The Last Temptation of Christ

The Last Temptation of Christ is a work of religious fiction by Nikos Kazantzakis. First published in 1952 and again in 1998, The Last Temptation of Christ is a Gospels reinterpretation that depicts Christ as divine but very human. Unsurprisingly, the book was met with controversy at first, but critics praise it for its bold subject matter and complex characterization. Kazantzakis wrote many novels, poems, and essays about the relationship between man and God, and he’s famous for losing the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature by a single vote to Albert Camus.

Although The Last Temptation of Christ is primarily a work of fiction, there is a thesis running through the narrative. Jesus is vulnerable, flawed, and human, even if he remains free from sin. Kazantzakis claims that, if Jesus succumbed to sin and cowardice during his lifetime, he wouldn’t be any more significant than the average philosopher. If he’d saved himself from crucifixion, he’d have faded into relative obscurity.

Kazantzakis shows readers that Jesus is vulnerable to evil. Everyone, Jesus included, is good and bad by nature. Our dual instincts fight to control us, and it’s up to us how we channel our energies. Jesus excels by acknowledging his imperfections and channelling them into positive actions. He accepted his flawed humanity and offered himself to the cross, and to death.



In The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus has one goal: to live out God’s plan for him while avoiding sin. Throughout the narrative, Jesus hangs from the cross and considers the choices he made that led him to his crucifixion. He ponders what he could have done differently to change his fate, and what options are open to him now as he hangs dying.

At first, although Jesus wants to fulfill God’s plan, he doesn’t want the responsibilities that go with it. He doesn’t really want to be God’s Messiah. He doesn’t feel that he’s worthy of the role God’s given him, and he constantly doubts himself. In the hope that God abandons him and picks a new Messiah, Jesus rebels.

Jesus works as a carpenter for the Romans. He builds crosses upon which the Romans execute zealots and self-proclaimed Messiahs. Jesus’ reasoning is that, if God sees him behaving so disrespectfully, he will kill him or leave him alone. However, God doesn’t have any such plans. Instead, he plagues Jesus with dreams to remind him of his destiny, and to remind him what will happen to humanity if he fails.



Eventually, Jesus tires of his work and loathes himself for working for the Romans. He flees to a desert monastery where he hopes to find spiritual guidance. He’s looking for a man called Abbot Joachim. Abbot Joachim is famous for interpreting dreams and prophecies. When Jesus discovers Abbot Joachim isn’t there anymore, he secretly hopes he can live out his life in the desert in relative obscurity. Again, God has other plans for him.

While at the monastery, Jesus meets a blacksmith called Judas Iscariot. Unbeknownst to Jesus, Judas is an assassin tasked with murdering him. Judas pretends to be his friend so that he can get close to him. The Romans want Judas to be sure that Jesus is a Messiah before executing him. If Judas has any regrets at betraying Jesus by pretending to be a friend, he doesn’t show it.

Jesus, however, doesn’t stay at the monastery for long. He leaves for Capernaum, where he finds the town in an uproar. The townsfolk are stoning Mary Magdalene, a prostitute, and for reasons Jesus can’t explain, he feels compelled to intervene on her behalf. He asks whoever is free from sin to cast the first stone. Unsurprisingly, no one moves.



His powerful speech inspires others to follow him—including Judas, who’s followed him from the monastery. Jesus can’t understand why others are so convinced there’s something special about him. He doesn’t want it to be true, because then there’s no escaping God’s plan. Now, even Judas wavers in his own determination to see the prophet dead.

Meanwhile, Jesus does many great deeds in Capernaum. As word of his greatness spreads, his list of potential enemies grows. Although Jesus has conquered many of his human emotions, such as doubt, he still can’t shake off his fear of what is to come. He knows now that his fate is inescapable, whatever that fate happens to be.

Judas betrays Jesus, and Jesus is sentenced to death by the Romans. He will die on a cross just like the wooden ones he built for others a long time ago. He feels like God’s abandoned him, and he’s consumed by feelings of self-doubt and terror again. On the cross, as he hangs dying, he dreams of the normal, human life he never had. He dreams of the family he’ll never have, and he spends his final moments in pain.



At this last point in life, Jesus could succumb to his fear and repent, hoping to save himself. However, he masters his emotions in ways no other human has ever achieved. He acknowledges his imperfect humanity and gives himself up to save humankind. His death ushers in a new world order, which is his mission all along.