Christ Recrucified

The story concerns the attempts of a fictional Greek village community deep in Anatolia in 1921 to stage a Passion Play - which, as the title suggests, ends up with their in effect re-enacting the events of Jesus Christ's trial, suffering and death.

Manolios, who is chosen to play the role of Christ, is a humble shepherd boy who was once a novice in a monastery.

He lives surrounded by oriental splendor, drinks himself crazy and enjoys rakı and pretty boys.

Denied this by the priest Grigoris, the refugees retire to the barren slopes of the nearby mountain Sarakina, where they continue to starve.

Father Grigoris is afraid to lose his power over the villagers and starts a hate campaign first against the priest and his people and then against the rest of the group.

He is the one who spies on the people up on the mountain and on Michelis and Manolios and reports to Father Grigoris, one of the main villains.

In the end, Father Grigoris assembles the villagers in the church, where he instructs Panayotaros to stab Manolios to death in front of the mob of baying villagers: “For an instant Manolios’s heart failed him, he turned to the door - it was closed; he looked at the three lit lamps and, under them, the icons loaded with ex-votos: Christ, red-cheeked, with carefully combed hair, was smiling; the Virgin Mary, bending over the child was taking no interest in what was happening under her eyes.

He raised his eyes toward the vault of the church and made out in the half-light the face of the Almighty, bending pitilessly over mankind.

“Yannakos’s voice,” said another; “the Sarakini have come to take him from us!” The door was shaken violently, its hinges creaked; there could be heard a great tumult of men and women outside.

“With my blessing, strike!” Priest Fotis and his people bring the dead body of Manolios to the mountain.

The night was calm, icy, starless.” “Priest Fotis listened to the bell pealing gaily, announcing that Christ was coming down on earth to save the world.

When will You be born, my Christ, and not be crucified any more, but live among us for eternity.” Bohuslav Martinů wrote an opera in four acts called The Greek Passion (Czech Řecké pašije) based on the novel, with a libretto by the composer.

Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation produced a 50-episode TV series adaptation of the novel that was directed by Vasilis Georgiadis and aired from 1975 to 1976.