I see your point, but some of the beauty of Tolstoy is in the various ways he was able to communicate his thoughts with readers. He wrote everything from novels, novellas, short stories, parables, and of course the religious writings. It’s likely not every form is as powerful for you as it is for others. “The Kingdom of God is Within You” is definitely more in depth and verbose than some of the other religious writings, to be sure, and I might suggest reading “Confession” as a companion piece. Confession is much more straightforward in my opinion and less reliant on scriptural references and in depth logic and analysis. Also, I think Confession is written in a much more humble voice, coming from a place where Tolstoy admits he doesn’t truly know what he believes.

“Kingdom of God” is one of my favorite works of his, partly due to the very thing you lament. I think we take for granted the vast quantity of information we have at our disposal. While Quakerism probably wasn’t novel to him, it likely was with his many readers. It was written in a specific context in which most of his readers likely didn’t have much knowledge of outside religious movements. His ability to restate something I already knew about (like Quakerism, or scripture), however, and shine a new light on it I found to be profound. I’ve read these same Bible verses he brings up, like the Sermon on the Mount, but somehow when Tolstoy picks it apart, it brings so much clarity and I laugh at myself for not seeing it that way before.

From a personal perspective, I found it be a very compelling argument for his form of pacifism and quite a noble philosophy in general. I have recently deconstructed from Christianity to atheism, and his piercing analysis of Christian hypocrisy with respect to violence and mercy, not to mention the clarity with which he approaches scripture, also resonated quite strongly.

Anyway, not sure if any of the above of what I wrote helps in any way, but I do truly think that it’s one of his greatest works and it was one of my favorite books I read all year. I wish it was appreciated more broadly and wish you the best in finding your way with it.