Last Temptation of Christ
First UK edition
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| Author | Nikos Kazantzakis |
|---|---|
| Original title | O Teleutaios Peirasmos |
| Translator | Peter A. Bien (US) |
| Country | Greece |
| Language | Greek |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster (USA) & Bruno Cassirer (UK) |
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Publication date
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1960 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 506 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 38925790 |
The Last Temptation of Christ or The Last Temptation (Greek: Ο Τελευταίος Πειρασμός) is a historical novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1955. It was first published in English in 1960. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from Jesus' own perspective. The Vatican condemned The Last temptation and put it on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum without explanation on January 12, 1954. The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church in Athens wanted this book banned in Greece stating:
M. Antonakes stated that Kazantzakis took Christ out of the world of dogma and tried to recreate a mythical Christ for an age of science and evolution. Defending Kazantzakis, the Literary Society of Athens stated that although it did not wish to criticize the Orthodox Church it was concerned because a sentry had been placed over the freedom of the human spirit and because the Orthodox Church, since it supported the Vatican's action, shared responsibility.
L. A. Richards claims that Kazantzakis, in his The Last Temptation novel, tried to reclaim the values of early Christianity, such as love, brotherhood, humility, and self-renunciation. According to P. Bien, the psychology in The Last Temptation is based on the idea that every person, Jesus included, is evil by nature as well as good: violent and hateful as well as loving. A psychologically sound individual does not ignore or bury the evil within him. Instead, he channels it into the service of good.
The central thesis of the book is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. Kazantzakis argues in the novel's preface that by facing and conquering all of man's weaknesses, Jesus struggled to do God's will without ever giving in to the temptations of the flesh. The novel advances the argument that, had Jesus succumbed to any such temptation, especially the opportunity to save himself from the cross, his life would have held no more significance than that of any other philosopher.
In 1988, an equally controversial film adaptation by Martin Scorsese was released, which starred Willem Dafoe as Jesus and Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot.
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