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grumpyyouth
5.0 out of 5 stars Who's that guy on the cross?
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2019
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I was not brought up with religion. These days I practice Zen Buddhism. This book changed my life when I read it in my early 20s. I always wanted to know who Jesus was, why he was crucified, why people are so devoted. This book answered my questions. Kazantzakis was a Bible scholar and was said to have read the Bible 10,000 times. (Which may be a superlative way of saying he was intimate with the Bible.)
To me, this book embraces the true spirit of Jesus's teachings--love thy neighbor, help the poor, and the Kingdom of God is within.
In today's world, money has leached its way into the true teachings of Jesus, and we see it all the time. This humble book is a steadfast reminder that all we need to do to find Jesus is to take a moment and look within. And take a moment, and look without.
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Joe Addes
1.0 out of 5 stars Ain't What It Use To Being
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020
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I had read this book in 1965 and it left an indelible mark on my soul; a good and rich feeling. Even more the descriptions of scenery and events impressed me to this day. So when my old paperback copy finally turned to dust I ordered this new one. This book is filled with misspellings, incorrect syntax and poor grammar; it is not the book I just threw out.
Find an old copy and read it.
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Charlie Calvert
5.0 out of 5 stars A Peculiar Masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2012
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This moving book renders Christ in vivid, unforgettable colors; such colors as have never been seen before and probably never will be again. In the process, it tells us something about our humanity, and about our indomitable spiritual longings.

Christ is important to us in part because he was human. His humanity is what moves us, and we take comfort in his image because we find his humanity comprehensible.

His humanity, however, is disturbing to some people. Perhaps this is why the Christian church has worked so hard to promote the idea of the Trinity. Christ is not just a man, we are told, he is simultaneously man, God and the Holy Spirit.

Those who see Christ as infallible, as essentially God-like, will no doubt find this book disturbing. Kazantzakis's Christ is very human. He is full of distinctly human frailties.

The book's depiction of a flawed human in the midst of a titanic spiritual struggle is moving, profound, and revelatory. It tells us much about the human spirit, about our longings for spiritual liberation, and the frustrations that many encounter when they walk a spiritual path.

This book is a testament to the greatness of the human spirit. Yet at times, I find a touch of life-denial in it. Christ turns away from friends, family, and even his own best and kindest instincts as he reaches toward his goal. That part of this great book did not always sit well with me, yet I cannot deny that in this one area, at least, Kazantzakis has ample Biblical sources to back up his interpretation.

For all its greatness, this is, however, a peculiar book. I call it peculiar in part because it vividly depicts the life of Christ in a manner that is neither historically accurate nor always true to our Biblical sources. It takes place not in Biblical times, but in a dream-like landscape that is vaguely reminiscent of rural Greece in the 19th century. Some of the opening scenes, for instance, take place in something that seems very much like an Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery, only there could not have been a Christian monastery before Christ's crucifixion, and certainly there is no mention of one in the Gospels. My point is not that something like a monastery could not have existed in Biblical times, but that the monastery in this book is distinctly Christian in flavor, which makes it, at best, an anachronism.

It sounds as though I am criticizing Kazantzakis's book, but I am not. His instincts as a novelist never fail him. He makes all the right decisions, and the landscape and the characters he creates come vividly alive. Never before has Christ been as real, or his struggles so clear, as when I read this book.

I believe that all Christians, and many who are interested in the Christ story, will find this an essential book. One needs, however, to approach it in the right spirit. To say that is unorthodox is a gross understatement. It is a radically experimental book, both from an artistic and a theological perspective. Nevertheless, it not only succeeds, but ends up telling us something rare and precious about both our own humanity, and our religion.
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GFJII71
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING BOOK!!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2013
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This is truly a masterpiece and work of art in literature. I know there is a lot of confliction with the religious community with this book but that I believe is because so many people are so very closed minded. Open your mind and hearts to the thoughts that Jesus too had to deal with temptations and conflict that common man has to also while he was still on Earth and in his mortal form. People lose there minds over the thoughts that not everything may be as straight and narrow as it is depicted in the bible and that there may have been more to the man that was Jesus Christ. This just gives another view of what may have or may not have been but since none of us were there and all we have is the written word, that has been change and interpreted many multiple times through history to fit what religions want and need to believe, we may never know the truth, as it was only as man and religion wants it seen. So open your mind and read this before you shun it.

An Amazing Read. AAA+++
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R. J. Marsella
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterful and Moving Re-Imagining of the Gospel Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2010
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Quite frankly, this is Kazantzakis' masterpiece. Taking a theme that he is probably best known for exploring in Zorba, he explores the struggle between the physical and the spiritual or contemplative life. In Last Temptation the scope and artistic courage required to examine this theme in the life of Jesus Christ must have been a daunting undertaking. This is a book of incredibly beautiful imagery. Some of the familiar gospel scenes are portrayed with an intensity of language that had me stunned at the quality of the vision Kazantzakis was pursuing and the ability to give the main characters from Jesus' life flesh and blood characterizations that give the scenes an earthy and human aspect.
At the same time he employs artistic license freely and his Christ is as much of a human as he is a God. There are passages that are integral to the novel that would be considered controversial at the time this was written and in our own time as well. The ending is a sweeping re-imagining of the Passion of Christ that is one of the most poetic passages in literature and yet it remains respectful of the faith of Christians. This is not an anti-religious work but a haunting work of art that uses the best known of all stories to explore timeless themes. Approach with an open mind and you will be rewarded.
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M. Dowden
5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2019
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Nikos Kazantzakis certainly caused a controversy when this book was first published, and which led it to be placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Catholic Church. Yes, this book can be classed as heretical, blasphemous and as sacrilege, but that doesn’t discount the fact that it is a bloody good read.

This book does have to be taken into context somewhat with the life of the author, his experiences and the events that he lived through, as without those this book would never have been written or have the creative power that it does. Here then we are given the story of Jesus, but where Christ is a much more human, and thus fallible person, meaning that we can understand him and grasp his message a bit more effectively than just reading for instance the Gospels.

Heavily influenced by other religions, psychology and philosophy we see a man stuck in a place that he doesn’t want to be. There is his destiny as ordained by God, and then there is the very real man with his more human and basic desires, such as to own a home, have a job, a wife and children, indeed the most common goals for the vast majority of people in the world. In other words, to live a full and as happy a life as possible. It is the juxtaposition of these two elements that creates the crux of this novel, which takes us back to an earlier feel of Christianity, before the rise of the big churches and thus all the traditions and wrappings that this brought along.

Why this makes for such a good and rewarding read is that we see and feel for Jesus, as although supposedly born without sin, it does not mean that he cannot have thoughts of doubt and so on and worries about what will happen. As we also read this the question of the Gospels and their accuracy does come in for some scrutiny, making us wonder how authentic they really are. I am an atheist so the fact that this is deemed unfit to read by some does not bother me, also I do know more than enough theology to see where the heresy and so on is, but I would personally say that this book should be read by a lot more people than it is. The ultimate message you take away from this is an old one, but nevertheless still true, that to get things done, to have a good life not only for ourselves and for others, you have to get on and do it. As you look around you today you see too many people who are self-centred and selfish, thus making them ignorant. If we all took a bit of time out to think things through, then the world would be a much better place.
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John David Charles Hilton
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, original, intense and rewarding.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2020
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The Last Temptation of Christ is a bold, highly original and very powerfully written novel.
It is emotionally intense and tightly written and not for the faint hearted.
It presents a challenging view of the life of Christ, but while it is obviously unorthodox, it is in no way heretical.
The book can be read as a highly personal telling of the passion of Christ, or it can be read as a highly original and powerful piece of modern literature.
The idea behind that final temptation is convincing and movingly portrayed.
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W. J. A. Johnston
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended by a friend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2017
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Recommended by a friend; an amazing book. I can understand why fundamentalists or the ideologically bound might hate it. To my mind it makes sense of the gospel story, without in fact in the slightest detracting from the fundamental theme of man's relationship with God.
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Lawrence
5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging and exciting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2017
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Controversial topic
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RoinasG
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2017
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Excellent
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