Page:The way of Martha and the way of Mary (1915).djvu/133



Christianity is sharply in contrast with Western Christianity in the characteristic idea of denial of "the world," as opposed to our Western idea of accepting the world and "making the best of it." An essential idea in Russian Christianity is denial of "the world," denial of this mortal life as real life, denial of material force as real force, denial of speech as real speech. An act of denial is called a podvig, and a man who does some great act of denial is called a podvizhnik.

The act of Jesus on the mountain denying the road that led to the empire of the world in favour of the road that led to an ignoble death is a podvig—denial of the world.

"Turning the other cheek" is a podvig—denial of material power.

Going two miles with the man who forces you to go one is a podvig.

Mary, breaking the precious box of alabaster which might have been sold in aid of the poor, accomplished a podvig.