"The Last Temptation of Christ"

This weekend I've been reading The Last Temptation of Christ by author Nikos Kazantzakis. At it's most basic description the story is a retelling of the Gospels. However, the maneuvers Kazantzakis performs in the composition of this book makes it's complexity and relevancy excel. Jesus is wonderfully developed as not only a divine character but as a man subject to the passions and temptations of any young male. The poignant questions of the philosophies at the heart of the Gospels sparks the novel to be much more than a novelty. These things not only factor into a great novel but also one that has found much opposition and appears on banned book lists.

For a little background Kazantzakis was born in 1883 in Crete and attended a university in Athens-- he seems to draw on his experiences around the Mediterranean to really paint amazingly sensory settings. Kazantzakis was mostly writing during the mid 20th century with The Last Temptation of Christ published in 1960. He died in 1957 (I'm not sure whether the book was published posthumously or that is the date for the English translation). Another work by Kazantzakis that has permeated the broad cultural awareness is Zorba the Greek; so much so that the character even lends his name to the Greek food place in the SUB and, as we all know, if it's in the SUB it must be important!

Having read about half of the book thus far (~250 pages) I think that this book should be on the radar for the class as almost every page deals with epiphanies and theophanies. Also, the first 180 pages or so would make a great juxtaposition to the Gita. I imagine some readers might find the book too long. It really takes a great deal of focus because Kazantzakis really spends considerable time developing the story. Readers with considerable background dealing with the Gospels and other texts in the Bible will find pleasure in the ways that Kazantzakis draws on those themes and explores the philosophies behind them.

However unfortunate I feel the need to add two disclaimers/ opinions to my reading of the book... not for my own sake but to more accurately guide the reader what to expect. 1. This book would be equally effective to "non-believers" as "believers". Beliefs aren't important to appreciate this story and I wouldn't want the "religious" aspect to push people away. This is just a great story/intellectual treat. 2. Kazantzakis does work with some outdated understandings-- mainly Mary Magdalene as a prostitute. This might turn some readers away for various reasons but it really shouldn't color your decision to pursue this book. 3. Kazantzakis could be read as sexist-- I'm not really sure how to feel about this one. Kazantzakis tends to more fully develop his male characters. Women characters tend to be pigeonholed to various stereotypes and often driven by simplistic motives. However his portrayal of Jesus' mother Mary is a truly masterful depiction of the mater dolorosa. Again, this would be an awful reason to skip over this book.

I think that I'm going to mold my topic for my paper around this book-- perhaps focusing on the themes of sacred duty, distractions, theophanies, etc. I'll need to focus some more before I can really provide a thoughtful thesis but I'm sure that my topic is lurking somewhere in the pages!