100 years ago, Ogonyok dedicated an entire issue to the production of the play “King of the Jews” by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov

100 years ago, “Ogonyok” released a special issue, almost entirely dedicated to the main premiere of the year - the Imperial Hermitage Theater staged the play “The King of the Jews,” written by His August Highness Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov. Or just K.R. - under this pseudonym the Grand Duke was known in the bohemian circles of the Russian capital. It was not for nothing that Konstantin Konstantinovich was called “the best of the Romanovs” - he was not only the president of the Academy of Sciences, but also a talented poet, translator - he made a magnificent translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and a playwright. The mystery "King of the Jews" became perhaps the main work of his life. It must be said that at that time the public was reading the mystical poem “Judas” by Semyon Nadson, and the Grand Duke decided to give a realistic interpretation of biblical events, in which the trial of Christ was explained by purely political motives. Indeed, in those years, the Jews were expecting the appearance of a political Messiah, necessarily a king from the house of David, whose goal was to overthrow the hated burden of Roman power and reign on the throne in Jerusalem. But the ruling high priests saw the coming of Christ as a tragedy: they are afraid that the people might actually start a revolution and proclaim Jesus king. They feared that the Romans would carry out a massacre in the city, completely destroying Judea. And then the hierarchs decide to kill Christ themselves: it is better for one to die for the people than for the people to die for one. The play was a wild success, especially against the backdrop of the anti-revolutionary and anti-Semitic campaign launched by the Holy Synod, because in the role of the greedy Jewish high priests, figures from the then ruling class were easily discernible. In addition, for the first time in the history of Russia, an attempt was made to retell the Gospel events in literary Russian. Of course, if a less famous author had taken on the gospel theme, the Holy Synod would certainly have banned the production. But who dares to go against the Grand Duke?

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On the cover: the main role of Joseph of Arimathea in the play “King of the Jews” was played by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov himself

Dates – Ogonyok No. 6 (5312) from 02/17/2014