Is a very interesting chapter in Dostoyevski’s The Brothers Karamazov where he, Dostoyevski, through Ivan makes a very interesting interpretation of the temptation of Jesus as told in the new testament.
First, Ivan makes the argument that after 15 centuries, the Prisoner (Jesus) has no right to come back nor say a word. That were he to say something now, it would encroach on the faith of the people. For were he to speak, that would manifest as a miracle.
In going to the heavens and giving the church power to bind and unbind, he relinquished the way by which men can or could be made happy. That is, through miracle.
The interesting part is when he says the three questions so called temptations, ecpress in human words, the whole future history of the race. That were those three questions to be erased and poets, philosphers and men of law and science were asked to come up with something similar, they wouldn’t. That the three questions are themselves the miracle. This is where you ask why so? The three questions deal with miracle, mystery and authority. And he refused these because, as Ivan claims, he had deep respect for human freedom.
Unless he, the prisoner, no longer values human freedom he can’t utter a word.
I find the position by Dostoyevski very interesting as an interpretation of the miraculous, that is, accepting for the moment that such a conversation did take place. In this interpretation, the devil/ tempter must be seen as being of a wise disposition. That she understands the human condition so to speak and presents Jesus with the three questions that capture us- the desire for miracle, authority and worship. In short, this is a rehabilitation of the tempter just as in genesis, Lucifer must be seen as the harbinger of light to mankind, opening the path for learning and possibly destruction.
I recommend reading it.
Random thoughts 