[Dr. M. David Litwa (MDiv, Emory University; ThM, Duke University; PhD, University of Virginia, 2013) is a scholar of ancient Mediterranean religions with a focus on the New Testament and early Christianity. Prior to coming to Boston College, he taught courses at Virginia Tech, the College of William & Mary, and the University of Virginia. From 2017-2022, he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. He currently serves as one of the unit chairs of the Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory Group at the Society of Biblical Literature. He is also an active member of the North American Patristics Society, where in recent years he has organized panels on Alternative Christianities (2022), and Nag Hammadi and Gnostic Studies (2018). He is also a member of the Society for New Testament Studies. In an effort to make scholarship more widely available, Dr. Litwa maintains an active online presence. He has participated in numerous podcasts, online seminars, virtual panels, and is active on several digital teaching platforms.]
Perhaps no declaration incites more outrage than a human’s claim to be God.
Contract with God – Library of Rickandria
Is Your God a Devil? – Library of Rickandria
Who Created God If God Created Everything? – Library of Rickandria
Those who make this claim in ancient Jewish and Christian mythology are typically either demonized or deified.
The Truth About the Bible – Library of Rickandria
The Bible Fraud: Related Reports – Library of Rickandria
Exposing the Old Testament – Library of Rickandria
Exposing the New Testament – Library of Rickandria
This work examines this topic.
Pagan (Called Satanic, Gentile or Goyim by the Jews) – Library of Rickandria
Pagan Programs Before the Jewish Infiltration – Library of Rickandria
Stolen from the Pagan (Called Satanic, Gentile or Goyim by the Jews) – Library of Rickandria
CHAPTER 3 “I Am God and There is No Other!”: The Boast of Yaldabaoth
Abstract
In one of the ironies of mythic history, Yahweh himself became guilty of self-deification.
YHVH: The Truth About “Yahweh/Jehovah” – Library of Rickandria
In the book of Isaiah, the Jewish deity declares:
“I am God and there is no other!” (46:9)
In gnostic sources, this declaration becomes the mantra of the foolish creator, Yaldabaoth.
The Demiurge – Library of Rickandria
This chapter examines three versions of Yaldabaoth’s myth (all found in Nag Hammadi codex II) in:
- The Apocryphon of John
- The Nature of the Rulers
- The Origin of the World
It is argued that Gnostic Christians created the character of Yaldabaoth not to subvert Judaism itself but to criticize fellow Christians who adopted Yahweh’s superiority.
Cultural Judaism – Library of Rickandria
By fitting the Jewish deity into the typology of self-deification, Gnostics showed how foolish it was to believe in a jealous god who tried to prevent the deification of others.
Binding of the Demons – Library of Rickandria
Other work by Dr. M. David Litwa:
The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
We Are Being Transformed: Deification in Paul’s Soteriology (Beihefte Zur Zeitschrift F R die Neutestamentliche Wissensch) – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
How the Gospels Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myths – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
The Naassenes – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
Refutation of All Heresies – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
Hermetica II: The Excerpts of Stobaeus, Papyrus Fragments, and Ancient Testimonies in an English Translation with Notes and Introduction – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
Iesus Deus. The Early Christian Depiction of Jesus as a Mediterranean God – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)
Found Christianities: Remaking the World of the Second Century CE – Anna’s Archive (annas-archive.org)