Archbishop Dmitry of Dallas on temptation

[archer75]

In Archbishop Dmitri's commentary on the Epistle of Saint James, he writes in his commentary on 1:13

God incarnate, the Son of God, was not tempted (in His so-called temptations) in the sense that He was even for one instant attracted by the devil's propositions, nor could He be tricked into proving who He was.

Is the section in bold above the unambiguous Orthodox understanding of the "temptations" in the Gospels of Sts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke?

 

[ArmyMatt]

from what I was taught, yes. His human will was in full communion with the Divine Will, and He never wavered.

 

[peregrinus2017]

To me it seems easier to understand if I look at it in the way that the father's describe the progression of sin in us. It starts with a thought, or image or idea. If we entertain that, it will arouse the passions and entice us into sin. With Christ, the devil certainly presented many temptations, but they were not at all entertained by Christ.

 

[abacabb3]

In Archbishop Dmitri's commentary on the Epistle of Saint James, he writes in his commentary on 1:13



Is the section in bold above the unambiguous Orthodox understanding of the "temptations" in the Gospels of Sts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke?

This comes from Saint Maximus and even Heb 4:15. Christ was never tempted in a sinful way. "In every way which we are but *without sin*." Christ, according to maximus, can only be tempted towards natural goods. He did not gnomicly will, so He was not confused or unsure of the right response to any of the devil's temptations. Unlike us, who may over eat or get angry at a whim, Christ's hunger and other blameless passions were fully under his control and experienced voluntarily.

In effect, Vladika Dmitri is a saint that even expounds the subtle nuances of theology missed by most. For those who want more details I recommend Fr Emmanuel Hatzidakis' Jesus Fallen.

 

[ArmyMatt]

right, plus the “who” we are talking about is the Allmighty Word of God. can Satan really tempt Him to consider not following the Divine Will? the answer is no.