Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does Jesus resist Satan’s temptations in Paradise Regained?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Engraved portrait of John Milton by Jacob Houbraken, showing Milton with shoulder-length hair, a lace collar, and period clothing, facing forward in an oval frame. — John Milton John Milton, engraving by Jacob Houbraken, 1741.

In Paradise Regained, Jesus resists Satan’s temptations by embodying Christian heroism, which is defined as a continuous, internal reaffirmation of faith in God and a steadfast commitment to patience and fortitude. Rather than engaging in military action, Jesus treats his encounters with Satan as a series of intellectual debates or an ongoing dialectic.1

Jesus systematically analyzes and refutes Satan’s arguments, which are designed to appeal to human impulses toward ease, pleasure, worldliness, and power. He employs recta ratio (right reason), consistently informed by his faith in God, to rebut the tempter’s insidious sophistry with clarity and cogency. Throughout these trials, Jesus maintains an overwhelming sense of resolve, demonstrating that Christian heroism is a state of mind where faith and reason interact to maintain a heavenly orientation. By dismissing the tempter at the conclusion of these debates, Jesus successfully surmounts the adversities placed before him in the wilderness.1