Summary. 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 of the Christian Bible have concluded that the creator manifests an evil character.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Why the Evil Creator?
Part I: Egyptian and Johannine Approaches
1. Chapter 1: The Donkey Deity
2. Chapter 2: The Father of the Devil
Part II: Marcionite Approaches
3. Chapter 3: Creator of Evils
4. Chapter 4: The God of this World
5. Chapter 5: Destroyer of the Law I
6. Chapter 6: Destroyer of the Law II
Notes
Index
M. David Litwa, Ph.D. 
I think I got the last copy of this in Australia! I waited months to get it and it just arrived! It’s 100% the most expensive book I ever bought. I put it on credit card and no one needs to know except you and me haha. I was fascinated as soon as I saw you talking about it on MythVision. I was so relieved recently to learn about Gnosticism and other ideas about the evil creator because I was born a heretic apparently and this was my first impressions even from a small child. Reading the Bible gave my spiritual trauma because I hated Yahweh the whole time, which to my mind made me evil or something. I was messed up for over a decade and had to retreat from anything spiritual because it all scared the crap out of me. Recently I returned to these things again and there is this renaissance going on of all these super awesome Gen X religious scholars!!! I can’t wait to read this book and maybe buy the deification book too with the book money my mum gave me for Christmas.
Thanks so much Jessamine
I finished the book. Very impressed! I loved the bit about the new atheists throwing everything out with the bathwater. If only someone had come along 20 years ago to tell us all that it was ok to consider Yahweh was evil and to consider he was not necessarily the god Christ talked about as father! Better late than never though! Haha!
I think I heard you say on MythVision that your first book was available for download in .pdf. I cannot find it? Sorry to bug you 🙂
Wow! you’re a fast reader, Jessamine. Thanks for the comment! Yes, that pdf for my book We Are Being Transformed is available for download on my patreon site (https://www.patreon.com/mdavidlitwa). There you can find all my videos, academic articles, and other postings on gnostic studies (etc, etc.) enjoy.
I was so excited and not feeling great so I just spent 3 days doing nothing but reading hahaha! OMG you have a patreon! I’m in there! 😀
thanks so much–and welcome
It’ll drop next week. Sounds very interesting; it is about time someone else took as serious look at G. Jn. 8:44. “Evil” Yahweh though? Name me a saintly antique deity. A “good” god; now there would be a novelty!