Editing Demiurge (section)

==Gnosticism==
{{gnosticism}}
[[Gnosticism]] presents a distinction between the highest, unknowable God or [[Aeon (Gnosticism)|Supreme Being]] and the demiurgic "creator" of the material, identified in some traditions with [[Yahweh]], the God of the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Several systems of Gnostic thought present the Demiurge as antagonistic to the will of the [[God|Supreme Being]], with his creation initially having the malevolent intention of entrapping aspects of the divine ''in'' materiality. In other systems, the Demiurge is instead portrayed as "merely" incompetent or foolish: his creation is an unconscious attempt to replicate the divine world (the [[pleroma]]) based on faint recollections, and thus ends up fundamentally flawed. Thus, in such systems, the Demiurge is a proposed solution to the [[problem of evil]]: while the divine beings are omniscient and omnibenevolent, the Demiurge who rules over our own physical world is not.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gilhus |first1=Ingvild Sælid |title=The gnostic demiurge—An agnostic trickster |journal=Religion |date=1 October 1984 |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=301–311 |doi=10.1016/S0048-721X(84)80010-X }}</ref>

===Angels===
[[Psalm 82]] begins, "God stands in the assembly of [[El (deity)|El]] {{bracket|[[Septuagint|LXX]]: assembly of gods}}, in the midst of the gods he renders judgment",<ref>{{bibleverse|Psalms|82:1|NET|verse 1}}</ref> indicating a plurality of gods, although it does not indicate that these gods were co-actors in creation. [[Philo]] had inferred from the expression "Let us make man" of the [[Book of Genesis]] that God had used other beings as assistants in the creation of man, and he explains in this way why man is capable of vice as well as virtue, ascribing the origin of the latter to God, of the former to his helpers in the work of creation.<ref>{{blockquote|It is on this account that Moses says, at the creation of man alone that God said, "Let us make man," which expression shows an assumption of other beings to himself as assistants, in order that God, the governor of all things, might have all the blameless intentions and actions of man, when he does right attributed to him; and that his other assistants might bear the imputation of his contrary actions.|{{cite web |title=Philo: On the Creation, XXIV |url=http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book1.html |website=www.earlyjewishwritings.com}}}}</ref>

The earliest Gnostic sects ascribe the work of creation to angels, some of them using the same passage in Genesis.<ref>[[Justin Martyr]], ''[[Dialogue with Trypho]]''. c. 67.</ref> So [[Irenaeus]] tells<ref>Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 23, 1.</ref> of the system of [[Simon Magus]],<ref>Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 23, 5.</ref> of the system of [[Menander (gnostic)|Menander]],<ref>Irenaeus, i. 24, 1.</ref> of the system of [[Saturninus of Antioch|Saturninus]], in which the number of these angels is reckoned as seven, and<ref>Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 25.</ref> of the system of [[Carpocrates]]. In [[Basilides]]'s system, he reports,<ref>Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 24, 4.</ref> the world was made by the angels who occupy the lowest heaven; but special mention is made of their chief, who is said to have been the [[God in Judaism|God of the Jews]], to have led that people out of the land of [[Egypt]], and to have given them their law. The prophecies are ascribed not to the chief but to the other world-making angels.

The Latin translation, confirmed by [[Hippolytus of Rome]],<ref>Hippolytus, ''[[Refutation of All Heresies]]''. vii. 33.</ref> makes [[Irenaeus]] state that according to [[Cerinthus]] (who shows [[Ebionites|Ebionite]] influence), creation was made by a power quite separate from the Supreme God and ignorant of him. [[Theodoret]],<ref>Theodoret, ''Haer. Fab''. ii. 3.</ref> who here copies Irenaeus, turns this into the plural number "powers", and so [[Epiphanius of Salamis]]<ref>Epiphanius, ''[[Panarion]]'', 28.</ref> represents Cerinthus as agreeing with Carpocrates in the doctrine that the world was made by angels.

===Yaldabaoth===
{{Main|Yaldabaoth}}
[[File:Lion-faced deity.jpg|thumb|right|150px|A lion-faced, [[Snakes in mythology|serpentine]] [[deity]] found on a Gnostic gem in [[Bernard de Montfaucon]]'s ''L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures'', a depiction of Yaldabaoth.]]
In the [[Archontics|Archontic]], [[Sethianism|Sethian]], and [[Ophites|Ophite]] systems, which have many affinities with the [[Valentinianism|doctrine of Valentinus]], the making of the world is ascribed to a company of seven [[archon (Gnosticism)|archons]], whose names are given, but still more prominent is their chief, "Yaldabaoth" (also known as "Yaltabaoth" or "Ialdabaoth").

In the ''[[Apocryphon of John]]'' {{circa}}&nbsp;AD 120–180, the demiurge declares that he has made the world by himself:
<blockquote>
Now the [[archon]] ["ruler"] who is weak has three names. The first name is Yaltabaoth, the second is Saklas ["fool"], and the third is [[Samael]] ["blind god"]. And he is impious in his arrogance which is in him. For he said, 'I am God and there is no other God beside me,' for he is ignorant of his strength, the place from which he had come.<ref>"Apocryphon of John," translation by Frederik Wisse in ''The Nag Hammadi Library''. Accessed online at [http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/apocjn.html gnosis.org]</ref></blockquote>

He is demiurge and maker of man, but as a ray of light from above enters the body of man and gives him a soul, Yaldabaoth is filled with envy; he tries to limit man's knowledge by forbidding him the fruit of knowledge in paradise. At the consummation of all things, all light will return to the [[Pleroma]]. But Yaldabaoth, the demiurge, with the material world, will be cast into the lower depths.<ref name="Catholic">{{Catholic|wstitle=Demiurge|inline=yes}}</ref>

Yaldabaoth is frequently called "the Lion-faced", ''leontoeides'', and is said to have the body of a serpent. The demiurge is also<ref>Hipp. ''Ref''. vi. 32, p.&nbsp;191.</ref> described as having a fiery nature, applying the words of Moses to him: "the Lord our God is a burning and consuming fire". Hippolytus claims that Simon used a similar description.<ref>Hipp. ''Ref''. vi. 9.</ref>

In ''[[Pistis Sophia]]'', Yaldabaoth has already sunk from his high estate and resides in Chaos, where, with his forty-nine demons, he tortures wicked souls in boiling rivers of pitch, and with other punishments (pp.&nbsp;257, 382). He is an archon with the face of a lion, half flame, and half darkness.

In the [[Nag Hammadi library|Nag Hammadi text]] ''[[On the Origin of the World]]'', the three sons of Yaldabaoth are listed as [[Yao (Gnosticism)|Yao]], Eloai, and [[Astaphaios]].<ref>[[Marvin Meyer]] and [[James M. Robinson]], ''The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition''. HarperOne, 2007. pp. 2–3. {{ISBN|0-06-052378-6}}</ref>

Under the name of ''Nebro'' (rebel), Yaldabaoth is called an angel in the [[apocryphal]] ''[[Gospel of Judas]]''. He is first mentioned in "The Cosmos, Chaos, and the Underworld" as one of the twelve angels to come "into being [to] rule over chaos and the [underworld]". He comes from heaven, and it is said his "face flashed with fire and [his] appearance was defiled with blood". Nebro creates six angels in addition to the angel [[Saklas]] to be his assistants. These six, in turn, create another twelve angels "with each one receiving a portion in the heavens".

====Names====
{{Main|Yaldabaoth#Etymology}}
The etymology of the name ''Yaldabaoth'' has been subject to many speculative theories. Until 1974, etymologies deriving from the unattested [[Aramaic]]: בהותא, <small>romanized:</small> ''bāhūthā'', supposedly meaning "[[Chaos (cosmogony)|chaos]]", represented the majority view. Following an analysis by the Jewish historian of religion [[Gershom Scholem]] published in 1974,<ref name="Scholem 1974">{{cite journal |author-last=Scholem |author-first=Gershom |author-link=Gershom Scholem |year=1974 |title=Jaldabaoth Reconsidered |url=https://www.academia.edu/44508763 |journal=Mélanges d'histoire des religions offerts à Henri-Charles Puech |location=[[Paris]] |publisher=[[Collège de France]]/Presses Universitaires de France |pages=405–421 |via=[[Academia.edu]]}}</ref> this etymology no longer enjoyed any notable support. His analysis showed the unattested Aramaic term to have been fabulated and attested only in a single corrupted text from 1859, with its claimed translation having been transposed from the reading of an earlier etymology, whose explanation seemingly equated "[[darkness]]" and "chaos" when translating an unattested supposed plural form of {{Langx|he|בוהו|translit=bōhu|lit=}}.<ref name="Scholem 1974"/><ref name=":0">{{cite book |author-last=Black |author-first=Matthew |title=The New Testament and Gnosis : Essays in honour of RobertMcL.Wilson |year=1983 |chapter=An Aramaic Etymology for Jaldabaoth? |chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781474266277.ch-005 |work=The New Testament and Gnosis: Essays in honour of Robert McL. Wilson |location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |pages=69–72 |doi=10.5040/9781474266277.ch-005 |isbn=978-1-4742-6627-7}}</ref>

"[[Samael]]" literally means "Blind God" or "God of the Blind" in Hebrew ({{Script/Hebrew|סמאל}}). This being is considered not only blind, or ignorant of its own origins, but may, in addition, be evil; its name is also found in [[Judaism]] as the [[Personifications of death#Death (angels) in religion|Angel of Death]] and in [[Christian demonology]]. This link to Judeo-Christian tradition leads to a further comparison with [[Satan]]. Another alternative title for the demiurge is "Saklas", Aramaic for "fool". In the ''[[Apocryphon of John]]'', Yaldabaoth is also known as both Sakla and Samael.<ref name="Meyer international">[[Marvin Meyer]] and [[James M. Robinson]], ''The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition''. HarperOne, 2007. {{ISBN|0-06-052378-6}}</ref>

The angelic name "[[Ariel (angel)|Ariel]]" (Hebrew: 'the lion of God')<ref>{{cite book |title=Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition |first=Gershom |last=Scholem |publisher=Jewish Theological Seminary of America |year=1965 |page=72}}</ref> has also been used to refer to the Demiurge and is called his "perfect" name;<ref>{{cite book |author=Robert McLachlan Wilson |title=Nag Hammadi and gnosis: Papers read at the First International Congress of Coptology |year=1976 |publisher=BRILL |pages=21–23 |quote=''Therefore his esoteric name is Jaldabaoth, whereas the perfect call him Ariel, because he has the appearance of a lion.''}}</ref> in some Gnostic lore, Ariel has been called an ancient or original name for Ialdabaoth.<ref>{{cite book|author=Gustav Davidson|title=A dictionary of angels: including the fallen angels |year=1994 |publisher=Scrollhouse |page=54}}</ref> The name has also been inscribed on amulets as "Ariel Ialdabaoth",<ref>{{cite book|author=David M Gwynn|title=Religious Diversity in Late Antiquity |year=2010 |publisher=BRILL |page=448}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=[[Campbell Bonner]] |title=An Amulet of the Ophite Gnostics |year=1949 |publisher=The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Hesperia Supplements, Vol. 8|pages=43–46}}</ref> and the figure of the archon inscribed with "Aariel".<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gilles Quispel |author2=R. van den Broek |author-link2=Roel van den Broek |author3=Maarten Jozef Vermaseren |title=Studies in gnosticism and hellenistic religions |year=1981 |publisher=BRILL |pages=40–41}}</ref>

===Marcion===
According to [[Marcion of Sinope|Marcion]], the title God was given to the Demiurge, who was to be sharply distinguished from the higher Good God. The former was ''díkaios'', severely just, the latter ''agathós'', or loving-kind; the former was the "god of this world",<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Corinthians|4:4}}</ref> the God of the [[Old Testament]], the latter the true God of the [[New Testament]]. Christ, in reality, is the Son of the Good God. The true believer in Christ entered into God's kingdom; the unbeliever remained forever the slave of the Demiurge.<ref name="Catholic"/>

===Valentinus===
It is in the [[Valentinianism|system of Valentinus]] that the name ''Dēmiurgos'' is used, which occurs nowhere in Irenaeus except in connection with the Valentinian system. When it is employed by other Gnostics either it is not used in a technical sense, or its use has been borrowed from Valentinus. But it is only the name that can be said to be specially Valentinian; the personage intended by it corresponds more or less closely with the Yaldabaoth of the Ophites, the [[Abraxas|great Archon]] of Basilides, the Elohim of [[Justin (gnostic)|Justinus]], etc.

The Valentinian theory elaborates that from Achamoth (''he kátō sophía'' or lower wisdom) three kinds of substance take their origin, the spiritual (''pneumatikoí''), the animal (''psychikoí'') and the material (''hylikoí''). The Demiurge belongs to the second kind, as he was the offspring of a union of Achamoth with matter.<ref name="Catholic"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103105.htm| title = Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 5.}}</ref> And as Achamoth herself was only the daughter of ''[[Sophia (Gnosticism)|Sophía]]'' the last of the thirty Aeons, the Demiurge was distant by many emanations from the Propatôr, or Supreme God.<ref name="Catholic"/>

In creating this world out of Chaos the Demiurge was unconsciously influenced for good; and the universe, to the surprise even of its Maker, became almost perfect. The Demiurge regretted even its slight imperfection, and as he thought himself the Supreme God, he attempted to remedy this by sending a Messiah. To this Messiah, however, was actually united with Jesus the Saviour, Who redeemed men. These are either ''hylikoí'' or ''pneumatikoí''.<ref name="Catholic"/>

The first, or material men, will return to the grossness of matter and finally be consumed by fire; the second, or animal men, together with the Demiurge, will enter a middle state, neither Pleroma nor ''hyle''; the purely spiritual men will be completely freed from the influence of the Demiurge and together with the Saviour and Achamoth, his spouse, will enter the Pleroma divested of body (''hyle'') and soul (''psyché'').<ref name="Catholic"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103106.htm| title = Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 6.}}</ref> In this most common form of Gnosticism the Demiurge had an inferior though not intrinsically evil function in the universe as the head of the animal, or psychic world.<ref name="Catholic"/>

===The devil===
Opinions on [[the devil]], and his relationship to the Demiurge, vary. The Ophites held that he and his demons constantly oppose and thwart the human race, as it was on their account the devil was cast down into this world.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103130.htm| title = Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 30, 8.}}</ref> According to one variant of the Valentinian system, the Demiurge is also the maker, out of the appropriate substance, of an order of ''spiritual'' beings, the devil, the prince of this world, and his angels. But the devil, as being a ''spirit'' of wickedness, is able to recognise the higher spiritual world, of which his maker the Demiurge, who is only animal, has no real knowledge. The devil resides in this lower world, of which he is the prince, the Demiurge in the heavens; his mother Sophia in the middle region, above the heavens and below the Pleroma.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103105.htm| title = Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', i. 5, 4.}}</ref>

The Valentinian [[Heracleon]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.gnosis.org/library/fragh.htm| title = Heracleon, Frag. 20.}}</ref> interpreted the devil as the ''principle'' of evil, that of ''hyle'' (matter). As he writes in his commentary on John 4:21,
<blockquote>The mountain represents the Devil, or his world, since the Devil was one part of the whole of matter, but the world is the total mountain of evil, a deserted dwelling place of beasts, to which all who lived before the law and all Gentiles render worship. But Jerusalem represents the creation or the Creator whom the Jews worship. ... You then who are spiritual should worship neither the creation nor the Craftsman, but the Father of Truth. </blockquote>

This vilification of the creator was held to be inimical to Christianity by the early fathers of the church. In refuting the beliefs of the gnostics, [[Irenaeus]] stated that "Plato is proved to be more religious than these men, for he allowed that the same God was both just and good, having power over all things, and himself executing judgment."<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103325.htm| title = Irenaeus, ''Adversus Haereses'', iii. 25.}}</ref>