Chapter XVI.—Of the Temptation of Jesus.

33. Matthew proceeds with his narrative in these terms: “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And so the account continues, until we come to the words, Then the devil left318    Reliquit. him: and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.”319    Matt. iv. 1–11. This whole narrative is given also in a similar manner by Luke, although not in the same order. And this makes it uncertain which of the two latter temptations took place first: whether it was that the kingdoms of the world were shown Him first, and then that He Himself was taken up to the pinnacle of the temple thereafter; or whether it was that this latter act occurred first, and that the other scene followed it. It is, however, a matter of no real consequence, provided it be clear that all these incidents did take place. And as Luke sets forth the same events and ideas in different words, attention need not ever be called to the fact that no loss results thereby to truth. Mark, again, does indeed attest the fact that He was tempted of the devil in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights; but he gives no statement of what was said to Him, or of the replies He made. At the same time, he does not fail to notice the circumstance which is omitted by Luke, namely, that the angels ministered unto Him.320    Mark i. 12, 13; Luke iv. 1–13. John, however, has left out this whole passage.

CAPUT XVI. De tentato Jesu.

33. Sequitur Matthaeus, et dicit: Tunc Jesus ductus est in desertum a Spiritu, ut tentaretur a diabolo. Et cum jejunasset quadraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus, postea esuriit. Et accedens tentator dixit ei: Si filius Dei es, dic ut lapides isti panes fiant. Qui respondens dixit: Scriptum est, Non in pane solo vivit homo , sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei, etc. usque ad id quod dictum est, Tunc reliquit eum diabolus; et ecce Angeli accesserunt et ministrabant ei. Totum hoc similiter Lucas narrat, etsi non eodem ordine. Unde incertum est quid prius factum sit, utrum regna terrae prius demonstrata sint ei, et postea in 1094 pinnam templi levatus sit; an hoc prius, et illud postea. Nihil tamen ad rem, dum omnia facta esse manifestum sit: et quod aliis verbis easdem sententias Lucas explicat, non semper commendandum est quam nihil depereat veritati. Marcus autem attestatur quidem eum in deserto a diabolo esse tentatum quadraginta diebus et noctibus; sed tacet quid ei dictum sit, quidve responderit. Item quod Lucas praetermisit, iste non tacuit, quod Angeli ministrabant illi (Matth. IV, 1-11, Marc. I, 12, 13, et Luc. IV, 1-13): Joannes vero totum istum locum praetermisit.