Commentary from Hilary of Poitiers,
Bishop of Gaul (France) during
the Ancient Church (he d. 367 CE)
The Lord hungered not for the food of man
but for their salvation. In fact, he was
hungry after the 40 days, not during that
forty-day period, just as Moses and Elijah
were not hungry when they fasted for the
same amount of time [Exodus 34:28 / I
Kings 19:8]. Although the Lord hungered,
his abstinence from food did not undermine
him, since his power [ Latin virtus ], which
was not affected by his fasting for 40 days,
handed over his humanity to its own nature
[ Latin naturae suae homilem dereliquit ].
It was necessary to defeat the devil, not by
God, but by the flesh, which the devil would
never have dared to tempt unless he had
recognized the weakness that hunger brings
to human nature. This, at least, is what
the devil discerned in him when he began with
the words If you are the Son of God. The
statement is an uncertain one : if you are
the Son of God. Even though the devil saw
him going hungry, he was growing frightened
of him who fasted for 40 days.
According to the ordering of these events,
the Gospel indicates that following his
experience [ Latin conversatio_ ]
of 40 days, during which Christ would
remain in this world after his Passion,
he possessed a hunger for the salvation of
humanity. In that time he brought back
humanity, which he had assumed, as his
appointed service to God the Father.
from Commentary on Matthew: Hilary
of Poitiers translated by D.H. Williams.
Volume 125 in the Fathers of the Church
series, CUA Press, Washington, D.C.
ISBN: 9780813201252
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