Rethinking of biblical images by modern poets on the example of Tumanov's D. A. poem "Requiem for Judas"



It is well known that biblical stories are used many times in both world and Russian literature, and often they are presented in their original form. Rarely has an author dared to modify a biblical story, to «distort» it or its characters. This trend is typical mainly for writers XX-XXI centuries. The article presents the analysis of the biblical image of Judas, presented in the XXI century poetry on the example of the work «Requiem for Judas» by Tumanov D. A., published in 2021.

Keywords : biblical image; image of Judas; poetry; reinterpretation of biblical images; modern poetry.

For many centuries, biblical themes, along with those of ancient mythology, were used by writers, artists, sculptors, musicians, playwrights in their works and eventually formed the foundation of European culture. Biblical images are known around the world, some of them have become household names. Some people do not try to look beyond the images in the Bible, others think and reason about them and come to unexpected conclusions.

Russian literature is particularly rich in Christian motifs, and without them it is unthinkable. We can vividly see their manifestation in the works of not only the classics of Russian literature — A. S. Pushkin «Gavriliada», F. M. Dostoevsky «The Brothers Karamazov», N. V. Gogol «Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka», Leskov's «The Enchanted Wanderer», Lermontov's «Mtsyr»i, Tolstoy's «Confessions», Turgenev's «Fathers and Children», etc. as well as works by contemporary writers and poets. In the works of V. A. Kotelnikov we meet not abstract statements that all Russian literature is Orthodox, but concrete and considered statements — such as the fact that in any significant phenomenon of Russian literature can be found traces of the position of trust in the Supreme Element [1].

Often biblical themes are included in a work in its original form or as an ulterior motive, but sometimes authors change the biblical events or characters at their own discretion, prescribing them a new motivation and scenes of action. For example, in A. I. Kuprin, M. A. Bulgakov and L. N. Andreev we find biblical plots in their distorted form.

V. V. Afanasyeva has identified in her study [2] five types of «distortions» of biblical plots existing in Russian literature:

1. The very plot of the biblical or evangelical narrative is significantly distorted; the development of the action as a whole is changed, individual events, characters, their characters are changed, the ethical basis of their actions is rethought (M. A. Bulgakov)
2. The plot itself is not distorted, but meanings and ethical bases of actions of biblical heroes are reconsidered, the author's interpretation of motives of their behaviour is given, other intentions are attributed to heroes (L. N. Andreev).
3. The plot is not distorted, but it is supplemented with details, plot lines and characters that do not exist in the Bible (A. I. Kuprin).
4. Hidden distortions, attempts to «humanise» the biblical hero in modern conditions (F. M. Dostoevsky).
5. Creation of own theological works containing revision of orthodox Christianity (L. N. Tolstoy).

The work in question belongs to the second type. In it Tumanov develops the image of Judas, which is opposite to that presented in the Bible and culture, by means of newly developed motives of betrayal committed by Judas. At the same time, the plot of the biblical events itself does not change.

The title of the poem, «Requiem for Judas» [3] is already something to look at in the analysis. The word requiem itself refers to a Catholic funeral service [4]. However, it is known that Judas Iscariot committed suicide on the day following the crucifixion of Christ [5]. And since in Christian tradition it is not considered acceptable to pray for suicide, a requiem for Judas is something, to say the least, inappropriate. Already this strong stance of the text indicates that the author will be making sense of Judas' image in a new light in the text.

It is also interesting that the narrative in the text is in the first person, and this person, as we understand during the reading process, is Judas Iscariot. The clearest indicators of this are the suicide scene and the lines 'for I am the eternal symbol of betrayal to men, // a cowardly fool, cursed every day '.

The poem itself has a sequential composition: a recollection, a dream on the eve of the lyrical hero's death, a suicide.

The first two stanzas create an atmosphere of despair and imminent end. We clearly understand the time and place of action: the night of betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane: «I remember everything: the starless night, the Garden of Gethsemane». The world is asleep, noises reach the lyrical hero from afar, he humbly stands before Christ, who is not afraid of what will happen after this brief encounter: « the reflection of the sleeping world in Thy eyes, // a look devoid of longing and sorrow ». Already here, in the first two stanzas, Judas does not see a positive end for himself, realizing that he will not rise as God did, and that he will probably not go to Paradise. At the same time, though he admits his sins: «I may be wicked», the lyrical hero does not try to escape his fate or ask Christ to change anything. They both realise that «it is useless to choose one's fate».

At the very last moment, when everything has already fallen silent, the lyrical hero asks bitter rhetorical questions: « why was I the only one who saw your pain, Son of God? // where are those who boasted of love, // following you so stubbornly? " The lyrical hero is certain that the other disciples present here were simply afraid to intervene and let things happen: « and now — everyone hides his face, swallowing his tongue, // and now — everyone is gripped by fear ». The last hope for a different outcome, if there was one left in the lyrical hero, is extinguished.

The next stanza is Judas' dream, in which Christ comes to him and tells him that the impending execution is God's plan and they must follow it. He persuades Judas to betray him, promising that someday afterwards they will meet in Paradise: « Do not be afraid, Judas, all this is the Lord's plan, // and when we divide the suffering in two, // you will enter Paradise with me, because // it is foretold, my brother, it must be so» .

Christ then utters a phrase that is key to this work: « between truth and falsehood there is a moment, a long moment» . Tumanov gives the following meaning: one day people will be able to work out whether Judas should be called a traitor or not. After all, according to the author, he was only doing God's work. This line signifies the author's attitude towards Judas, explaining why he is doing his requiem.

In Judas' dream we see the author's interpretation of the events of the Bible. Whereas before the poet only touched on what was going on inside the traitor himself, leaving the original canvass of the biblical plot unchanged, now he adds an additional scene: Christ's conversation with Judas, their planning for the impending betrayal.

Judas, waking up, decides to take his own life, as the burden of betrayal and human contempt is much heavier than he is: « I woke up and realised: it seems that my time is up, // well, I will hang in the noose, since I have not earned the cross. // for to live with this burden is blasphemy» . His new role oppresses him, even his faith does not help him go on living: « for I am the eternal symbol of betrayal to men, // a cowardly fool, cursed every day, // and, alas, even faith is powerless ». For Judas, without Christ, life once again loses the meaning that he had found when he became his disciple: « Before I met you, it was as if I were wandering in darkness, // but now I have my sight, in the end comforted by the fact // that though the flame inside has gone out, // the sacrifice was not // in vain» .

Thus we see that in Tumanov, Judas is not a backstabbing traitor who had valued his teacher's life at thirty pieces of silver, but a man who had no choice but to obey his fate and fulfill his role in God's plan. With this author Judas is a man worthy to be prayed for after his death, despite the gravity of the sin of suicide he committed. This interpretation is not unique or innovative (it has been developed in works such as: Grubar S. «Judas: Traitor or Victim?", L. N. Andreev, «Judas Iscariot»), however, it represents an unpopular and atypical interpretation of the biblical plot.

Although not much is known about the author of the work (Denis Aleksandrovich Tumanov is an online poet of Ukrainian origin, who has been publishing his works since 2017 in Russian and Ukrainian on several different platforms), we see an ambiguous view of the image of a familiar biblical character, created by him and which has gained a certain popularity among both fans of Tumanov's works and people who are only casually familiar with «Requiem for Judas».

References:

1. Kotelnikov V. A. Orthodoxy in the works of Russian writers of the XIX century: Ph: 10.01.01. — SPb, 1994. — 245 p.
2. Afanasyeva V. V. «Distorted Biblical Plots in Russian Literature» // Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society URL: http://www.Ippo.ru (accessed 12.11.2022).
3. Requiem for Judas, II. // interesnoe.me URL: https://interesnoe.me/view/content/2 (access date: 17.11.2022).
4. Dictionary of Russian Language: In 4 vols. / RAS, Institute for Linguistic Research; Edited by A. P. Evgenieva. — 4-th ed. — M.: Russ. yaz; Polygraphresurs, 1999. — 702 p.
5. Holy Bible: Matthew 27:5