Boris Kornfeld

 Boris Kornfeld

"Fervently he tells me the long story of his conversion from Judaism to Christianity. This conversion was accomplished by an educated, cultivated person...some good-natured old fellow like Platon Karatayev."- (page 309)

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described how he met a surgeon who had been sent to gulag. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that he needed surgery and had a cancerous tumor removed. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was able to speak to the surgeon and learn that he had converted from Judaism (not Messianic Judaism but the pharisee judaism that speaks about self-righteousness and obeying 600 false "commandments"). Boris learned from another individual in gulag named Platon Karatayev who was a believer. The surgeon had converted to Christianity renouncing idolatry. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was impressed by the stories of individuals in gulag who had renounced socialism for Christianity. There are multiple stories in the Gulag Archipelago that speak of individuals obtaining salvation by renouncing idolatry for King Jesus Christ.

We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described that the individual was gentle and well-mannered. We learn that the envious socialists even sent surgeons to gulag. We learn that there were individuals from different professions that had converted to Christianity after seeing the reality of socialism and envy. The surgeon was persecuted to martyrdom. We learn that in the Soviet Union even amist persecution, there were individuals that persevered with their zealous faith.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn noted that despite the persecution, it was rare that individuals taken to gulag committed suicide. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn had stated how there were a significant larger amount of attempts to escape gulag by individuals than attempts to quit life.  It was noted that instead the individuals persevered until martyrdom from persecution or  exhaustion  (from hard labor despite not having tools apportioned by the envious socialists and working in arctic weather), escape from gulag through attempts to escape, or release to exile and freedom. This is interesting noting that individuals who were persecuted did not quit life and instead persevered in their faith to eternal salvation.

This is interesting noting that despite the circumstances, individuals did not renounce their faith in King Jesus Christ. We learn that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is able to help us understand in the Gulag Archipelago that it is possible to persevere despite adversity, obstacles, or persecution. There are multiple stories of individuals that renounced idol worship and socialism for the worship of the true GOD of gods, GOD Almighty, and confessed King Jesus Christ Eternal Messiah.