches they see a danger to themselves, since they perceive his words about the destruction of the temple as a threat to their power. It is more important for them to leave alive the robber who killed the Roman soldiers. Pontius Pilate, of course, does not agree with this, he does not want the death of Ha-Notsri and, in addition, he really wants to annoy the high priests, but they promise to write a denunciation to the emperor, and the powerful prefect of Judea Pontius Pilate became cowardly, afraid of the emperor’s anger. A warrior who once bravely fought under the banners of the Roman Empire, the horseman of the “Golden Spear” does not dare to confront the Jewish high priests out of elementary fear. He signs Yeshua's death warrant. Ga-Notsri accepts his fate without indignation. He does not ask for mercy, behaves with dignity, and does not blame anyone for his death. Unlike the procurator, Yeshua is not a coward.
Pontius Pilate, after the execution of the philosopher, is tormented by remorse and the realization that he is an indecisive, cowardly person, which further aggravates his suffering. He tries to justify himself to the dead Yeshua by ordering the death of his traitor Judas, but this does not bring him any consolation. And it is absolutely unbearable for him to find out that in his last words Before his execution, Yeshua said that he considered cowardice to be the most important human vice. The procurator will have to live with this pain until the very end, but death will not relieve him of repentance. And in eternity he will lament the innocent death of the poor philosopher, until, at the request of Yeshua, the Master frees him from terrible loneliness.
And together Pilate and Ha-Nozri will walk along the road of eternity, having betrayed and forgiven.
Several interesting essays
- Analysis of the story Speak, mother, speak Ekimova
Every parent is afraid of being abandoned by their child. It’s scary at some point to come to the realization that you are no longer needed, that you are no longer needed. In old age, parents hope for care from their children, gratitude and love.
- Essay based on Aivazovsky's painting The Sea. Moonlight night 9th grade (description)
The play of light in this work amazes with its unique beauty. The fabulous night sea with a green tint and the half-lit sky with a bright moon delight the eye.
- Analysis of the novel by Rudin Turgenev
The very first novel by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is “Rudin”. This work reveals the theme of the “extra person”.
- Characteristics of the heroes of the comedy Woe from Wit by Griboyedov
Alexander Andreevich Chatsky is a young nobleman who adheres to new, more modern views and concepts. He goes against the old and all hundred-year-old traditions
Finally, the long-awaited day has come - this is the anniversary of our school. All the students and I were looking forward to this day because we knew it would be very interesting and fun.