[Levin]

I was puzzled by the epigraph too, but you know its source: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Romans 12:19. Interesting that Tolstoy only quoted the "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" portion, when if he had quoted the entire passage, the clear message would be the exact opposite than the one you take from it: people shouldn't take judgment and vengeance into your own hads; let God worry about it.