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Objection 1: It would seem that the mode and order of the temptation
were unbecoming. For the devil tempts in order to induce us to sin.
But if Christ had assuaged His bodily hunger by changing the stones
into bread, He would not have sinned; just as neither did He sin
when He multiplied the loaves, which was no less a miracle, in order
to succor the hungry crowd. Therefore it seems that this was nowise a
temptation.
Objection 2: Further, a counselor is inconsistent if he persuades
the contrary to what he intends. But when the devil set Christ on a
pinnacle of the Temple, he purposed to tempt Him to pride or
vainglory. Therefore it was inconsistent to urge Him to cast Himself
thence: for this would be contrary to pride or vainglory, which always
seeks to rise.
Objection 3: Further, one temptation should lead to one sin. But
in the temptation on the mountain he counseled two sins---namely,
covetousness and idolatry. Therefore the mode of the temptation was
unfitting.
Objection 4: Further, temptations are ordained to sin. But there
are seven deadly sins, as we have stated in the FS, Question 84,
Article 4. But the tempter only deals with three, viz. gluttony,
vainglory, and covetousness. Therefore the temptation seems to have
been incomplete.
Objection 5: Further, after overcoming all the vices, man is still
tempted to pride or vainglory: since pride "worms itself in
stealthily, and destroys even good works," as Augustine says (Ep.
ccxi). Therefore Matthew unfittingly gives the last place to the
temptation to covetousness on the mountain, and the second place to the
temptation to vainglory in the Temple, especially since Luke puts
them in the reverse order.
Objection 6: Further, Jerome says on Mt. 4:4 that "Christ
purposed to overcome the devil by humility, not by might." Therefore
He should not have repulsed him with a haughty rebuke, saying:
"Begone, Satan."
Objection 7: Further, the gospel narrative seems to be false. For
it seems impossible that Christ could have been set on a pinnacle of
the Temple without being seen by others. Nor is there to be found a
mountain so high that all the world can be seen from it, so that all
the kingdoms of the earth could be shown to Christ from its summit.
It seems, therefore, that Christ's temptation is unfittingly
described.
On the contrary is the authority of Scripture.
I answer that, The temptation which comes from the enemy takes the
form of a suggestion, as Gregory says (Hom. xvi in Evang.).
Now a suggestion cannot be made to everybody in the same way; it must
arise from those things towards which each one has an inclination.
Consequently the devil does not straight away tempt the spiritual man
to grave sins, but he begins with lighter sins, so as gradually to
lead him to those of greater magnitude. Wherefore Gregory (Moral.
xxxi), expounding Job 39:25, "He smelleth the battle afar
off, the encouraging of the captains and the shouting of the army,"
says: "The captains are fittingly described as encouraging, and the
army as shouting. Because vices begin by insinuating themselves into
the mind under some specious pretext: then they come on the mind in
such numbers as to drag it into all sorts of folly, deafening it with
their bestial clamor."
Thus, too, did the devil set about the temptation of the first man.
For at first he enticed his mind to consent to the eating of the
forbidden fruit, saying (Gn. 3:1): "Why hath God commanded
you that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?" Secondly [he
tempted him] to vainglory by saying: "Your eyes shall be opened."
Thirdly, he led the temptation to the extreme height of pride,
saying: "You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." This same
order did he observe in tempting Christ. For at first he tempted Him
to that which men desire, however spiritual they may be---namely,
the support of the corporeal nature by food. Secondly, he advanced to
that matter in which spiritual men are sometimes found wanting,
inasmuch as they do certain things for show, which pertains to
vainglory. Thirdly, he led the temptation on to that in which no
spiritual men, but only carnal men, have a part---namely, to
desire worldly riches and fame, to the extent of holding God in
contempt. And so in the first two temptations he said: "If Thou be
the Son of God"; but not in the third, which is inapplicable to
spiritual men, who are sons of God by adoption, whereas it does apply
to the two preceding temptations.
And Christ resisted these temptations by quoting the authority of the
Law, not by enforcing His power, "so as to give more honor to His
human nature and a greater punishment to His adversary, since the foe
of the human race was vanquished, not as by God, but as by man"; as
Pope Leo says (Serm. 1, De Quadrag. 3).
Reply to Objection 1: To make use of what is needful for
self-support is not the sin of gluttony; but if a man do anything
inordinate out of the desire for such support, it can pertain to the
sin of gluttony. Now it is inordinate for a man who has human
assistance at his command to seek to obtain food miraculously for mere
bodily support. Hence the Lord miraculously provided the children of
Israel with manna in the desert, where there was no means of obtaining
food otherwise. And in like fashion Christ miraculously provided the
crowds with food in the desert, when there was no other means of
getting food. But in order to assuage His hunger, He could have
done otherwise than work a miracle, as did John the Baptist,
according to Matthew (3:4); or He could have hastened to the
neighboring country. Consequently the devil esteemed that if Christ
was a mere man, He would fall into sin by attempting to assuage His
hunger by a miracle.
Reply to Objection 2: It often happens that a man seeks to derive
glory from external humiliation, whereby he is exalted by reason of
spiritual good. Hence Augustine says (De Serm. Dom. in Monte
ii, 12): "It must be noted that it is possible to boast not only
of the beauty and splendor of material things, but even of filthy
squalor." And this is signified by the devil urging Christ to seek
spiritual glory by casting His body down.
Reply to Objection 3: It is a sin to desire worldly riches and
honors in an inordinate fashion. And the principal sign of this is
when a man does something wrong in order to acquire such things. And
so the devil was not satisfied with instigating to a desire for riches
and honors, but he went so far as to tempt Christ, for the sake of
gaining possession of these things, to fall down and adore him, which
is a very great crime, and against God. Nor does he say merely,
"if Thou wilt adore me," but he adds, "if, falling down";
because, as Ambrose says on Lk. 4:5: "Ambition harbors yet
another danger within itself: for, while seeking to rule, it will
serve; it will bow in submission that it may be crowned with honor;
and the higher it aims, the lower it abases itself."
In like manner [the devil] in the preceding temptations tried to lead
[Christ] from the desire of one sin to the commission of another;
thus from the desire of food he tried to lead Him to the vanity of the
needless working of a miracle; and from the desire of glory to tempt
God by casting Himself headlong.
Reply to Objection 4: As Ambrose says on Lk. 4:13,
Scripture would not have said that "'all the temptation being ended,
the devil departed from Him,' unless the matter of all sins were
included in the three temptations already related. For the causes of
temptations are the causes of desires"---namely, "lust of the
flesh, hope of glory, eagerness for power."
Reply to Objection 5: As Augustine says (De Consensu Evang.
ii): "It is not certain which happened first; whether the kingdoms
of the earth were first shown to Him, and afterwards He was set on
the pinnacle of the Temple; or the latter first, and the former
afterwards. However, it matters not, provided it be made clear that
all these things did take place." It may be that the Evangelists set
these things in different orders, because sometimes cupidity arises
from vainglory, sometimes the reverse happens.
Reply to Objection 6: When Christ had suffered the wrong of being
tempted by the devil saying, "If Thou be the Son of God cast
Thyself down," He was not troubled, nor did He upbraid the devil.
But when the devil usurped to himself the honor due to God, saying,
"All these things will I give Thee, if, falling down, Thou wilt
adore me," He was exasperated, and repulsed him, saying,
"Begone, Satan": that we might learn from His example to bear
bravely insults leveled at ourselves, but not to allow ourselves so
much as to listen to those which are aimed at God.
Reply to Objection 7: As Chrysostom says (Hom. v in
Matth.): "The devil set Him" (on a pinnacle of the Temple)
"that He might be seen by all, whereas, unawares to the devil, He
acted in such sort that He was seen by none."
In regard to the words, "'He showed Him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them,' we are not to understand that He saw
the very kingdoms, with the cities and inhabitants, their gold and
silver: but that the devil pointed out the quarters in which each
kingdom or city lay, and set forth to Him in words their glory and
estate." Or, again, as Origen says (Hom. xxx in Luc.), "he
showed Him how, by means of the various vices, he was the lord of the
world."
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