Most of us are aware of the fact that many people can witness the same event and see different things. Sometimes, in court cases, witnesses will give different or conflicting accounts of the same incident. Consequently, when different witnesses corroborate a story, you can be fairly certain that it is of exceptional clarity and veracity to them. The writers of the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, fall into this phenomenon. Some of their stories are disputed by each other. On some they agree.

All three synoptic writers agree on a significant incident: the temptation of Jesus, following his baptism. All three writers relate the story. We can infer from the temptation story that the first great temptation, even to Jesus, is to become a carousing publicity hound following a personal e…