Editors Reads Verdict
Kazantzakis's most controversial and arguably most profound novel. The portrait of Christ as a man fully human and fully in doubt is both theologically provocative and deeply compassionate.
What We Loved
- Genuinely profound engagement with theology and human nature
- Christ as a fully human, sympathetic figure
- Magnificent in its ambition
Minor Drawbacks
- Controversial — requires openness to an unorthodox interpretation of the Gospels
- Long and demanding
Key Takeaways
- → The struggle between flesh and spirit as the defining human condition
- → Faith as something earned through doubt, not given
- → The full humanity of Christ as the source of his significance
| Author | Nikos Kazantzakis |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Pages | 496 |
| Published | January 1, 1955 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Philosophical Fiction |
| Difficulty | Advanced |
| Best For | Readers interested in religious and philosophical fiction, the historical Jesus, or Kazantzakis's vision of spiritual struggle |
The premise of The Last Temptation of Christ is one of the most radical in 20th-century fiction: Kazantzakis imagines Christ not as divine Word made flesh but as a man fully, agonizingly human — afraid, doubtful, tempted, struggling against the vocation that has been forced upon him. On the cross, in his final hours, he is visited by a vision of the ordinary human life he might have lived: a home, a wife, children, the simple satisfactions of the body.
Kazantzakis was excommunicated by the Greek Orthodox Church for this novel, and the 1988 Scorsese film adaptation provoked protests worldwide. The controversy, then and now, somewhat misses the point: the novel is not an attack on faith but an act of faith — the insistence that Christ’s significance lies precisely in his humanity, that a god who does not know temptation cannot redeem those who do.
The writing is magnificent throughout — Kazantzakis’s Greek prose, in Bien’s English translation, has a physical intensity that is unlike anything else in 20th-century fiction. The Palestine he renders is brutal and sensory; the figures around Jesus — Mary Magdalene, Judas, the disciples — are fully realised human beings. The Last Temptation of Christ is a work of genuine theological seriousness, and one of the great novels of spiritual struggle.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "The Last Temptation of Christ" about?
A radical reimagining of the life of Christ — depicting Jesus as a man torn between the flesh and the spirit, tempted on the cross by a vision of the ordinary human life he might have lived.
Who should read "The Last Temptation of Christ"?
Readers interested in religious and philosophical fiction, the historical Jesus, or Kazantzakis's vision of spiritual struggle
What are the key takeaways from "The Last Temptation of Christ"?
The struggle between flesh and spirit as the defining human condition Faith as something earned through doubt, not given The full humanity of Christ as the source of his significance
Is "The Last Temptation of Christ" worth reading?
Kazantzakis's most controversial and arguably most profound novel. The portrait of Christ as a man fully human and fully in doubt is both theologically provocative and deeply compassionate.
Ready to Read The Last Temptation of Christ?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: