Jesus Temptation in the Wilderness

February Lecture: History, Memory and Interpretation

One of my New Years’ resolutions for Behind the Gospels was to put on monthly lectures for my supporters. This would be a time to build community around biblical studies, to address readers’ questions and to dig even deeper behind the gospels.

Like many NY’s resolutions, I was on a good streak for about a month! After my Christmas lecture on the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke, I gave a January talk on my new book, Jesus’ Physical appearance (2025). But in February, I was busy on tour across the UK with Alex O’Connor, and my resolution fell by the wayside.

I had intended to give a lecture for Lent on the stories of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (often seen as the ‘biblical basis’ for the fast). But since the Church calendar is still in the season of Lent, I thought it wouldn’t be too late to return to the topic. On the weekend, then, a handful of us gathered for a double-whammy to catch up: a discussion on Jesus’ temptation, followed by a talk on Jesus’ resurrection.

In the Lent lecture below, I address a range of questions.

• What are the differences in the Temptation stories and why are they there?

• Do Matthew and Luke’s narratives have their origins in ‘Q’?

• Who are the ‘wild animals’ with Jesus in Mark’s account?

• What are the arguments for and against the episode’s historicity?

• If the temptation narratives did not happen, does this mean they are not true?

For those who couldn’t make it, I hope you enjoy the recording!