Dostoevsky and World Culture Dostoevsky and World Culture 2619-0311 2712-8512 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2020-1-16-30 Articles  “I am a great, great sinner”: The Theology of Sin in Crime and Punishment and The Idiot Kasatkina Tatyana A. fedor@dostmirkult.ru 2020 1 1 16 30 Dostoevsky Napoleon Rothschild The Idiot the myth of Napoleon Rothschild Herzen Heine The Adolescent Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The understanding of Dostoevsky’s views about sin defines the basic understanding of Dostoevsky’s texts by readers and researchers. In case the reader does not understand sin the way the author did, the meaning of key moments in the texts can be distorted beyond recognition. In Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky tried to write down his views plainly, thus arousing sharp rejection from the editor of the Russian Messenger of the chapter about the reading of the Gospel. The author was obliged to rewrite it significantly, trying to maintain his intent now indirectly and to conceal it from direct criticism and censorship. At once this episode served as an additional impulse to create the “stepping aside” way of expressing philosophical and theological ideas that can be found in other Dostoevsky’s artistic texts. The article is dedicated to Dostoevsky’s understanding of sin and how it was translated in Crime and Punishment and The Idiot.