Description
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.
About the Author
M. DAVID LITWA is a scholar of ancient Mediterranean religions with a focus on early Christianity. He has taught courses at the University of Virginia, the College of William & Mary, and Virginia Tech. He is the author of recent publications including Desiring Divinity, How the Gospel Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myth, and Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought: Becoming Angels and Demons. He is currently Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.
Reviews
Nevertheless, the book offers an extremely helpful and compelling exploration of the various voices in the early Christian centuries who held this view, making clear that it was sufficiently widespread that it cannot be explained as a late anomaly. * James F. McGrath, Butler University, The Society of Biblical Literature *
It is a highly recomendable book which will introduce its readers in a world of practice and reflection on how people developed novel Jewish forms of life in the aftermath of the crisis of the first and second major Jewish revolts against the Romans, and the re-writings of these debates in later times. * Markus Vinzent, San Miguel de Abona *
The Evil Creator is a thoughtful and historically-responsible reading of the Bible. Examining the Creator Deity of the Bible through the lens of various early Christian interpreters who themselves long ago identified many of the same concerns that modern interpreters struggle with today makes this book not only a valuable contribution to the field of Biblical Studies but also important for modern readers who ponder the God of the Bible. * Kevin Sullivan, Illinois Wesleyan University *
David Litwa is to be congratulated for this book, which is both well-researched and thought-provoking. He compellingly delineates here how the idea of an inferior creator-God arose directly from what was said in some of the earliest and, for many, sacred Christian texts, including Paul's letters and the Gospel of John. * Ismo Dunderberg, author of Beyond Gnosticism: Myth, Lifestyle, and Society in the School of Valentinus *
Readers interested in why so many ancient Christians concluded that the creator was evil have here in one book an extremely well-researched assemblage and exposition of evidence suggesting answers. Litwa reviews the role of indigenous Egyptian myth, Graeco-Roman philosophical argument, and above all, interpretations of Jewish and Christian scripture. His sobering concluding chapter reviews how ancient evil-creator doctrines live on today. An important contribution on a perennial theological challenge. * Michael A. Williams, University of Washington, Seattle *
This book should be taken in the context of early theological divisions between ancient Jewish and early Christian sects and used to deepen our understanding of the extreme changes theological positions can take over time. * Rob Perry, Religious Studies Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197566428
Author M. David Litwa
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 241mm * 20mm
About the Author
M. DAVID LITWA is a scholar of ancient Mediterranean religions with a focus on early Christianity. He has taught courses at the University of Virginia, the College of William & Mary, and Virginia Tech. He is the author of recent publications including Desiring Divinity, How the Gospel Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myth, and Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought: Becoming Angels and Demons. He is currently Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.
Reviews
Nevertheless, the book offers an extremely helpful and compelling exploration of the various voices in the early Christian centuries who held this view, making clear that it was sufficiently widespread that it cannot be explained as a late anomaly. * James F. McGrath, Butler University, The Society of Biblical Literature *
It is a highly recomendable book which will introduce its readers in a world of practice and reflection on how people developed novel Jewish forms of life in the aftermath of the crisis of the first and second major Jewish revolts against the Romans, and the re-writings of these debates in later times. * Markus Vinzent, San Miguel de Abona *
The Evil Creator is a thoughtful and historically-responsible reading of the Bible. Examining the Creator Deity of the Bible through the lens of various early Christian interpreters who themselves long ago identified many of the same concerns that modern interpreters struggle with today makes this book not only a valuable contribution to the field of Biblical Studies but also important for modern readers who ponder the God of the Bible. * Kevin Sullivan, Illinois Wesleyan University *
David Litwa is to be congratulated for this book, which is both well-researched and thought-provoking. He compellingly delineates here how the idea of an inferior creator-God arose directly from what was said in some of the earliest and, for many, sacred Christian texts, including Paul's letters and the Gospel of John. * Ismo Dunderberg, author of Beyond Gnosticism: Myth, Lifestyle, and Society in the School of Valentinus *
Readers interested in why so many ancient Christians concluded that the creator was evil have here in one book an extremely well-researched assemblage and exposition of evidence suggesting answers. Litwa reviews the role of indigenous Egyptian myth, Graeco-Roman philosophical argument, and above all, interpretations of Jewish and Christian scripture. His sobering concluding chapter reviews how ancient evil-creator doctrines live on today. An important contribution on a perennial theological challenge. * Michael A. Williams, University of Washington, Seattle *
This book should be taken in the context of early theological divisions between ancient Jewish and early Christian sects and used to deepen our understanding of the extreme changes theological positions can take over time. * Rob Perry, Religious Studies Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9780197566428
Author M. David Litwa
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 241mm * 20mm
