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Abstract: The main topic of this work is a poetry of Russian emigrants from the perspective transformation of the «agony in the Garden» motif. We analyze «agony in the Garden» motif as a part of plot and motif complex of Gethsemane. Many theologians are researching the moment when Christ was absolutely lonely and doubtful. There have been a lot of debates about it for the last two thousand years. In this article, we use only several aspects of the «agony in the Garden» motif: the motif of the free will, solitude and apostasy. The goal of this research is an attempt to demonstrate how the perspective on an actual Biblical motif characterizes an author and his time. We analyze possible types and forms of interpretations of the motif depending on an individual fictional world of an author and on an influence of an era. To conduct research used the methods of motivic and intertextual analysis of the poem. Analyzed texts include the poetry of Russian emigration that demonstrates a classical understanding of the motif and innovative reading. Poems of KuzminaKaravaeva are close to the Evangelical interpretation of the motif the «agony in the Garden». Poet has lost her daughter, but she still finds strengths to accept her destiny. Left alone, she finds strengths in God. Zinaida Gippius has this motif too, but it can be interpreted differently. In 1901 she is ready to drink the cup to its very dregs, but in the 1930s she is not sure if it's necessary or if it's even possible to reach the dregs. The motif is presented with a lot of contradictions in the literature of Russian emigrants. The obtained results can be used for the research about the reception of Evangelical texts in Russian poetry of the XX century, for characterization of the poetry of Russian White emigre, in the teaching of special literature courses for philologists in higher education.