Bulgakov's Devil: Not so evil after all: Gnostic Elements in The Master and Marg arita The devil

is a common literary icon. As Woland himself says, one cannot know lig ht without first recognizing shadows; these two dualistic forces are co-operativ e and co-dependent. As a result of this inherent dualism, there is a clear separ ation between the physical and spiritual worlds: the spiritual is seen as a real m of light and the physical as a realm of darkness. Further, the Gnostic univers e works to focus on man s distinct separation from God himself. This transmundane Go d is physically and figuratively hidden from those in the physical world, comple tely unknowable by natural concepts; he cannot be discovered without revelation. In the Gnostic view, man is composed of a body, soul and spirit. The body, resul tantly, is part of the physical world. Importantly, though, the soul of man is a lleged to contain the pneuma (spirit), also called the divine spark. This spark, a piece of the divine realm that has fallen and become trapped in the physical re alm, comes to play a major role in Bulgakov s novel. Along with the idea that the common goal of Gnosticism is to release this spark back to where it belongs. Denov a describes this spark as a latent spiritual element that is present in all men. However, this divine spark can only be awakened and liberated through knowledge (gnosis). One who achieves this knowledge of the divine that is present within himself is said to be saved, and in doing so, releases his divine inner self back to the realm of light where it had fallen from originally. This bizarre process is e asier said than done. Recalling that man is ignorant until undergoing a revelati on, there of course must be a lynch-pin in this process. Enter: Woland and Yeshua. Even vague outline of this Gnostic cosmology sheds lig ht on the allegory of Woland [the devil; darkness] and Yeshua [the bringer of li ght; Jesus Christ] as images of Gnostic go-betweens for these opposing realms, w ith Woland being the primary agent of the dirty work on earth. Thus, while Woland exploits the unenlightened people in the physical realm, Yeshua does the opposit e in the Master s novel he brings the spiritual to the physical world, and the knowl edge that comes with it. Bulgakov s character of Yeshua fits the exact description of what Gnostic savior is: He is a messenger from the world of light who penetra tes the barriers awakens the spirit from its earthy slumber, and imparts to it th e saving knowledge from without (Denova 2). Additionally, according to this definit ion, the character of Woland is also not simply the devil on earth, but a symbol of a humankind that is existent from without. According to A.C. Wright s article, Satan in Moscow: An Approach to The Master and Margarita, Woland regards darkness as the other side of light, to which he is not opposed: there is no indication that he wants to thwart God s purposes or even bri ng about man s damnation (Wright 1163). This argument that Woland is not in fact a d amning devil but rather a co-conspirator type of figure can be readily interprete d from many of his physical acts throughout the novel. It particular instances, Woland s primary objective is to prove the existence of the outer realm, and much as he snaps at Berlioz for proclaiming God does not exist early in the novel, re aders can witness a symbolic parallel incident: his magic show. For example, in George Bengalsky s introduction of his magic at, he states to the audience, Well, as I was saying, you are about to see a very famous artist from abroad, M sie ur Woland, with a session of black magic. Of course we know, don t we Bengalsky smil ed confidently, that there s no such thing really. It s all superstition or rather Maes tro Woland, with a is past master of the art of conjuring, as you will see from the most interesting part of his act in which he reveals the mysteries of his te chnique (Bulgakov Black Magic Revealed ). These lines contain huge Gnostic symbolism that bolsters this type of reading of Woland. First, Bengalsky s statement that Woland is a professor from abroad is prec isely who the Gnostic Woland is a visitor from the spiritual realm. Further, it is significant that as Bengalsky so emphatically insist, just as Berlioz mentions about Christ in the opening pages, that Woland s magic simply does not exist and t hat Woland will in fact reveal the mysteries of a technique of trickery. However , Woland uses his magic act to do the opposite, refusing to show the technique his technique and instead performing all too realistic acts, physically decapitatin

g a man, and refusing to explain the trick to the audience. Woland s entire magic ac t can be viewed as a microcosm for his goal in being on Earth. Like the magic ac t, Woland is not out to harm the people (as even Bengalsky gains his head back); he simply exists to shed light on the existence of the realm beyond. If his black magic is indeed real, so then, by implication, is its counter-part just as valid and legitimate. In a Gnostic world, Yeshua is indeed the savior who is directly opposed to Wolan d, as he represents the spiritual realm and provides knowledge of its divine sav ing quality. Yet he is a savior in a different form: he is the one who brings a way to obtain this spiritual knowledge and thus unveils eyes in darkness; his pres ence alone in the does not make him a savior himself. This fact is represented s ymbolically: the Master s text in itself is null without readers having a way to s eek the information held within it. As readers can see, Yeshua s mere presence is not enough to gain salvation. For ex ample, Yeshua s dedicated follower Levi Matvei is constantly inscribing Yeshua s wor ds, but when Pilate asks to see the parchment, Levi cannot make sense of the wor ds written on it. It is Pilate himself who needs awakened through Yeshua s words Yeshu a himself, as evidenced by Pilate s original role in his crucifixion, is not enoug h to grant salvation. The fact that Yeshua is not readily recognized and interpr eted while on Earth is also a testament to this uniquely Gnostic mysterious savio r. As Bulgakov writes while Yeshua proceeds up the hill to his crucifixion throug h the crowd, There was one man, but few could see him (Bulgakov The Final Adventure of Koroviev and Behemoth ). Again, this draws the focus not to Jesus the man, who is not relevant in the grand Gnostic scheme, but the knowledge of beyond that h e brings to those receptive to the message. The fact that Levi is transcribing nonsense when attempting to write Yeshua s word s and that few could actually see Yeshua perfectly fits the bill of the savior a ccording to the Gnostic Secret Book of John. John states, There is no way to say, What is his quality? or What is his quantity? for no one can know him. He is not so meone among other beings, rather he is far superior (Ehrman 147). Though Bulgakov s description above describes the physically crowded conditions of the scene, the se lines can again be interpreted through alternative meanings especially when rea ders know that this unrecognizable Gnostic savior is so typical of the cult. The supernatural realm, for Bulgakov, is beyond man's exhaustive knowledge; man can approach it only through metaphors, analogies, symbols (Wright 1063) adds Wright. This notion helps to explain why so few can understand what seem to be ridiculou s plot strands of the novel, and also why these characters, especially their wor ds, have such a symbolic rather than literal significance. Though Yeshua came to show the existence of the spiritual realm to people in darkness, but, like Pila te, the people must use these words to release themselves from the darkness. Following the argument that Woland and Yeshua are Gnostic symbols for light and dark, Woland and Yeshua can be seen no longer simply as God versus the devil but r ather, opposite but equal forces. Thus, Woland s sheer existence is yet another ex ample of the existence of the spiritual realm: he proves through his darkness th at there exists an opposite force in Yeshua. He may be the devil, but he certainly is not out to refute the existence of God; rather, he reaffirms it. This argume nt is most poignantly expressed in Woland s own words as he is debating God s existe nce with Berlioz. Look, professor, said Berlioz with a forced smile, With all respect to you as a sch olar we take a different attitude on that point, It s not a question of having an attitude, replied the strange professor. He existed , that s all there is to it. But one must have some proof. Began Berlioz. There s no need for any proof, answered the professor (Bulgakov Never Talk to Stranger s ). In no other scene is Woland s mission so explicitly stated. He is more concerned w ith providing the shadow to the divine s light, instead of convoluting it. Wright s ar ticle again agrees with Woland s positioning as this figure in the Gnostic argumen t and that Woland s presence is crucial for the recognition of the spiritual realm . He states,

Essentially, man is seeking freedom from the tyranny of knowing only what is goo d, a process that leads to Gnosticim and the worship of a power of evil as a lib eration from such tyranny Once man is free to know good and evil, the concept of the devil seems bound to expand to take care of man s desire for such knowledge: t here is no escaping the logic in this process, neither in popular tradition nor in The Master and Margarita. (Wright 1165). According to this interpretation, the devil is not simply an enemy of God; rather, he is a fixture in showing that God is indeed present. As Woland stated, how ca n one know one without the other? As God is absent in the physical realm of Gnos ticism, Woland, together with Yeshua, must be agents and representations of the spiritual realm beyond. Consequently, Any outlook which denies the ontological re ality of the supernatural therefore pathetically inadequate to explain the reali ty of the human condition. And even the devil himself will tell readers that (onl ine article). This definition, then, is Woland s primary function: one that serves a far more noble purpose than simply being an evil deceiver. To also show this dualistic opposite and equal representation of Woland and Yeshua , take the examples in which Woland and Yeshua seem to contain an equal amount o f knowledge knowledge that other characters cannot contain or grasp. The many line s in which characters are asked to explain events, responding with The devil only knows, though a popular figure of speech, are ironic and in actuality quite lite ral. These reactions, which always occur in Woland s presence, occur repeatedly th roughout the novel, on over ten separate occasions. This continued statement tha t the devil does indeed know shows that, like Yeshua, Woland also possesses an omn iscient knowledge. When Berlioz is run over by a train at the beginning of the n ovel, for example, Woland shouts Shall I send a telegram at once to your uncle in Kiev? shocking Berlioz, who cannot understand how Woland possessed this knowledg e of his family members. Though a small event compared to later events of the no vel, this scene shows his character s unworldly foresight. Though Woland is he is in the evil and ignorant physical world, he always knows more than the characters in it. Looking at Yeshua and Woland as mere figures on separate poles begs further reas oning. One can deduce that Woland s representation of darkness also puts him much more in touch with the physical realm throughout the novel, since, as Gnostics p ostulate, the entire world is in fact in darkness. Woland s dual connection from t he spiritual and the physical realms can be read in a description of him. His rig ht eye, with a golden spark in its depths, piercing anyone it turned on to the b ottom of his soul; and the left, empty and black like the narrow eye of a needle (Bulgakov The Master is Released ). These lines are a perfect representation of Wol and not as evil or even below Yeshua s character of good, but as a necessary object for the understanding of what, as he stated earlier, good is. Woland is both in darkness (or physical reality) yet possesses the enlightening truth of the spiri tual realm that Yeshua does. On the other pole, Yeshua s function in the novel must be to provide the light that Woland is opposed to. Pilate s final words in the novel also elucidate a major Gno stic characterization of Jesus. Throughout the Master s novel, readers witness Pil ate s internal struggle with how he is to handle Yeshua and the consequences of hi s crucifixion. Readers can clearly see that Pilate was haunted by his decision t o kill the man that, as Pilate begins to realize, was not perhaps even a man aft er all. Pilate is constantly stating Even at night, in moonlight, I have no rest, (Bulgakov The Master is Released ) indicating that even in the darkness of the phys ical world, Pilate is not, in fact, ignorant. He was awoken by Yeshua s message in the Master s text. Furthermore, almost simultaneously as Pilate is declared to have gained light an d the consequent knowledge that comes with it, he utters a statement that is tru ly Gnostic in its roots regarding Yeshua s execution. The Gnostics have a truly un ique definition of Jesus s death. Whereas mainstream Catholics declare that Jesus s death on the cross was truly the act of a man dying, Gnostics appropriately sepa rate the man Jesus from the divine spirit of Christ. Thus, according to this view, while viewers of the crucifixion physically saw Jesus the man die, Christ, the true spirit, did not, and was instead released back to his home in the spiritual

realm. Consequently, the crucifixion is often considered a trick of the eye there i s no bodily death and subsequent resurrection there is a clear separation between body and soul. Pilate s final recognition of the true knowledge of Yeshua is perha ps one of the most persuasive elements of The Master and Margarita that one can make in a Gnostic argument. As the Pilate set off along that path of light, He was walking with Banga, and the vagrant philosopher beside him. They disagree d entirely, which made their argument the more absorbing and interminable. The e xecution, of course, had been a pure misunderstanding: after all this same man, with his ridiculous philosophy that all men were good, was walking right beside him consequently he was alive. Indeed the very thought of executing such a man was absurd. There had been no execution! It had never taken place! This thought com forted him as he strode along the moonlight pathway (Bulgakov 278) Pilate s statement shows his knowledge of Yeshua s true purpose. Yeshua the person i s not relevant when compared to the knowledge that Pilate gained of the divine r ealm, and, quite literally, Yeshua led Pilate down the path of light. Pilate s restle ss spark could now be released. Through Yeshua, he was able to accomplish every G nostic s goal of departure from the physical world and reunification with the ligh t. The Master s words, you are free! He is waiting for you! not only complete the bo ok, but complete Pilate s own journey down the moonlit path to the light of the di vine, a path that Pilate had been attempting to walk since Yeshua s death. Conversely, Woland poses the critical question as to why the Master should not a lso go into the light as Pilate had. Unlike Pilate s awakening to the existence of t he spiritual realm, the Master is said to have not earned light, only peace. This concept again illustrates that divine knowledge of the light of the spiritual re alm is not something that simply exists, it is something that all people in do n ot simply obtain by remaining, as the Master did, completely within the darkness o f the physical universe. The Master s close relationship with Woland shows that he was not fully awakened, from the darkness and thus, did not earn the light. Woland here operates to tear the physical realm out of their delusion. His evil acts se rve not to trick and victimize, but exist to show the existence of the opposite. The Master ultimately fails; he only sees Woland s world. As Gnosticism teaches, access to the realm of light is the ultimate of man s aspirations but it has to be g ained, and to do so it demands great efforts in life. As evidenced by his attemp t to burn his text of knowledge, the Master failed because he gave up. Up to this point, Bulgakov s text gives significant clues for a Gnostic reading of the characters of Woland and Yeshua; yet the most powerful figure in the novel that almost assuredly gives it a Gnostic translation is that of Margarita. One o f the most prominent figures in Gnosticism, and almost exclusively unique to thi s sect is the figure of Mary Magdalene. Gnostics believe that it is Mary who Jes us revealed his hidden teachings to, as she was the most prominent woman in the mo vement of Jesus s ministry: the keeper of a vast amount of divine knowledge. This parallel is overwhelming in Bulgakov s novel. As the heart of the novel s teachings li es in the text of the Master s book, it is no coincidence that Margarita, the woma n who saved the Master s burned book, is also the keeper of the divine teachings of Yeshua. Thus, just as both Yeshua and Woland are required for the knowledge of t he spiritual realm to enter the world of Moscow, a vessel to receive such privil eged information must also exist: Maragarita is the only person outside of Wolan d who has access to the Master s text. On a physical level, the very relationship between the Master and Margarita and Jesus and Mary Magdalene is quite similar. Though the historical Mary Magdalene has been falsely labeled as a prostitute, Jesus of Nazareth met the woman throug h a cleansing her of sins, as she came to him as a scorned member of society. Th e Master s own description of his first encounter with Margarita is quite reminisc ent, as he also refers to Margarita s own isolation stating, She was carrying some of those repulsive yellow flowers. She had a look of suffering and I was struck less by her beauty than by the extraordinary loneliness in her eyes (Bulgakov Ente r the Hero ). As the Master continues his story of how he and Margarita fell in lo ve, the parallels to Mary Magdalene are again quite significant. Although there is little basis for the theory that Jesus of Nazareth was actually married to Ma ry Magdalene, Gnostic gospels have labeled her as Jesus s companion and favorite apos

tle and have even alleged that Jesus kissed Mary on the mouth. This unique relati onship is characterized in the Gospel of Philip: He loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mout h. The rest of the disciples [...]. They said to him "Why do you love her more t han all of us?" The Savior answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you lik e her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness (Ehrman 187). The Gospel of Philip sheds light not simply on the physical relationship between Jesus and Mary, but on Mary s role in the transmission of the secret knowledge th at Gnostic gospels are centered around. Though the Master is no savior, merely a transporter of the gnosis brought via Yeshua through his novel, it is still appro priate that Margarita draws parallels to Mary Magdalene in this relationship. Gn ostics are not concerned with Jesus, only the knowledge he imparts. Likewise, th e Master and Margarita are agents in delivering this knowledge in Bulgakov s novel . This argument that makes Mary Magdalene and Margarita vessels of gnosis, are also bolstered by the lines in her own gospel (also never published in the canon and deemed heretical by the church) that specifically state that she held informatio n that no other apostles had access to. According to the Gospel of Mary, Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not , nor have we heard them. Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you. And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He an swered and said to me, Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me . For where the mind is there is the treasure (Ehrman 284). Though most of the Gospel of Mary has been lost, it is significant that Jesus in deed was said to have proclaimed to Mary information withheld from others, and t hat Mary, through her own Gospel and contact with the apostles, was the agent to spread these truths. In The Master and Margarita, Margarita reads the charred r emains of the Master s story of Yeshua and Pilate. Alone in the Master s house, she is the only person in the novel who both knows and can save this information. In looking at these parallels, Wright s essay explains that it is not simply the exi stence of the manuscript that is relevant, but in knowing what to do with the wo rds contained within. What happens today has happened before, an idea remains fro m generation to generation, no matter by whom it is expressed. The Master s life w ork is his novel, which he burns and which is saved largely through Margarita. C hrist s life work is reported (in its essence if not in its detail) by Matthu Levi i n a parchment But manuscripts do not burn. Neither the Master s lifework nor Christ s is destroyed (Wright 1169). Therefore, armed with the knowledge in the Master s novel, readers can witness Mar garita s repeated exposure to the spiritual realm as represented by Woland through out the course of Bulgakov s novel. Her sheer unwavering belief in Woland s ability to allow her contact with this other realm is a testament to this; yet Margarita s case is complicated. Having both knowledge of Yeshua from the Master s text and k nowledge of Woland, Margarita repeatedly decides to work along with Woland, albe it for a good cause. The narrator s opening lines in describing Margarita reveal h er inclination to believe in the spiritual realm as physically represented by Wo land and textually through Yeshua in the Master s novel. Gods, gods! What did this woman need? This woman, in whose eyes there always flickered an enigmatic little spark? This witch with just the slightest cast in one eye I do not know (Bulgakov Margarita ). Bulgakov s insistence on the fact that Margarita s divine spark that was li t, yet also calling her a witch is evidence that Margarita was indeed on the pathw ay to gnosis in her fundamental knowledge of the existence of both the dark and the light of the spiritual realm, which as Gnostics contend, is the primary basi s in one s ultimate choice to follow the path to the light. A further example that Margarita is dangerously close to choosing the pathway to light after experiencing the darkness Woland exposes her to is again stated sym bolically. As the description of Woland earlier utilized the metaphor of a needl e in the brain to categorize the dark, Margarita experiences the opposite of thi

s in the lines, the nagging pain in her temple, which had troubled her all evenin g disappeared as though someone had drawn a needle out of her brain (Bulgakov Marga rita ). As a vessel of gnosis, like Mary Magdalene, Margarita is not so ignorant a s her Soviet counterparts: she clearly knows of the spiritual, yet her deep inte ractions and reliance on Woland show that Margarita, in order to complete her mi ssion of reuniting with the Master and his book, perhaps was forced to divulge i n the darkness. However, by the conclusion of the novel, Margarita s objective has been completed. Like Mary Magdalene, she exclusively saved the Master s script and the knowledge within, serving as a connection between the two realms a unique individual who had experience of both the darkness and light. Yet, perhaps identically like Mary M agdalene, Margarita cannot be taken to the light; as Jesus left Mary on Earth ar med with his teachings, Margarita also remained away from the light of the spiri tual realm. A vessel of the saving information, she herself cannot be directly s aved by it. The ending of the novel can be interpreted a variety of ways. Howeve r, there is an interesting shift in that Matthew Levi, speaking from Him, as [he] i s his apostle is working directly in cooperation with Woland. Levi states, He has r ead the Master s writings and asks that you take the Master with you and reward him by granting him peace. When Woland asks why Levi would not simply take the Master with him to the light, he responds that He has not earned light, he has earned r est He asks you also take the woman who loved him and who has suffered for him (Bul gakov The Fate of the Master and Margarita is Decided ). Margarita, [and the Master ] like Mary Magdelene s suffering in her condemnation for spreading Jesus s words, h as completed her role in aiding to the eventual gnosis of Pilate through saving and completing the Master s text; yet in order to do so she had to go through dark ness. Again giving readers an ambiguous interpretation that mixes Margarita s own person al pathway between darkness and light, at the end of the novel Margarita both cr ies out The Great Woland! thanking him for saving her to be reunited with the Mast er and his script, yet at the same time clings onto the saving knowledge in the Master s book as they are forced out of their building. Almost simultaneously as s he is praising Woland, Margarita interjects to the Master, But the novel, the nov el!... take the novel with you wherever you may be going! The Master replies. I can remember it all by heart, Don t worry, I shall never forget anything again (Bulgako v On Sparrow Hills ). Here, it looks as if both the Master and Margarita are fully aware of the spiritual realm in the Master s text, yet are too far intertwined wit h Woland to choose one path: their path has been chosen for them. By Margarita s r eliance on Woland to reunite with the Master and finish his text, she in a sense sacrificed herself to the dark in order to release the light of Yeshua and Pila te s story found within. The explicit denial of the Master and Margarita into the pathway of spiritual en lightenment occurs in lines, Am I to follow him [down the pathway to light]? the M aster asks Woland. Woland responds by telling the Master, No. Why try to pursue w hat is completed? Woland s words signify that the Master and Margarita are well awa re of Yeshua s saving knowledge present in the Master s text. Though they both again were aware of the world beyond theirs, both the Master and Margarita had to sti ck by Woland, remaining in darkness. Their remaining in Woland s dark world was ne cessary in bringing about the salvation of Pilate, but by consequence, they them selves will not enter the light. However, Woland explains that the Master and Margarita are not to revert back to their physical lives either. As he disappears down his own path or darkness, th e Master and Margarita are truly given their peace: a home wherein they can be t ogether and alone. This ending for the title characters shows their true purpose : vessels of a mix of good and evil and the sole possessors of the story of a sav ior who can bring others into the light. Like Mary Magdalene, Margarita suffered with the Master and his novel ultimately saved Pilate. However, neither the Mast er nor Margarita are Gnostic heroes. They had the tools to be enlightened in Yeshu a s tale, but ultimately their conscription to Woland puts them square in the midd le of light and dark. As for their psyche, it had undergone great changes, (Bulgak ov Time to Go ) the narrator speaks. However, readers are never told what changes t

hese are. The Master and Margarita, knowing thoroughly the existence of this spi ritual outside world, uniquely do not gain access to the light as Pilate had, no r the dark abyss that Woland descends to. Yet as matter in Gnosticism is evil, t he Master and Margarita do not deserve to stay in the darkness of their physical surrounding. Their new home in a land of peace is an appropriate option to the darkness of abyss, light of the Savior, or ignorance of the physical world. As g o betweens for the saving knowledge of Yeshua and deep interactions with the dar kness of Woland, both the Master and Margarita are uniquely both dark and light. Appropriately, The Master and Margarita ends on a type of decrescendo, as the ev ents of the world(s) throughout the book conclude and readers are left with an i mage of the ever darkening night, leaving them where they began. Night overtook t he cavalcade, spread itself above them and threw out here and there in the sadde ned sky white specks of stars. Night grew more dense, flew side by side with the riders, catching their cloak, pulling them off, uncovering deceptions (Bulgakov, Absolution and Eternal Refuge ). The darkness, here, appears as a constant from th e beginning of the novel until the end. Like Woland, it is a vital part of natur e without it, one could never truly see the difference that light is. According to this Gnostic interpretation then, Woland is no enemy of life, he is merely set in opposition to it; he must exist there. Furthermore, he actually promotes the spiritual realm. Woland provides evidence that there is more. His aim is not to annihilate, but to reveal a higher order and the existence of God. Therefore, he can be interpreted as the mirror of evil. He shows humanity s real face and expos es greed, corruption, egoism and so forth. Woland and his entourage are not very restraining in their efforts. Two people die, some are driven insane, and physi cal property is completely destroyed. This, however is Woland s way of working goo d through evil. Certainly, his primary element is evil, but his evil is necessar y because only its existence and man s knowledge of it can liberate man to escape ba ck to the spiritual realm, where he ultimately belongs. As the very being of matter is seen as evil in Gnosticism, Woland is consequentl y the devil there is no real dispute to that, even in a Gnostic reading of the tex t. However, as the character of the devil, one cannot ignore the historical lite rary interpretations that are so often connected to the term. The Master and Mar garita certainly does not need to be complicated further, but as the novel itsel f shows readers, all is not what it appears at face value. Bulgakov s establishmen t of Woland and Yeshua though operating in completely different worlds within the te xt as opposite but equal forces instead of quintessential enemies between heaven and hell gives the novel Gnostic undertones. His insertion of Margarita as a divine vessel in transporting a type of gnosis through the Master s text is an overwhelm ing parallel to the Gnostic heroine Mary Magdalene. In this reading of the text, then, Woland becomes much more than God s horned adversary, he is a crucial fixtu re in illuminating God s cause. In a dualistic Gnostic universe aimed to separate the spiritual realm from the physical, light from dark, one must understand the dark in order to achieve the light. This is his release to the spiritual realm: the chief goal of every Gnostic. Thus, keeping Gnostic elements in mind while re ading this novel, readers can also release themselves from the conventional chai ns surrounding good versus evil in literary representations of the devil. Woland m ay be the devil alive and well in the USSR, but a reinterpretation of his functi on, rather than his mere presence, can be enough to shake up common characteriza tions of the devil in literature. In The Master and Margarita, removing Woland f rom a stereotypical role, then, creates a refreshing reading of the text that is particularly Gnostic: without darkness one cannot know light; consequently, wit hout Woland, characters cannot know Yeshua. After all, Woland may not be the devil always conspired against, but a co-conspirator, one who works with God, not aga inst him.