Nikos Kazantzakis imagines Jesus as a carpenter in Nazareth, who makes crosses for the Romans, and who is tormented by his own doubts and by visions. He sees the voice of God as a burden and struggles between flesh and spirit. The novel shows him joining John the Baptist, preaching, facing Judas, and finally on the cross, where he experiences a vision of an ordinary life with a wife and children, a last temptation to refuse his mission. It caused fierce controversy and was banned by the Church.
It suits readers interested in religious ideas and fiction that treats Jesus as a human struggling with destiny.
Deep, inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1955
- Language
- EN
