The LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

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Summary: ..the greatest novel ever written...
Review: ...arguably one of the most powerful novels I've ever read. Kazantzakis effectively explores the struggle between divinity and secularism...a struggle every human being faces at some point in life. I've read it several times...and it only gets better every time!

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Summary: The Way Things Were or Probably Should Be
Review: Never has the story of Christ been told so vividly or with such sensitivity as it's told here. In all of the stories I've ever heard about Jesus, he has always seemed too holy, too pure for me to ever relate to. In this book, Kazantzakis portrays Christ as all too human, making his suffering and sacrifice all the more meaningful. This is a weighty book, chock full of symbolism, but is well worth the trouble, even if it's just to remind yourself what Christ was truly about, before all the disciples and churches misinterpreted everything.

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Summary: A passionate heart rarely has time to lie!
Review: Kazantzakis created a whirlwind with this wonderful portrayal of Christ. I can now see why Scorsese made the movie - the book is better! Anyone else who likes this will love Richard Patton's "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years". Somehow I don't even think Scorsese would dare produce THAT movie though! Kazantzakis writes passionately and carries you along as few authors can. It is so refreshing to find a book about Jesus that has come from a passionate heart rather than re-worked dusty manuscripts. Very gripping!

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Summary: Gives a certain concreteness to Jesus
Review: As a long time student of the Bible I found that this book helped me to vividly imagine what it might really have been like for Jesus to be both human and divine. When one of the New Testament writers pens that Jesus was "in every way tempted as we are," it really doesn't have the same impact as when Kazantzakis puts into words and images the exact things that Jesus might been tempted towards. I imagine the lure of a "normal" life with a business, a wife and children must have seemed very appealing to Jesus when compared with the road that he eventually took. Of course, conservative Christians may be scandalized at the suggestion that Jesus had sexual feelings towards the women in his life (By the way, unlike the movie version, this topic is dealt with quite gently by the author.) But if the New Testament is correct in saying that Jesus was tempted as we are, then there doesn't seem to be any plausible way to deny this facet of his humanity. With the help of Kazantzakis, I was able to imagine the enormous temptations that he was faced with, and I find that I respect the strength of his character and convictions all the more.

I highly recommend this book for all students of Jesus who are willing to take a fresh look at him in all his humanity and divinity.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I had already seen the film when I read the book, and without a doubt, reading it was one the best choices that I ever made. I don't particularly consider myself a Christian, but this book made my cry (I had never cried from reading a book before!) Masterfully written, this book takes you into the mind, body, and soul of a man found the divine in all of us. READ THIS BOOK!

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Summary: A passionate account of the life of Christ.
Review: If you are looking for a wholly different perspective on the life of Christ-a radical departure from the pious and saintly myth-read "The Last Temptation of Christ." Kazantzakis's imagery and vivid descriptions breathe life into the stiff and wooden idol of the Christian pulpit. The reader is left with the impression that here is a man that is at once human and heroic-a model for all those who seek to live a truly spiritual life.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel!
Review: Kazantzakis is well-known for his Zorba the Greek novel, but Last Temptation is a mirror to Kazantzakis himself. Throughout his "tortured life" Kazantzakis strived to discover what it means to be human. The imagery in Last Temptation is superb, as is the very heretical dipiction of Christ.

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Summary: Christ as Human
Review: The Last Temptation of Christ provokes an idea that I've often questioned; was Christ really a radical Rabi who died on the cross only to rise from the dead in the words of the so-called prophets? I think there may be some truth to this fiction.

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Summary: Excellent, beautiful and moving fiction!
Review: I highly recommend this book in general, especially to those who are agnostic or who haven't thought much about faith. It makes an excellent entry into the Christian religion, despite its theological blunders (intentional or otherwise).

It should be noted that Kazantzakis's treatment of Jesus is heretical, both in many details (such as the relationships with Jesus's mother and Mary Magdalene) and in a few major themes (such as the awkwardness of Jesus's dual humanity and divinity). But what many people who condemn this book forget is that the things the book does get right (the glory and necessity of the crucifixion, for instance) are underappreciated in the modern world, and actually come across as "new things"! As an example, by condemning this book, many people think that the Church doesn't like the very human portrayal of Jesus, which couldn't be further from the truth. What Kazantzakis had trouble with, understandably, was portraying the divine nature of Jesus, which he could only hint at with extreme awkwardness.

In short, these are not the days when villages would put on passion plays, recreating the Paschal mystery of Jesus in greusome detail, making the life, death and resurrection of Jesus tangibly real to its participants. Many people today are rather unfamiliar with what the Church means when she says, "the Word made flesh" or "Jesus was fully man and fully God." In fact, medieval passion plays often made theological mistakes of their own, one in particular was the comic character of St. Joeseph as a jealous old man, suspicious of Mary's conception. Kazantzakis has him in a coma, struck by lightning.

To those who would say, "I wish this book was the Bible": why do you have so little respect for truth? Not meaning, "obviously you all know that the Bible is truth," because that isn't an obvious thing, but why do you wish to call something true just because you like it? Read the book, it's good fiction, then the Bible, and you'll find some familiar themes and some striking differences. Then, perhaps more importantly than the two above, seek the company of believers, and in this way, whittle toward the truth. You won't finish.

Rating:
Summary: Possilby the most moving work in modern literature!
Review: Kazantzakis truly writes one of the most beautiful pieces of prose in this book. I was truly amazed at the controversy over this story. The movie does not do the intent of the novel justice. Kazantzakis adamantly reports to the reader that this book glorifies God and is simply a fictional account of what "could" have happened in a blink of an eye. Segments of this work were so beautiful that I was moved to tears. The artistic insight and characterization are superb. The sheer poetry in the writing is unparalelled in my opinion. I agree with a previous reviewer, that every thinking person should be required to read this work. It is truly a masterpiece and in my opinion ranks among the greatest novels of all time. If you are considering buying this book, do it. Your life will be so much the better for it.