Lazarus in Crime and Punishment
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Of the many parallels to reconciliation, redemption, and forgiveness in Crime and Punishment, one of the most prominently reoccurring biblical allusions is to Lazarus. Recounted in John 11:1-38, the raising of Lazarus from the dead was arguably one of Jesus’ greatest miracles. The story of Lazarus contains several parallels between Dostoevsky's characters, perhaps most cohesively in the scene of Marmeladov's death.
The four characters most prominent in the story of Lazarus are Jesus, Mary of Bethany (not to be confused with Mary Magdalene), Martha, and Lazarus. These characters map loosely onto different characters in Crime and Punishment at throughout the novel, but their individual mappings are not necessarily stable, as illustrated below:
Katerina Ivanovna
Katerina Ivanovna resembles both Mary of Bethany and Martha at different points in the novel. When Marmeladov describes Sonya's entrance into prostitution, he notes that he "saw Katerina Ivanovna walk over to Sonechka's little bed, also without saying a word, and kneel at the foot of the bed for the rest of the evening, kissing Sonechka's feet, not wanting to get up” (Dostoyevsky 17). This is undeniably similar to Mary of Bethany's anointing Jesus with oil, and thereafter wiping his feet with her hair (ESV John 12:3).
Katerina Ivanovna's similarities to Martha are perhaps more consistent throughout the novel, specifically in terms of her temper. Just as Martha chastises Jesus, saying, "Lord, if you had been here" (ESV John 11:21), so Katerina Ivanovna chastises her husband, saying of Marmeladov: "[I]f he hadn't been trampled" (Dostoyevsky 172). Although the respective arrivals of Jesus and Marmeladov are notably dissimilar, particularly because Marmeladov was a habitual drunk, both are received with indignation; Jesus by Martha, and Marmeladov by Katerina Ivanovna.
Sonya
Sonya resembles both Mary of Bethany and Jesus at different points in the novel. When Sonya enters into prostitution, Marmeladov recounts that Sonya "went straight to Katerina Ivanovna and laid out thirty roubles on the table without saying a word. Not a word, not even a glance" (Dostoyevsky 17), which is not dissimilar from Mary of Bethany's anointing Jesus' feet with expensive oil (ESV John 12:3). While Sonya thirty roubles was a significantly lesser sum than the oil poured out by Mary—worth a year's wages, according to John 12:5 (NIV)—both were surrendered without question and without a verbal explanation.
Sonya's resemblance to Jesus takes place later in the novel when Raskolnikov torments her until she, unwillingly at first, recites the story of Lazarus (Part IV, Chapter IV). While Sonya's timidness is in opposition with Christ's confident demeanor, both figures eventually reach the same end goal of reviving their respective target. In the Gospel of John, Jesus revives Lazarus, who "had already been in the tomb four days" (ESV John 11:17). Similarly, Sonya initiates Raskolnikov's "revival", after, as noted by Tucker (46), he has been dead to Orthodoxy for four days following his murder of the pawn broker and Lizaveta.
Raskolnikov
As discussed above, Raskolnikov clearly resembles Lazarus, and in more ways than one. For example, throughout Part I, it is mentioned how Raskolnikov is dressed in rags that are barely holding themselves together (Dostoyevsky 4). This is uncannily similar to Lazarus, who, after having lain in a tomb for four days, is still wrapped in burial cloths when Jesus raises him from the dead (ESV John 11:44). In this way, each resembles a corpse. Additionally, Raskolnikov's own living conditions are reminiscent of a tomb, as noted by Pulkheria Alexandrovna (Dostoyevsky 215), drawing yet another parallel between Raskolnikov and Lazarus.
Finally, noting again Tucker's conclusion, both Raskolnikov and Lazarus were "dead" for four days before their resurrection. While Lazarus was physically dead, Raskolnikov was "dead" to the Orthodoxy he previously adhered to, for the four days following his double homicide (Tucker 46). Then, upon realizing (as well as ridiculing) Sonya's purity, his spirit is rekindled, and he is revived, subsequently beginning a journey from a place of hysteria to a place where he seeks Christian atonement (47).
Bibliography
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Translated by Oliver Ready, Deluxe ed., Penguin Books, 2015.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Text ed., Crossway Books, 2016.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Biblica, 1984.
Tucker, Janet G. Profane Challenge and Orthodox Response in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Rodopi, 2008.