Biblical references

• There are many references and satires to the communist regime in the biblical chapters. Many critics claim that the genius in Bulgakov is his ridicule of the Soviet government within biblical passages and ridicule of religion within secular passages. It's important to keep an eye out for parallels between the bible and Soviet life.
• Nisan: first month of the ecclesiastical year
• Yershalayim: Jerusalem
• “Gods, gods, why do you punish me?” (17)
• line from a Verdi opera
• swallow
• symbolizes resurrection → this story takes place within four days, the last of which is Easter
• also symbolizes love of freedom, which could be a reference to the restrictions of the Soviet government (ie: literary censorship) and the impossibility of retaining something free in captivity (ie: Bulgakov's imagination and voice)
• Galilee: northern Israel
• Sanhedrin: assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the biblical Israel
• Mark Rat-Killer: a play of the word miricidus, latin for rat killer
• Hegemon: leader, power, aggressive
• communist Russia was, in a sense, a “hegemonic country” that controlled/influenced many satellite states
• Yeshua Ha-Nozri: Jesus of Nazareth
• Banga (Pilate's dog): named after Bulgakov's second wife Lyubanga
• Yehudah of Kerioth: Judas
• in the bible, Judas betrays Jesus to the Romans; in M&M Judas is set up by the Jewish community to betray him
• also, in the bible Judas hangs himself on an olive tree out of remorse; in M&M, he is assassinated under an olive tree
• Emperor Tiberius: second emperor of Rome
• was a capable military leader and sensible civic leader, but highly unpopular
• during his rule, he started a “reign of terror” as women and men started being accused of various crimes they did not do → think of the parallels to Stalin's “reign of terror”
• “It is not water from Solomon's pond that I will bring to Yershalayim...it is not water that shall flood your streets” (38)
• ...but blood
• reference to big mistake Pontius Pilate committed: he took $ from the temple to build an aqueduct
• Communist flavor: Jesus accused as a danger to state because he is about to overturn Judaism
• Passover: in honor of the holiday, one criminal is released from execution → death “pases over” him
• Aphranius: head of Pilate's secret police
• Secret police = parallel to Soviet secret police
• Perhaps based off Sextus Aphranius Burrus, a procurator and private guard of Emperor Tiberius in Rome
• Niza: married but Yehudah's “lover”
• Parallel to Margarita, who is married but also the Master's lover; the difference is that Niza betrays Yehudah