Rudolf Steiner
The Fifth Gospel, GA 148, Volume II
"After Jesus of Nazareth took the Christ-being into himself he had to go into the wilderness. There he had clairvoyant visions, which are described fairly accurately by the words of the clairvoyant Gospel writers. It could also be said that now the Christ-being was really bound to the three bodies of Jesus [physical, etheric, astral]." He was first faced with human temptations by Lucifer and Ahriman.
1) By Lucifer: โChrist [confronted] a being who could arouse all the pride and arrogance that a human soul is capable of. This being confronted the Christ Jesus. At that moment he sensed what that being was attempting in the language of visions โ what the Bible describes with the words: '๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ' โ ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ โ '๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐.' If one is full of pride and arrogance and brings it into the spiritual world, one can own this world's kingdom of Lucifer because arrogance submerges everything else if everything except arrogance is left behind. [...]Then he recognized that figure as the one he had seen at the gates of the Essenes: Lucifer! Therefore he knew that now Lucifer was speaking to him, and he repulsed the attack. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ."
2) By Ahriman & Lucifer: "Then two beings came to attack him, and he had the impression which was more or less what the Bible describes. They said to him: '๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก, ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐.' In such a case consciousness of strength and courage should awaken in the human soul, but it can also make him a sensualist. Two figures stood before him. Because Jesus had had the impression that it was Lucifer and Ahriman who had flown away from the Essene gates, he now had the impression that within one of them was the same being whom the leper had encountered and who had presented himself as death. Because of these experiences he recognized Lucifer and Ahriman. [โฆ] He also repulsed this attack. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง."
3) By Ahriman Alone: "Then Ahriman came again. A kind of temptation ensued. He said to Christ Jesus something similar to what the Bible describes: '๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ.' But now Jesus could not give a complete answer to what Ahriman demanded. [โฆ] If Christ was to help earthly humanity in the right way he had to allow Ahriman to act. ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก'๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. His work had to remain undefeated by Christ, not completely overcome. The Christ must accept the struggle with Ahriman until the end of earth evolution. Ahriman had to remain.
We as humans can overcome the attacks of Lucifer and the attacks of Lucifer and Ahriman together. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ก'๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. Therefore Christ had to hold Ahriman in check, but allow him to stand alongside him. For this reason Ahriman remained active during the three years that Christ worked in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, and he entered the soul of Judas and was decisive in the betrayal of Jesus. What happened through Judas is related to the temptation in the desert after the baptism in the Jordan.โ
Rudolf Steiner The Fifth Gospel, Volume II, Lecture II, GA 148, 18 December 1913, Cologne.