The Kingdom of God is Within You
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The Kingdom of God is Within You is a non-fiction work written by Leo Tolstoy and was first published in Germany in 1894, after being banned in his home country of Russia. The title of the book is taken from Luke 17:21. In the book Tolstoy speaks of the principle of nonresistance when confronted by violence, as taught by Jesus:
- "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:39).
Tolstoy recounted challenges by various people of all classes that his views on nonresistance were wrong, but argued that no matter how the challengers tried to attack the doctrine, its essence could not be overcome, as illustrated by the biblical illustration of perhaps the first occurrence of nonresistance:
- "And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out [his] hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matthew 26:50-52).
Many consider The Kingdom of God is Within You to be a key text for Tolstoyan, Christian anarchist, and nonviolent resistance movements worldwide.
Reference
- The Kingdom of God is Within You (available at ) ISBN 0803294042
See also
- Christian anarchism
- Turn the other cheek
- Franco Zeffirelli (1977) Jesus of Nazareth
- Mahatma Gandhi (1929) The Story of My Experiments with Truth [link]
- Richard Bach (1970) Jonathan Livingston Seagull
External links
- [The Kingdom of God Is Within You] - complete text available for download.
- [The Kingdom of God Is Within You] - Free e-text English translation
- [Free eBook: The Kingdom of God Is Within You ''by Leo Nikoleyevich Tolstoy'] at Project Gutenberg
- [Tolstoy's Legacy for Mankind: A Manifesto for Nonviolence, Part 1]
- [Tolstoy's Legacy for Mankind: A Manifesto for Nonviolence, Part 2]
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