The Last Temptation

Author	Nikos Kazantzakis
Original title (if not in English)	O Teleutaios Peirasmos
Translator	Peter A. Bien (US)
Country	Greece
Language	Greek
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Simon and Schuster (USA) & Bruno Cassirer (UK)
Released	1960
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	506 p. (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	0-684-85256-X

The Last Temptation of Christ, (in Greek "O Teleutaios Peirasmos", "Ο Τελευταίος Πειρασμός") also published as The Last Temptation, is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1951. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from his perspective. The novel has been the subject of a great deal of controversy due to its subject matter, and appears regularly on lists of banned books. Image File history File links LastTemptation. ... Nikos Kazantzakis (Νίκος Καζαντζάκης in Greek) (February 18, 1883, Heraklion, Crete, Greece - October 26, 1957, Freiburg, Germany), author of poems, novels, essays, plays, and travel books, was arguably the most important and most translated Greek writer and philosopher of the 20th century. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... Nikos Kazantzakis (Νίκος Καζαντζάκης in Greek) (February 18, 1883, Heraklion, Crete, Greece - October 26, 1957, Freiburg, Germany), author of poems, novels, essays, plays, and travel books, was arguably the most important and most translated Greek writer and philosopher of the 20th century. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Many societies have banned certain books. ...

The central thesis of the book is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. By facing and conquering all of man's weaknesses, Kazantzakis argues in the novel's preface, Christ became the perfect model for our lives; he sacrificed not only on the cross, but throughout his life. He struggled to do God's will, without ever giving in to the temptations of the flesh. Look up thesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral code of conduct or the state of having committed such a violation. ... A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. ...

Film

Main article: The Last Temptation of Christ (film)

In 1989, an equally controversial film adaptation by Martin Scorsese was released. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus. The Last Temptation of Christ is a film adaptation of the controversial 1951 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Martin Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an acclaimed American film director. ... William Dafoe, Jr. ...

See also

• Freedom of speech versus blasphemy
• Temptation of Christ