Gospel motifs in the works of Nikolay Tolstoy

The article examines the unstudied works of Nikolay Tolstoy, the elder brother of Leo Tolstoy. His book of short stories Hunting in the Caucasus fascinated his contemporaries. However, there are no studies addressing the talent of Nikolay Tolstoy and the moral and creative influence on his brother. The research novelty and relevance of attention to the personality of this undeservedly forgotten writer is dictated by the fact that Leo Tolstoy admired his genius and wrote about it repeatedly. Focusing on the spiritual life of a person is the main feature of Nikolay Tolstoy’s aesthetic credo, which accords with the main problems of Leo Tolstoy’s works. While serving in the Caucasus, Nikolay Tolstoy wrote down the stories of people he met. This material was later used as the basis for the stories in Hunting in the Caucasus, as well as for his short novel Plastun, in which the writer depicted struggle with passions inherent in human nature. In Hunting in the Caucasus, the events in the vineyard can be compared with the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). The last chapter of his short stories book, “The Story of Saip-Abrek”, ends with the Nogai tale about a hawk, which resonates with the parable of the prodigal son. The motif of this parable is most fully represented in Nikolay Tolstoy’s short novel Plastun. There is also a description of the main character’s childhood dream, which contains somewhat apocalyptical allegories. During the last months of his life, Nikolay Tolstoy translated 28 chapters of the Book of Genesis and the Book of Joshua into Russian in accordance with the Luther Bible, with a special focus on the translation of the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah and the divine incarnation. In his description of Prince Andrey Bolkonsky’s dying desire not to part with the Holy Gospel, Leo Tolstoy immortalized his elder brother’s spiritual preparation for eternity.