In this not strictly exegetical study of the temptations of Jesus, the author, after having succinctly analyzed the relevant passages of Matthew and Luke (I), tackles the problem of the historicity of the temptations as presented in the gospel texts (II): the literary editing of the narrative shows how related it is to a Christian reflection on two chapters of Deuteronomy (III). The author continues with an examination of the nature of Jesus experience during his stay in the desert (IV) and points out three aspects of this inner experience: what will Jesus' behavior be, during his ministry, in his consciousness of being Son of God and being Messiah of Israel?
