The Saviors of God


Ascesis: The Saviors of God is a series of "spiritual exercises" written by Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. It was first written between 1922 and 1923, while staying in Vienna and Berlin, and subsequently published in 1927 in the Athenian magazine Anayennisi. The text was later revised on various occasions and reached its final state in 1944.

Presentation

The author first presents a prologue. Given the sacred tone of the book, which strives to go beyond philosophy and metaphysics, this introduction is better understood as an. The first words summarize the undercurrent of The Saviors of God: "We came from an abyss of darkness; we end in an abyss of darkness: the interval of light between one and another we name life."
Kazantzakis thought that there are two streams in life: the first one runs toward ascesis, :wikt:synthesis|synthesis, life and immortality, while the second one runs towards, matter, death. However, both streams are part of the universe, and being so, sacred. One of Kazantzakis' main concerns was what force drives the uncreated to the created. As opposition seems to be intrinsic to life and infinite, human beings should strive to ascend to a harmonic view of these oppositions, to be a guide for thought and action.

Significance

According to Kimon Friar, the English translator of many of Kazantzakis' writings, The Saviors of God occupies a central role in the work of the Greek author. In the second part of his lengthy introduction to , Friar notes: