Gospel of Matthew 4: 8 - 11 Temptation and Victory

from FC Volume 125 (CUAC Press, 2012)

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Commentary on

Matthew [transl. D.H. Williams]

Ancient Church Bishop of Gaul,

(d. 367?) .

This is the first full

Latin Commentary on the Gospel

of Matthew to survive; written in

classical style; Jerome declared Bishop

Hilary "that master of eloquence."

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But now, for the third time,

all the ambition of the 

devil's power [Latin potestas]

was being shaken. When he

placed the Lord at the top

of a mountain, he offered him

all the kingdoms of the world

and their glory if only he

would worship him.  By this

time the [Lord's previous]

two responses confirmed the

grounds for suspicion.  The

devil had seduced Adam

(Genesis 3:24) by means of

food and led him away from

the glory of paradise to the

place of sin, that is the

region of the forbidden tree.

(Genesis 3:5 following)

On this third occasion, the

devil sought to corrupt the

Lord with expectation of the

divine title by promising him

that he would become like God

[Latin diis futurum simile].

All worldly authority is

presented before the Lord, and

possession of this universe is

offered to its Creator (cf.

Colossians 1:16). In this

instance, the devil did not

seduce him with food nor a

glorious place, but now --

in keeping with the pattern

[Latin ordo] of the ancient

deception -- he tried to

corrupt him with ambition.

But the Lord's response took

the approach [Latin graduum]

in keeping with what he had

done earlier, saying,

Begin, Satan, for it is written

'You shall worship the Lord

your God, and him alone shall

you serve.' (Deuteronomy 6:13)

The devil was dealt with in a

way appropriate to his great

audacity.  When he heard his

name Satan as a designation for

his crimes, he realized that 

the Lord his God would have to

be worshiped in a man.

Given his effective responses,

the Lord presents us with a

wonderful example: by spurning

the glory of human authority

and disregarding the ambition

of this age, we may remember to 

worship only the Lord God [Latin

Deum et Dominum] because all the

honor of this age is the devil's

affair.  Following the flight of 

the devil, the angels ministered

to Christ showing that once we

have conquered and trampled upon

the head of the devil, the

services and aid of heavenly

power [Latin virtus] will not

be lacking for us!