Book 3, Chapter 7: The Controversy

⁠​​​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌⁠But Balaam’s ass had suddenly spoken. The subject was a strange one. Grigory had gone in the morning to make purchases, and had heard from the shopkeeper Lukyanov the story of a Russian soldier which had appeared in the newspaper of that day. This soldier had been taken prisoner in some remote part of Asia, and was threatened with an immediate agonizing death if he did not renounce Christianity an