Editing Nikos Kazantzakis (section)

== Religious beliefs and relationship with the Greek Orthodox Church ==
While Kazantzakis was deeply spiritual, he often discussed his struggle with religious faith, specifically his Greek Orthodoxy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Owens |first=Lewis |date=1998-10-01 |title="Does This One Exist?" The Unveiled Abyss of Nikos Kazantzakis |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=331–348 |doi=10.1353/mgs.1998.0041 |s2cid=143703744 |issn=1086-3265}}</ref> Baptized Greek Orthodox as a child, he was fascinated by the [[Hagiography|lives of saints]] from a young age. As a young man he took a month long trip to [[Mount Athos]], a [[Monastery|monastic retreat]] and major spiritual center for Greek Orthodoxy. Most critics and scholars of Kazantzakis agree that the struggle to find truth in religion and spirituality was central to many of his works, and that some novels, like ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (novel)|The Last Temptation of Christ]]'' and ''[[Christ Recrucified]]'' focus completely on questioning [[Christian ethics|Christian morals and values]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Broken Hallelujah: Nikos Kazantzakis and Christian Theology |author=Middleton, Darren J. N. |date=2007 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9780739119273 |location=Lanham, MD |oclc=71322129}}</ref> As he traveled Europe, he was influenced by various philosophers, cultures, and religions, like Buddhism, causing him to question his Christian beliefs.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Middleton |first=Darren J. N. |date=2010-06-24 |title=Nikos Kazantzakis and Process Theology: Thinking Theologically in a Relational World |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=57–74 |doi=10.1353/mgs.2010.0139 |s2cid=146450293 |issn=1086-3265}}</ref> While never claiming to be an [[atheist]], his public questioning and critique put him at odds with some in the Greek Orthodox Church and many of his critics.<ref name=":2" /> Scholars theorize that Kazantzakis's difficult relationship with many members of the clergy and with more religiously conservative literary critics, came from his questioning. In his book ''Broken Hallelujah: Nikos Kazantzakis and Christian Theology'', author Darren Middleton theorizes that, "Where the majority of Christian writers focus on God's immutability, Jesus' deity, and our salvation through God's grace, Kazantzakis emphasized divine mutability, Jesus' humanity, and God's own redemption through our effort," highlighting Kazantzakis's uncommon interpretation of traditional Orthodox Christian beliefs.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Middleton |first=Darren J. N. |date=1998-10-01|title=Kazantzakis and Christian Doctrine: Some Bridges of Understanding |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=285–312 |doi=10.1353/mgs.1998.0040 |s2cid=142993531 |issn=1086-3265}}</ref>

Many Orthodox Church clergy condemned Kazantzakis's work and a campaign was started to [[Excommunication|excommunicate]] him. His reply was: "You gave me a curse, Holy fathers, I give you a blessing: may your conscience be as clear as mine and may you be as moral and religious as I" ("{{lang|el|Μου δώσατε μια κατάρα, Άγιοι πατέρες, σας δίνω κι εγώ μια ευχή: Σας εύχομαι να 'ναι η συνείδηση σας τόσο καθαρή, όσο είναι η δική μου και να 'στε τόσο ηθικοί και θρήσκοι όσο είμαι εγώ}}"). While the excommunication was rejected by the top leadership of the Orthodox Church, it became emblematic of the persistent disapprobation from many Christian authorities for his political and religious views.<ref>Antonia Kyriatzis, ''Η Εκκλησία στην Ελλάδα και το Καζαντζακικό Ζήτημα. Ιστορική αναψηλάφηση με βάση τις πηγές, ed. Ostracon Publishing p.c., 2016, p. 193</ref>

Modern scholarship tends to dismiss the idea that Kazantzakis was being sacrilegious or blasphemous with the content of his novels and beliefs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Constantelos |first=Demetrios J. |date=1998-10-01 |title=Kazantzakis and God (review) |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=357–358 |doi=10.1353/mgs.1998.0029 |s2cid=141618698 |issn=1086-3265}}</ref> These scholars argue that, if anything, Kazantzakis was acting in accordance to a long tradition of Christians who publicly struggled with their faith, and grew a stronger and more personal connection to God through their doubt.<ref name=":2" /> Moreover, scholars like Darren J. N. Middleton argue that Kazantzakis's interpretation of the Christian faith predated the more modern, personalized interpretation of Christianity that has become popular in the years after Kazantzakis's death.<ref name=":3" />