something that, looked at from another perspective or in a different context, is within the power and prerogative of the Messiah. The tempter does not suggest uncertainty on his part concerning the divine sonship of Jesus by use of εἰ, “if” (in a first-class condition). Indeed, the situation here is like the narrative about the demons, e.g., in Mark 1:24, where, with the invasion of their realm, the demons have an intuitive knowledge of the true identity of Jesus. Thus, from the perspective of the