The Last Temptation of Christ is originally written by Nikos Kazantzakis in Demotic Greek, the modern dialect rather than the high-brow official language of that time. Some of the implications are pointed out in English translator P. A. Bien's reflection, which follows the novel. Bien describes the diverse intellectual and spiritual influences on Kazantzakis' stormy life, following among others the Buddha and Nikolai Lenin. This shows in a Jesus torn between love and revolution.