The Evil Creator

Origins of an Early Christian Idea

De: M. David Litwa

Narrado por: Ben Henri

This book examines the origins of the evil creator idea chiefly in light of early Christian biblical interpretations. It is divided into two parts. In Part I, the focus is on the interpretations of Exodus and John. Firstly, ancient Egyptian assimilation of the Jewish god to the evil deity Seth-Typhon is studied to understand its reapplication by Phibionite and Sethian Christians to the Judeo-catholic creator. Secondly, the Christian reception of John 8:44 (understood to refer to the devil's father) is shown to implicate the Judeo-catholic creator in murdering Christ. Part II focuses on Marcionite Christian biblical interpretations. It begins with Marcionite interpretations of the creator's character in the Christian "Old Testament," analyzes 2 Corinthians 4:4 (in which "the god of this world" blinds people from Christ's glory), examines Christ's so-called destruction of the Law (Eph 2:15) and the Lawgiver, and shows how Christ finally succumbs to the "curse of the Law" inflicted by the creator (Gal 3:13). A concluding chapter shows how still today readers/listeners of the Christian Bible have concluded that the creator manifests an evil character.

©2021 Oxford University Press (P)2024 Matthew David Litwa

Good

I like this book I enjoy how it is a book and that it sounds like a book

The detailed connection between set-typhon and the early Israelite deities el and yahweh.

I like how it describes the ability of humans to superimpose their cruelty onto their gods.

great research

this is a well researched, very insightful book. neutral and historical. highly recommend. the demiurge gets the spotlight.

Clear and understandable examples

i was born 3rd generation into a modern american cult. after deconstructing my cult beliefs I was left with atheism. Reading Litwa and Stavrakopoulu helps me understand why I can be at peace with my new world view.

Great Introduction to the Concept

Dr. Justin Sledge did an interview with David Litwa recently about this book, which was my introduction to it and to David. I thought the book was excellent and precise about the topic titling it. As someone who has read a lot of gnostic literature and a good deal of early Christian literature I thoroughly enjoyed his breakdown and analysis of the subject and will follow future publications.

a must read for scholars of early Christianity

a fantastic scholarly approach to one of the most fascinating topics in all of religious thought, and one that provokes a necessity to further study.

Depth

I love that this short book was so in depth about early christians who believed the creator deity was evil. Stellar as usual from this author

As a child I always saw the Old Testament god as evil.

Great book with lots of interesting perspectives. I came to the conclusion that the god of the Old Testament was one of the worst examples of parenting. Most decent humans would never treat our children that way.

The lost History of a different Christian theology

Excellent stuff. Quick, to the point, and good scholarship. This very concept is absolutely mind-blowing and unbelievable that most people have no idea about it. The irony? It's almost too convincing not to ignore.

Remarkable Scholarship

A deep nuanced exploration which should be required reading for all students of religion.