لم يسعني الا التنهد فور انتهائي من هذا العمل الأدبي الذي قد نبخسه حقه اذا اطلقنا عليه مسمي رواية
الاغواء الاخير للمسيح. للمخلص لابن الإنسان .. الإنسان
لم يروي علينا نيكوس كازانتزاكيس ملحمة يسوع ابن مريم
جميعنا مخلصين، نحاول تخليص ارواحنا من غواية أجسادنا من حيرى عقولنا
لم يعرض علينا كازانتزاكيس الام المسيح ومعاناته بل عرض علينا الامنا وصراعنا مع أنفسنا.
ذلك الصراع المشتعل بداخلنا تلك الحيرة التي تنهش في قلوبنا وتلك الأسئلة التي تزيل طبقات البلاهة من علينا فتنغص علينا سعادتنا المزيفه
كيف فعلت ذلك يا كازانتزاكيس كيف كتبت كل هذا وكم من معاناة والم شعرت بهم لتوصفهم لنا ف هذا العمل المخلد لم اكن اقرأ بل كنت اعيش معهم اشعر بمعاناتهم وتشغلني اسئلتهم وتحيرني حيرتهم
أبدع نيكوس كازانتزاكيس
عذرا لل ريفيو الذي لن يعطي نيكوس وعمله حقه

لا بد وأن هناك من يملي عليك عندما تكتب يا نيكوس، ربما هو ملاك أو ربما شيطان، لست أدري، ولكن أدري أن قلمك ليس أرضيا!

هي ليست سيرة ذاتية
ويسوع هنا ليس أكثر من مجرد شخصية روائية يبحث نيكوس من خلالها عن الرب والروح والجسد ويصبغ عليها فلسفته في الحياة ونتائج تأمله وتجاربة وترحالة
رحلة روحية بامتياز تشعر خلالها بحالة من الوجد والاندماج مع الطبيعة والأرض والسماء

أيا ما تحاول أن تقولة يا نيكوس من خلال هذه الرواية فقد أبهرتني

So, there's this fella, right? And he's called Jesus. And you'll never guess who his dad is.

It's obviously difficult to write a review of a story most of you (if not all) are already familiar with. For the most part, Kazantzakis sticks to the basics and merely provides colour to events we already know. But he also takes the opportunity to add his own interpretation and, more specifically, to deepen and flesh out characters who are often two dimensional and almost caricatures at this point. The story starts, for example, by telling us that Jesus is a cross maker. At first, you're like... that seems a bit distasteful. But then you think: he was a carpenter and there were crucifixions every week. Of course he must have built a few crosses in his time. 

Jesus begins the book as a pious individual but never someone who thinks of himself as the son of God. In fact, it's others who are seemingly looking for new messiahs at every available opportunity (this part of the book did remind me of Life of Brian). Everyone is a new messiah. Everyone has a message from God. Everyone is eager to interpret things so that they can identify the next great prophet. It was during this period where Jesus is seeking God and leaves his home where his relationship with Mary Magdalene is explored. She is presented as a sinful whore but one who is in love with Jesus. He also has feelings for her but must resist temptation and, if possible save her. What follows is his realisation (more precisely others realise it) that he is the son of God. Jesus always comes across as a real person but one who is unequivocally devout. Meanwhile his apostles all slowly emerge and the most interesting, by far, is Judas. The book presents him as an angry hothead, a man who wants Jesus to lead a revolution against the Romans but instead all he gets is talk of love, peace, and brotherhood. Judas, for me at least (given what little I know of him beyond being the baddie) is the most complex of all the characters in this book (save for the ending and the imaginary life Jesus lives - but we'll get to that). Judas is enraged at most things, especially Jesus, but all of his ferocity comes from a profound sense of injustice. In many ways, he is the only character, the only apostle, pushing Jesus forward (sometimes against his will).

Then we have the parts of the book where something spiritual is happening. Kazantzakis keeps things on the ground for the most part, allowing the reader to interpret the moments where Jesus heals people as both real or allegorical. Instead of seeing Lazarus come back from the grave, for example, we simply get Melchzedek's retelling of the event. Later, however, there are miracles performed that are impossible to deny, almost (for me) spoiling the narrative a little as it takes away from the book being set in reality among real people. Another part of the book that was interesting was John writing a chronicle of what is happening. Angels (so we are told) are dictating to him and they tell him to say that Jesus was born in Bethlehem rather than Nazareth. Even Jesus is perplexed by these lies but later concedes that the angels must have a purpose for doing so (the narrative of his life being more important than the literal truth of it). 

The only truly controversial part of the book is the ending. When Jesus is crucified, an angel takes him away and allows him to live a normal life. In this life he marries Mary Magdalene and has children. He grows old and experiences life the way others would experience it. I can understand why Christians might have issues with this (Jesus being an old man is weird --  Jesus having sex is even weirder) but it's clearly Kazantzakis simply highlighting that Jesus had human desires like everyone else but, ultimately, and despite their immense temptation, chose to sacrifice himself for humanity instead. When he realises he's still on the cross, that it was all an illusion, he is, despite all the pain and suffering, relieved that he sacrificed himself, that everything has begun.

I must say, the book feels profound and meaningful all the way through, It feels like it is a weighty piece of literature. That being said, it isn't always easy to read. Sometimes it can be very dry and meandering, sometimes there are large swaths of relentless text. But then there are moments of levity and fascination, chapters that utterly pull you in and keep you reading. It's capable of both. And then there are little bits of prose that are either exquisite or comical in their descriptive power:

Outside, the male waters poured out of the skies with a roar and the earth opened its thighs and giggled.

Nice!

So yeah, not an easy read at times, and often prone to large portions that slightly drag, but overall a piece that is in service of a masterful attempt to explore something very difficult to explore; and more so, a book that is clearly written with passion and respect for the subject matter. Kazantzakis is clearly a man who loved and took his faith seriously, but who also recognised the importance of reminding everyone, believers especially, that Jesus was one of us. A man.

SPOILERS IN THE TEXT


ის მოლოდინი, რომელიც წიგნის მიმართ მქონდა ალბათ უფრო გამართლდა, მაგრამ სარამაგუს და შმიდტის წაკითხვის შემდეგ დიდად აღტაცებაში ვერ მომიყვანა დასაწყისში მომხდარმა ამბებმა, თითქოს ყველა ერთსა და იმავეს ტკეპნის, იდეებს, რომლებიც კაზანძაკისის დამსახურება უფროა. ერთ-ერთი ფაქტი, რომელიც უნდა აღვნიშნო არის კაზანძაკისის იესოს პიროვნებაში გარკვეული სხვაობა სარამაგუსთან შედარებით. აქ იესო ბევრად ძლიერია და მარტივად შეუძლია სურვილებს არ აჰყვეს, მაგდალინელმა ვერ აცდუნა იგი, მაშინ როცა, სარამაგუსთან იესო არც ისე დიდი წინააღმდეგობით გამოირჩეოდა მასთან.

თავიდანვე კარგად გვაჩვევს ავტორი იმ იდეას, რომ იესოც ერთი ჩვეულებრივი ადამიანი იყო, რომელმაც უბრალოდ ცხოვრების რაღაც ეტაპზე ,,გამოიღვიძა“ და სწორი გზა აირჩია, ეს შეიძლება ნებისმიერ ადამიანს შეემთხვეს, გაუნათდეს გონება და იპოვოს სიმართლე, იქნება ეს ღმერთი, საყვარელი საქმე თუ ა.შ.
წიგნში ისიც კარგად ჩანს, რომ შვილები დიდად არ იყვნენ დამოკიდებული მშობლებზე, არ ითვალისწინებდნენ მათ აზრს თუ თხოვნას, თავისუფლად იღებდნენ გადაწყვეტილებებს, - ,,დღეს ახალგაზრდები საკუთარ ტყავში ვეღარ ეტევიან. ისინი ახლა უკვე აღარც ფრინველები არიან, აღარც თევზები, მფრინავ თევზებად იქცნენ, ზღვა აღარ ჰყოფნით და ცისკენ მიფრინავენ, მაგრამ ცაშიც ვერ ძლებენ და კვლავ ზღვაში ცვივიან. ავადმყოფობაა სიყმაწვილე, გაივლის.“


ერთ-ერთი მთავარი თემა, რომელსაც ვაწყდებით თითქმის ნაწარმოების ყველა მონაკვეთში არის - სიზმრები. ნიცშეს ფილოსოფია და ფროიდის ფსიქოანალიზი მუქ ტონად გასდევს ამ ნაწარმოებს. რამდენად მძაფრად შეიძლება აღვიქვათ ჩვენი სიზმრები და რამდენად ახლოსაა ისინი რეალობასთან? ან შეიძლება იყოს თუ არა ისინი ჩვენი მომავლის მაპროვოცირებელი. მაგრამ პერსონაჟები ნამდვილად დიდ მნიშვნელობას ანიჭებენ, ყოველთვის ერთმანეთს უყვებიან ნანახს და ამას ბედისწერის იარლიყს აკერებენ. ზოგადად ღამეს ძალიან დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ნაწარმოებში, - ,,ღამით ყველაფერი ძილს მიეცემა, ყოველივე ისვენებს და იზრდება - ქვებიც, წყლებიც და სულებიც.“ და ალბათ ნამდვილად ყოველ ღამეს ჩვენი სულები იზრდება და პატარავდება ჩვენი ყოველდღიური ქმედებების საფუძველზე.

იესო, ისე როგორც სარამაგუსთან, აქაც იგივეს იმეორებს ,,მძულს და ვგმობ თქვენს დღესასწაულებს, სულს მიხუთავსის სიმყრალე, რომელიც ჩემთვის შეწირული მსუქანი ცხვრებისგან მოდის. თქვენი საგალობელისა და ქნარის ხმის მოსმენა არ შემიძლია.“ როგორც სარამაგუს (მართალია მან წიგნის წაკითხვის შემდეგ აიტაცა ეს იდეა), კაზანძაკისსაც სურს დაგვანახოს იმ დღესასწაულების რეალური და ბინძური სახე, რასაც დღევანდელობაში ხშირად ვაწყდებით.

წიგნის ერთ-ერთი საინტერესო პერსონაჟი ალბათ იუდაა, საინტერესოა ისიც, რომ ჩვენთვის ცნობილი ფაქტი, რომ იუდა იყო გამყიდველი, აქ პირიქით შემოტრიალდა. იუდამ ყველაფერი იესოს დააბრალა, ის რომ მათ ჰპირდებოდა მათ ხსნას ყველაფრისგან, რომ ის იყო მესია, მაგრამ მაშინ როდესაც ის ჯვარზე გააკრეს იქიდან გაქრა, მან არჩია ამქვეყნიური ცხოვრება, ცოლი, შვილები. იესოს მოწაფეები, რომლებიც არ ტოვებდნენ მას მთელი ეს დრო, მისი ჯვარზე აყვანის დროს სოროებში შეძვრნენ შიშისგან, მხოლოდ მედუქნე, რომელიც დასაწყისში როგორც ლოთი და ძუნწი წარმოგვიდგა დაგდა მის გვერდით, მის მაგივრად ზიდა ჯვარი, ალბათ ეს ქმედება მეტ-ნაკლებად გასაკვირი იყო ასეთი პერსონაჟისგან მისი პიროვნების საფუძველზე, თუმცაღა ეს ადასტურებს იმ ფაქტს, რომ ადამიანი მარტივად ამოსაცნობი არსება არ არის. იესო ქვეყანას თავისი ძველი ნაცნობის ლაზარეს სახით მოევლინა, შეიძლება ესეც სიმბოლურია და გავიგოთ ისე თითქოს ღმერთი ჩვენში, თითოეულ ადამიანშია. რომ ჩვენი მფარველი ანგელოზები მაშინ გამოჩნდებიან, როდესაც ეს ყველაზე მეტად გვჭირდება, მაგრამ თუ მათ არასწორად მოვექცევით ისინიც მიგვატოვებენ.

Kitap, Hz. İsa’nın kutsallığından çok, insan tarafını anlatan bir hikaye. Kazancakis, Hz. İsa’yı şüpheleri, korkuları ve arzularıyla göstermeye kalkmış. Hatta çarmıha gerildiği anda şeytan ona bir seçenek sunmuş ve Hz. İsa bunu kabul etmiş.

Ben bu gibi şeylere katılmıyorum. Bence yazar bu konuda yeterince uzman değil. Kutsal bir figürü anlatırken derin bilgiye sahip olmak, insanların değerlerine daha saygıyla yaklaşmak gerektiğine inanıyorum. Bu isterse maymuna, file ya da başka bir varlığa tapsın, fark etmez benim için. Tama yazarımız Hz. İsa’nın mücadelesini anlatıyor gibi ama bazı yerlerde fazlasıyla kişisel yorumlara giemiş. Beni bu anlamda sarmadı.

Ayrıca, kitabı bitirmek benim için gerçekten zor oldu. Nedeni konusu değil. Anlatım tarzı ağır ve dili yorucu. Bazı bölümler gereğinden uzun tutulmuş ve akıcılık kaybolmuş sanki. O yüzden yordu beni.

عملي ملحمي من كافة الوجوه،أجاد كازانتزاكيس المعالجة والبناء والسرد،،،وسواء أكان هذا العمل مجرد سرد لقصة قصص المسيح وفقا لأناجيل العهد الجديد المعتمدة،أو إستنادا لما اعتُبر من الأناجيل المحرفة"الأبوكريفا"،فقد استطاع الكاتب لغة وعرضا وتخييلا أن يرتقي لمستوي التصدي لعمل هائلجدلي كهذا،ويحسن تطويع قدراته وأدواته إلى حد كتابة عمل،هو من وجهة النظر الإبداعية الخالصة بديع إلى أبعد حد،ويُقرأ علي مهل شديد،ويستعاد بطبيعة الحال مرات ومرات،،،

According to the imagination of this Greek writer who was 1 vote away to grab the 1952 Nobel Prize for Literature, Nikos Kazantzakis, the last temptation of Christ happened while he was hanging on the cross. In the book, at that point that he was about to be nailed, the sunny heaven suddenly turned dark, the earth shook and Simon of Cyrene (the innkeeper) saw angels coming down from heaven, were the ones who nailed Jesus to the cross and took him away upon his death.

This book regularly appears in various lists of banned novels. Not surprising because it deviates, horribly or brilliantly (depending on your perspective), from the story as narrated in the Holy Bible. For somebody like me who is fond of reading good fiction novels, I would say that the non-Bible based parts of the story are just too provocative to pass up. These parts are also critical to the story because what Kazantzakis would like to impart to the readers: that we, as human beings, should not despair and lose hope in trying to stay away from sins and temptations. Kazantzakis successfully did this by showing the "more human" nature of Jesus not only during the ministerial part of his life but most especially during his trial and crucifixion.

A very apt book for Lenten read. Some people say that this is blasphemous and sacrilegious just like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. I admit that the controversial non-Bible entries could turn off some conservative or traditional-minded people. I read that when the 1988 film of Martin Sorcese was shown in the UK, the movie, shown in parts, got the most number of complaints ever from viewers. I have not seen that movie and I am not raring to. I am a regular church goer and I finished several units of religion courses in college but I am not disturb in any way by these non-Bible entries courtesy of Kazantzakis:

1) Jesus had a hard time following the will of the father because he is in love with Mary Magdalene, a prostitute.

2} Being a carpenter, he is also a cross-maker. He was the one making crosses used for crucifying criminals. No mention if he was the one who created his own cross though.

3) Mary at some point cursed, not just questioned, God for choosing her to bear Jesus and to marry an old bachelor, Joseph. In fact, both Jesus and Mary referred to their "assignment" as curse from God.

4) Jesus not only knew the Judas, the redheard and blue-eyed disciple, would sold him to Caiphas. Jesus even instructed Judas every step of the way, i.e., who to talk to, what to say, where is the meeting point, at what hour they can pick him up, etc. Judas struggled with this role as he was also very close to Jesus.

5) The apostles did not show themselves during the crucifixion because they were not expecting Jesus to die on the cross. When they were recruited, they thought that the promised "kingdom" of Jesus is similar to that of Roman kings and the promise of "eternal life" is by Jesus making them like mythological immortal gods.

6) In the "last temptation" dream sequence, Mary Magdalene was killed by stone throwing death penalty and the throwing was spearheaded by one of the apostles. Then Jesus became Lazarus and had many, many children with the sisters, Martha and Mary although it was only Mary who Jesus "married."

If you are turned off with any of the above, this book is not for you. However, I took them as just part of the fiction part and for Kazantzakis to drive home his point: that Jesus, like his mother and disciples are just but human. As human, they are like us: encountering temptations every day of our lives and trying to raise up from sins during our stay here on earth. With this novel, I feel closer to Jesus as I know that he also felt what I feel during times of despair from failing to be good.

I also cried a tear this morning. It is this part where Simon of Cyrene was berating Jesus disciplines from not coming out and help Jesus carry his cross. The apostles did not move. So, Simon of Cyrene went out by himself and saw Jesus. Simon waved at him. Jesus's heart rejoiced. Jesus started to nod his head to say goodbye to him but tripped on a stone and collapsed to the ground, the cross over his back. He groaned with pain.

The Cyrenian (Simon) rushed forward, lifted him (Jesus) up, took the cross and loaded it upon his own back. Then he turned and smiled at Jesus. "Courage," he said to him. "I'm here; don't be afraid."

It just eases the pain of struggling away from sins. This book, this line. Brilliant. Clever. Must read, everyone!

In one of the rare times that fanatical religious and atheists agree, both are absolutely convinced that this is a blasphemous and anti-Christian book. So the first use this book to denounce the author and in his person everyone else, and they do not use it as a weapon to offend Christians, claiming the second use the book as a weapon against them, claiming that it reveals hidden truths that the church would like not to be revealed. Of course, none of this is true, on the contrary, in my opinion, it is a deeply Christian book, which penetrates deep into the Christian truth and deals with issues that are at the heart of it.

Of course, while reading it, a Christian will certainly face various problems and will have to bypass several things to get to the heart of what the author wants to say. There are certainly a lot of heretical views, several points in the story seen with a different eye, some annoying images and of course you have to get used to the fact that the pious protagonists of the gospels are sounding and behaving like Zorba the Greek. He should, however, show a little leniency and look behind all and focus on what the author wants to say, not on the way he says it.

You see, the author did not intend to write a new Gospel that would reveal the true story of Christ that some have hidden for centuries. In fact, he follows the Gospels of the New Testament quite faithfully, without significant differences in events and situations, what changes are the interpretation of these events. Following the ideas expressed in several of his novels and other works, the author sees the story of Christ as a repetition of the classic pattern of the struggle between flesh and spirit. Kazantzakis' Christ is not the sure god-man, that has overcome his doubts, he has subjugated his human nature and he confidently takes the road to heaven. On the contrary, he is a man who fights with his divine nature, who resists his destiny, who has fears and doubts. Of course, the heavenly calling is stronger than anything and in the end it prevails but this prevalence of the spirit towards the flesh is anything but easy and peaceful. To use the language of the author, the spirit and the flesh are two beasts struggling to tear each other apart and in the middle are all of us and this struggle is at the heart of human existence. Using the person of Christ, the author talks about this struggle in a truly staggering way, making this book particularly important.

Of course, there are many other things in the book that may not be directly related to the story of Christ. The search for a way to deal with injustice, the issue of violence, the Church's relationship with power, the need for revolution but also more theological things such as sin, punishment, and forgiveness. All of these are given in the author's special way, which, as I said above, may seem strange, but in the end the reader who approaches this book with a free mind will discover a lot and get into the process of thinking even more. That's why it's a really great book.

Σε μία από τις σπάνιες φορές που συμφωνούν φανατικοί θρησκευόμενοι και άθεοι είναι απόλυτα πεπεισμένοι ότι αυτό είναι ένα βλάσφημο και αντιχριστιανικό βιβλίο. Έτσι οι μεν χρησιμοποιούν αυτό το βιβλίο για να καταγγείλουν τον συγγραφέα και στο πρόσωπο τους όλους τους υπόλοιπους, οι δε το χρησιμοποιούν ως όπλο για να πειράξουν τους χριστιανούς, ισχυριζόμενοι ότι το βιβλίο στρέφεται εναντίον τους και αποκαλύπτει κρυμμένες αλήθειες που η εκκλησία θα ήθελε να μην αποκαλυφθούν. Φυσικά τίποτα από όλα αυτά δεν ισχύει, αντιθέτως, πρόκειται κατά τη γνώμη μου, για ένα βαθύτατα χριστιανικό βιβλίο, που διεισδύει στο βάθος της Χριστιανικής αλήθειας και πραγματεύεται ζητήματα που βρίσκονται στην καρδιά της.

Βέβαια σίγουρα κατά την ανάγνωση ένας χριστιανός θα αντιμετωπίσει διάφορα προβλήματα και θα πρέπει να προσπεράσει αρκετά πράγματα για να φτάσει στην ουσία αυτών που ο συγγραφέας θέλει να πει. Υπάρχουν σίγουρα πολλές αιρετικές αντιλήψεις, αρκετά σημεία της ιστορίας ιδωμένα με ένα διαφορετικό μάτι, κάποιες ενοχλητικές εικόνες και φυσικά θα πρέπει να συνηθίσει το γεγονός ότι οι ευσεβείς πρωταγωνιστές των ευαγγελίων ακούγονται και φέρονται σαν τον Ζορμπά. Θα πρέπει, όμως, να δείξει λίγη επιείκεια και να δει πίσω από όλα αυτά και να επικεντρωθεί σε αυτό που ο συγγραφέας θέλει να πει, όχι στον τρόπο που το λέει.

Βλέπετε, ο συγγραφέας δεν είχε σκοπό να γράψει ένα καινούργιο Ευαγγέλιο που θα αποκαλύπτει την αληθινή ιστορία του Χριστού που κάποιοι έκρυψαν για αιώνες. Στην πραγματικότητα ακολουθεί αρκετά πιστά τα Ευαγγέλια της καινής διαθήκης, χωρίς σημαντικές διαφοροποιήσεις σε γεγονότα και καταστάσεις, αυτό που αλλάζει είναι η ερμηνεία αυτών των γεγονότων. Ακολουθώντας τις ιδέες που εκφράζει σε αρκετά από τα μυθιστορήματα του και σε άλλα έργα του ο συγγραφέας βλέπει την ιστορία του Χριστού ως μία επανάληψη του κλασικού μοτίβου της πάλης ανάμεσα στη σάρκα και το πνεύμα. Ο Χριστός του Καζαντζάκη δεν είναι ο σίγουρος θεάνθρωπος που έχει νικήσει τις αμφιβολίες του, έχει υποτάξει την ανθρώπινη φύση του και με αυτοπεποίθηση παίρνει το δρόμο για τον ουρανό. Αντιθέτως είναι ένας άνθρωπος που παλεύει με τη θεία φύση του, που αντιστέκεται στο πεπρωμένο του, που έχει φόβους και αμφιβολίες. Φυσικά το ουράνιο κάλεσμα είναι ισχυρότερο από όλα και στο τέλος επικρατεί αλλά αυτή η επικράτηση του πνεύματος απέναντι στη σάρκα κάθε άλλο παρά εύκολη και ειρηνική είναι. Για να χρησιμοποιήσω τη γλώσσα του συγγραφέα, το πνεύμα και η σάρκα είναι δύο θεριά που παλεύουν να ξεσκίσουν το ένα το άλλο και στη μέση βρισκόμαστε όλοι εμείς και αυτός ο αγώνας βρίσκεται σ��ην καρδιά της ανθρώπινης ύπαρξης. Ο συγγραφέας χρησιμοποιώντας το πρόσωπο του Χριστού μιλάει για αυτόν τον αγώνα με έναν τρόπο πραγματικά συγκλονιστικό, κάνοντας αυτό το βιβλίο ιδιαίτερα σημαντικό.

Φυσικά πέρα από αυτά υπάρχουν και πάρα πολλά άλλα πράγματα μέσα στο βιβλίο που ίσως δεν έχουν άμεση σχέση με την ιστορία του Χριστού. Η αναζήτηση ενός δρόμου για την αντιμετώπιση της αδικίας, το ζήτημα της βίας, η σχέση της Εκκλησίας με την εξουσία, η ανάγκη της επανάστασης αλλά και πιο θεολογικά ζητήματα όπως η αμαρτία, η τιμωρία και η συγχώρεση. Όλα αυτά δίνονται με τον ιδιαίτερο τρόπο του συγγραφέα, που, όπως είπα παραπάνω, ενδέχεται να φανεί περίεργος, αλλά στο τέλος ο αναγνώστης που θα προσεγγίσει αυτό το βιβλίο με ελεύθερο πνεύμα θα ανακαλύψει πολλά και θα μπει στη διαδικασία να σκεφτεί ακόμα περισσότερα. Για αυτούς τους λόγους είναι ένα πραγματικά σπουδαίο βιβλίο.

"Poslednje iskušenje" je maestralno napisan roman, ali to, ovoga puta, nije bilo dovoljno za zadovoljenje mojih očekivanja. Saramago se istom temom bavi u "Jevanđelju po Isusu Hristu" i njegov odgovor smatram mnogo hrabrijim, sledno - i moćnijim.
Da bih ostala na bezbednoj distanci od zadiranja u tuđa religijska osećanja, neću komentarisati Kazancakisovu hrabrost, ali ću priznati da me je iritirao koliko i njegov Isus. Druga manjkavost su simptomi skribomanije koji razvodnjavaju jezgrovitost, isti oni zbog kojih mi Pekić (na primer) na mišiće prebacuje preko linije osrednjosti o čemu god da piše. Nije ovde reč o dosadi - neosporan je i veliki piščev talenat, a dočaravanje atmosfere možda među najuspelijima za koje znam, pa je ovaj roman vredan čitanja makar i samo zato. Ipak, usput se mnogo vrednoga razvodnjilo, na moju veliku žalost.
Najmanje sam se nadala Isusovoj biografiji, a "Poslednje iskušenje" uprkos svim naporima najviše vuče na tu stranu. Stvar je od potpune propasti spasao Juda koji je u svakom smislu izvanredan lik i, skupa sa nekolicinom veoma dobro izgrađenih epizodista, drugi jak razlog za čitanje ove knjige.

Neka ostane ovako: preko svega što je meni moglo biti zanimljivo bačena je senka Isusove ličnosti, što bi bilo sasvim u redu da je taj Isus bio više Kazancakisov, a manje hrišćanski.

Երբ մտածում եմ Քրիստոսի մասին, առաջին մտապատկերը, որն ունենում եմ ոչ այնքան խաչին բարձրացված Հիսուսն է, որքան այն մեկն, ով իր աշակերտներին սասանում էր իր անսպասելի և հակասական հայտարարություններով.
«Ոչ թե խաղաղություն, այլ` սուր եմ բերել ձեզ համար: Եկել եմ` որդիներին հայրերի , դստրերին` մայրերի դեմ հանելու... »:
Վստահ եմ, որ այսպիսին է եղել Քրիստոսի իրական կերպարն ավետարանական կոնտեքստից դուրս: Միաժամանակ խաղաղ և փոթորկահույզ: Թե՛ խոնարհ, թե ընդվզող: Այսպիսին է նաև Քրիստոսի կերպարը Նիկոս Կազանձակիսի «Վերջին փորձությունը» վեպում, որտեղ Հիսուսի վերջին փորձությունն իրավամբ նրա երկրային ու հոգևոր էությունների պայքարն էր: Ծառայել մարդկությունը փրկելու ծրագրին, թե՞ ապրել հասարակ մարդու նման: Սա պատում է մի յուրահատուկ հոգևոր ճանապարհորդության մասին, որի դիսկուրսը հնարավորություն է տալիս ընթերցողին հայտնի լեգենդին մոտենալ այլ պրիզմայից

This is not your grandparent’s gospel. That’s the first thing you must accept if you are going to make it through this novel.

Nikos Kazantzakis states in the introduction to The Last Temptation of Christ, “This book is not a biography; it is the confession of every man who struggles.” He explains that the book explores the “dual substance of Christ,” the struggle between his flesh and spirit - the stronger the struggle the richer the final harmony, a union with God. A struggle that he claims all men go through with Christ as the ultimate example. In other words Christ was a human carrying out God’s Will – not an easy task. And Kazantzakis takes a lot of liberties with the tale to explore his idea - which is where all the controversy comes from.

In the book, after Jesus has asked Judas to betray him, Judas asks Christ, “If you had to betray your master, would you do it?” Jesus replies after reflecting for a long time, “No, I do not think I would be able to. That is why God pitied me and gave me the easier task; to be crucified.” In a lot of ways I think this pretty much sums up Kazantzakis approach to the story. How would a normal human deal with the burden of carrying out God’s will. At every turn Christ struggles with his burden and experiences just about every emotion a human could go through.

If the reader is prepared to explore man’s struggles through a fictionalized tale of Christ then this book is for you. I was won over by the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. It varies greatly from the film (which I also enjoyed) which barley touched the surface of what the novel explores. The writing is a bit heavy at times, it’s not an easy read, and some of the minor character’s become a bit muddled but it doesn’t take away from the story. I found the characters of Jesus and Judas to be fascinating and multidimensional (which surprised me in a story where I was already familiar with them).

In short a captivating novel that at times is a bit hard to get through, which sounds like a bit of a contradiction but is true none the less. It certainly will give the reader plenty to think about.

أجمل لحظات 2020 كانت برفقة كتب كازانتزاكيس...
"الله لا يحب الأرواح الضعيفة والأجساد الرخوة"
" إلى متى ستمسكون ببقائي معكم،من يضمر سؤالا خطيرا في نفسه فليسرع ويطرحه علي،ومن لديه كلمة رفيقة يقولها لي فليقلها بسرعة،سوف تريحني،قلها حتى لا تلوم نفسك بعد رحيلي،لأنك لم تنتهز فرصة النطق بكلمة طيبة لي ولأنك لم تدعني أعرف مدى حبك لي.عندئذ سيكون الأوان قد فات"