Editing Devil (section)

== Gnostic religions ==
{{See also|Demiurge#Gnosticism}}
[[File:Lion-faced deity.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A lion-faced deity found on a Gnostic gem in [[Bernard de Montfaucon]]'s ''L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures'' may be a depiction of the Demiurge.]]
Gnostic and Gnostic-influenced religions postulate the idea that the material world is inherently evil. The ''One true God'' is remote, beyond the material universe; therefore, this universe must be governed by an inferior imposter deity. This deity was identified with the deity of the Old Testament by some sects, such as the [[Sethianism|Sethians]] and the [[Marcionism|Marcions]].  [[Tertullian]] accuses [[Marcion of Sinope]], that he {{Blockquote|
[held that] the Old Testament was a scandal to the faithful … and … accounted for it by postulating [that Jehovah was] a secondary deity, a [[Demiurge|demiurgus]], who was god, in a sense, but not the supreme God; he was just, rigidly just, he had his good qualities, but he was not the good god, who was Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.<ref name="Marcion">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Marcionites}}</ref>}} [[John Arendzen]] (1909) in the ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' (1913) mentions that [[Eusebius]] accused [[Apelles (gnostic)|Apelles]], the 2nd-century AD Gnostic, of considering the Inspirer of Old Testament prophecies to be not a god, but an evil angel.<ref name="Apelles">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Gnosticism}}</ref> These writings commonly refer to the Creator of the material world as "a [[Demiurge|demiurgus]]"<ref name="Marcion" /> to distinguish him from the ''One true God''. Some texts, such as the [[Apocryphon of John]] and [[On the Origin of the World]], not only demonized the Creator God but also called him by the name of the devil in some Jewish writings, ''[[Samael]]''.<ref>Birger A. Pearson ''Gnosticism Judaism Egyptian'' Fortress Press {{ISBN|978-1-4514-0434-0}} p. 100</ref>