The Last Temptation of Christ

By: Nikos Kazantzakis

Narrated by: Joshua Saxon

The internationally renowned novel about the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Hailed as a masterpiece by critics worldwide, The Last Temptation of Christ is a monumental reinterpretation of the Gospels that brilliantly fleshes out Christ’s Passion. This literary rendering of the life of Jesus Christ has courted controversy since its publication by depicting a Christ far more human than the one seen in the Bible. He is a figure who is gloriously divine but earthy and human, a man like any other - subject to fear, doubt, and pain.

In elegant, thoughtful prose Nikos Kazantzakis, one of the greats of modern literature, follows this Jesus as he struggles to live out God’s will for him, powerfully suggesting that it was Christ’s ultimate triumph over his flawed humanity, when he gave up the temptation to run from the cross and willingly laid down his life for mankind, that truly made him the venerable redeemer of men.

Translated by P.A. Bien

©2012 Niki Stavrou (P)2020 David N. Wilson

Critic reviews

“Spiritual dynamite.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Absolutely mesmerizing!

Phenomenal audible book. I couldn’t stop listening. Joshua Saxon did an amazing job narrating this book. What a voice!

A moving portrayal

If, as the Bible says (paraphrasing), that Jesus was tempted in all things, then the temptations deployed in this fictional account seem rather reasonable. It was not created to be another gospel, and the author expressly denied that the book is a biography. The author chose the best character he could have chosen to handle the topic of temptation: the flesh vs. the spirit. Someone who overcame it, of course. I love the book. I’ve read it before, but had to get the audio to listen to it at a different time in my life.

One of the best books on religion and spirituality

This is a great audiobook for anyone who’s interested in Nietzsche and Buddha. Also, for those who are inquisitive about dogma. The performance by the voice artist is apt for the tone of the novel. It has a great drama.
A must read!

Straight up the most powerful visual book ever written.

The design of God's plan to show us his mercy and his resolve. That he would torment and crucify his only son for us to understand his power and lov

Masterful performance of a masterpiece!

Joshua Saxon’s narration masterfully depicts the huge cast of characters with clarity, while keeping the story moving with perfect pacing and momentum. As compelling as he makes the plot, I found myself re-listening to several chapters before moving on, because I was so struck by the beauty of his storytelling.

The complex book itself is a revelation. It brings to life the familiar narrative in a way that gives it the gripping immediacy of a novel, bringing to life the title character in a way the Gospels do not, and perhaps should not. Even if some Christians may disagree with this picture of Christ, they can hardly fail to be moved by the vivid, flesh-and-blood humanity of this portrayal.

not worth the listen

the angry, cowardly confused characters never really go anyway. at no point does anyone display anything heroic and the whole 22 hour experience is quite loveless and certainly angry. a Christ without heroic love is no Christ at all but more of a devil. I was hoping for at least one touching scene, one scene where Christ embodies God (God is love) , we must seek Jesus and love, for they are the same, one is the face and the other the teaching, this book shows a devil named Jesus. do not be deceived! the real Christ is not like this! trust me, for I have faith and myself seek to exemplify His love to this world by staying connected to Him. being gentle, caring for the poor lonely outcast and hopeless, sharing a message of eternal hope and living for others for their good is the way.

Amazing book. Poorly narrated

The book is amazing . A great masterpiece . Go in with an open mind and you’ll love Christ all the more. But the narrater Joshua Saxon has a bad voice for audiobooks. He sounds like a smoker trying to read out loud. Hoping someone redoes it . But the book in itself a a treasure for all time.

Disappointing and pityfull

While I admire and value Kazantzakis literary skill, I am unable to dismiss his heresy and enjoy this work. In fact, his heresy affects his development of Christ’s character, which comes off as a coward and then as someone who just is ok with his calling. There’s a big gap in Christ’s character that makes this work empty of any meaning and simply shows Kazantzaki’s undeveloped spiritual insight and even basic understanding of human character, which is in contrast with how successful he is with his characters in his Zorba the Greek work. In an attempt to portray Christ’s humanity, he has forgotten that humans also have morals and despite their struggles they have decency and kindness. So, even if one doesn’t believe in Christ’s divinity or that Christ was God in human form, one can at least accept that deep down a human (even Christ, especially Christ) is good and wins his struggles because he’s good.
I do feel pity for Kazantzaki’s failure and of course, for his heretic fall.