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Abba Isaak Syrian
and Dostoevsky, acrylic on canvas, 2022
St. Isaac the Syrian, a sev- enth-century monk mentioned by name several times in “The Broth- ers Karamazov”; to whose “Asceti- cal Discourses” Dostoevsky is said to have returned repeatedly; and who likely inspired many of the ideas expressed by Dostoevsky’s figure of Zosima. St. Isaac of Syria had a substantial and decisive in- fluence on Dostoevsky’s thought, especially regarding the relation- ship between God and nature and its meaning for humanity. Dosto- evsky’s heroes revere the earth, kiss it and water it with their tears, and admit to it its darkness, mys- tery, and holy integrity.
