“And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?”
Tell us by what authority you are doing these things, they said. Who gave you this authority? — the authority question is the Sanhedrin's challenge to the temple cleansing and the ongoing teaching. By what authority and who gave you this authority: the two related questions. The authority question is a trap: if Jesus claims divine authority, it is blasphemy; if he claims human authority, it is unauthorized.
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