The Temptation of Christ: A Ten Point Idiosyncratic Interpretation

Tom Farrar has written a ten point interpretation of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, aimed at supporting his personal satanology. The list is idiosyncratic in that it makes various arguments which are unique to Farrar, and which are contradicted or dismissed in the scholarly literature. This article lists and critiques each of Farrar’s points.

This claim is contradicted by the scholarly consensus; the genre is haggagic midrash, not narrative. Despite its superficial appearance as a simple historical record, the Synoptic account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness1 has often been interpreted as symbolic or parabolic of Jesus’ experiences, since the early Christian era.2 The popularity of this interpretation waxed and waned throughout history; Origen understood the account as a dramatized parable,3 Aquinas opposed those who interpreted the temptations as visionary,4 and the view was common among early Reformers, finding its way into the marginal commentary of early printed Bibles.5 Current scholarly commentary typically treats the wilderness temptation account as a visionary experience,6 symbolic description,7 or dramatization of events throughout Jesus’ ministry,8 and commentaries advise against reading the account as literally historical.9

Rather than being read as historical narrative, the temptation account is generally understood to take the form of haggadic midrash10 (non-historical commentary used to illustrate interpretations of the sacred text11). Thus the aim of the temptation account is to explicate the relevance of Biblical passages to Jesus’ messianic mission rather than simply recount historical events (though it may do so in the process).

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Author: Jon Burke

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Bible reference(s): Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2-13

Source: “The Temptation of Christ: A Ten Point Idiosyncratic Interpretation,” Berea.

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