The Evil Creator

Origins of an Early Christian Idea

By: M. David Litwa

Narrated by: 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.