THE HERO'S ROAD TO CALVARY: OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT MOTIFS IN ”MOSCOW“ BY ANDREY BELY

The aim of our article is to discover biblical allusions, motifs and plots in Andrey Bely's last and least studied novel, Moscow (1925?1930). Besides the biblical plane (both Old and New Testaments), the novel features a lot of eschatological imagery. We have analysed the key scenes of the novel where biblical motifs and imagery acquire the status of a sign. Our analysis allowed us to conclude that the Gospel plane of the text helps the reader comprehend the overall idea of the novel, i. e. the protagonist's initiation, his departure from the Old Testament regulations to the Christian idea of mercy and compassion, as well his discovery of the spiritual laws of nature and the universe. The image of the eccentric in the novel helps us more profoundly understand the continuity and transformation of the biblical, eschatological and anthroposophic motifs throughout the whole creative heritage of Andrey Bely.