The Evil Creator

Origins of an Early Christian Idea

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Try Premium Plus free

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.

Access exclusive sales and deals.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Evil Creator

By: M. David Litwa

Narrated by: Ben Henri

Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £11.99

About this listen

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.

Christianity

History

Judaism

Law

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Apocryphon of John: A Gnostic Gospel cover art

How the Gospels Became History cover art

Most relevant

If you think the modern atheists are the first to notice the many issues with the character of the Creator as presented in the Old Testament, this book is for you.

Fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Litwa is fast becoming one of my favourite biblical scholars. He seems always to have something new and interesting to contribute. I've bought several of his books now, but this one is far and away the most interesting to my mind. I'll definitely revisit it several times over.

Fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Excellent narration of a tightly argued, well referenced historical study of a simple statement: if God is the ultimate Good, a creator that commits evil cannot be God. Litwa provides a much richer, and maybe more coherent, alternative to the atheist’s answer.

Compelling reframing of the origin of evil

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.