What is the Demiurge - Pt 1 - How the God Yahweh Became a Demon

ESOTERICA
ESOTERICA
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Published 2024-02-02
While ancient philosophy disagreed on many things, there was broad agreement that the gods were good and the universe a beautiful, divinely made home. However, by the 2nd century CE a scandalous, renegade position emerged that argued that physical reality was created as a cosmic prison by a demonic Crafter - The Demiurge. Variously known as Ialdabaoth, Samael and Saklas, the malevolent Demiurge was one of the core components of what we know call "Gnosticism." But how did this shift happen, how did the Demiurge become evil. In this first episode in a series on the Demiurge, we explore the earliest movement in this direction: (1) the origins of the Demiurge in Plato and (2) How the Israelite god Yahweh came to be demonized and associated with the Egyptian demonic deity Seth in the anti-Judaic polemics of the ancient world. Future episodes will cover the rise of Marcion and this Theology and finally a comparison of the various manifestations of the Demiurge in Sethian and Valentinian literature. This episode is collaboration with scholar and friend ‪@m.davidlitwa‬ - check out his companion video and subscribe to his channel for deep dives on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Ancient Mystery Religions and early Christianity .

Dr. Litwa's Episode -    • Video  

Where is the music for the opening? I had to mute it because "DANCE ALL DAY Musicvertriebs GmbH" - www.dance-all-day.com/#contact - is fraudulently claiming that my use of 18 seconds of a public domain version of Chopin's Nocturne is under their copyright and ‪@YouTube‬ is doing nothing about it. So, I had to remove the music opening sequence and have to have the music re-recorded at my own expense. It isn't fair that a large corporation can falsely claim music as their property in an attempt to hijack the funds I use to support this educational channel. If you can please support the channel:

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Thumbnail based on Zdzisław Beksiński
All Comments (21)
  • @BojoPigeon
    Watching this, I couldn't help but remember "George Costanza Theology".
    George: God would never let me be successful. He'd kill me first. He'd never let me be happy.
    Therapist: I thought you didn't believe in God.
    George: I do for the bad things.
  • @maxanaxam6935
    i was absolutely NOT prepared for the emotional ton of bricks that was the line "nostalgia is basically a form of depression" right out the gate
  • @xenoglox
    When I was a teenager, my grandma accidentally ate a marijuana-laced brownie, then kept screaming about "Gettin' demiurged." Later I learned that she was part of an esoteric reading group in South Carolina back in the 50s.
  • @NarffetWerlz
    "When God gives you lemons, you FIND A NEW GOD."

    - Powerthirst 2, 2007
  • @matthewiskra771
    Sometimes your sarcasm, Dr. Sledge , is deep and wide.
    "The Israelites live fine after this; nothing bad ever happens to them later."
  • @beanndip
    Justin is one of the few speakers I have listened to that always notifies the audience precisely when the conversation goes from fact to speculation. And he also provides reasonable reasons for why the speculation is necessary within the context. And then he takes it a step further and gives the audience an idea of to what degree that speculation can be relied upon.

    Huge thanks for that. Educators of all types should be taking notes.
  • @SergeiMosin
    I absolutely love the early years of the Yahwish/Christian divide in the Early Classical period. The wrestling match between traditional polytheistic beliefs, proto-monotheism, and the earliest notes of modern monotheism produced some truly wild dogmas
  • @TheEsotericaChannel
    Where is the music for the opening? I had to mute it because "DANCE ALL DAY Musicvertriebs GmbH" - www.dance-all-day.com/#contact - is fraudulently claiming that my use of 18 seconds of a public domain version of Chopin's Nocturne is under their copyright and YouTube is doing nothing about it. So, I had to remove the music opening sequence and have to have the music re-recorded at my own expense. It isn't fair that a large corporation can falsely claim music as their property in an attempt to hijack the funds I use to support this educational channel. Please consider supporting Esoterica at Patreon so I can have some financial independence from YouTube given that they so easily betray creators to corporate greed and fraud. Many thanks for your support!
  • @Uberwenis
    I've always felt like the Demiurge is like the natural conclusion to the question of "why do human beings suffer?", at least in my mind it makes more sense than "God has a plan for everyone".
  • @Kid_Ikaris
    Nostalgia can be a form of depression. It's a wise observation. But as someone who regularly throws N64 Mario Kart parties, it can also be pure bliss.
  • @dinozavier
    "I'm not a romantic and I think nostalgia is basically a form of depression" Never heard of this guy before and no idea what he's about but with this first line I am so in
  • @Ezekiel_Allium
    As soon as you mentioned Donkeys I immediately thought "oh my god this is how we get Alexamenos" and I am flabbergasted. Never would I have expected this video to cover a synchretization of Yahweh with Set, but to then lead from there to that being the origins of the Alexamenos graffiti is such a wild ride.
  • @kyletallerdy9739
    I love how learning Elder Scrolls lore (men vs eleves in their worship of Lorkhan) really helps understand the concept of a demiurge.
  • @teenageoperator7246
    “huh, this looks like an interesting video”
    “aaaaaand there goes my evenings for the next week”
    great work!
  • @lucaalduino-kq9ww
    Only guy I have seen who can make a dispassionate and intellectual video about these subjects.
  • @mishatarkus
    Finally, I'm gonna figure out what this Demiurge guy is all about. Heard he's been beefing with me for eons.
  • @misterOphilies
    I love the use of the Beksiński painting on the thumbnail. There is something very fitting about pairing his work with gnostic discussion.
  • @j.pocket
    I appreciate the irony of the subject matter more than ever after being told that " Nostalgia is a form of depression " by someone who chooses a career teaching such a specialized topic of History. 😉
    This channel is sincerely the best single source of ongoing esoteric instruction in human history . I appreciate your dedication, your content, and the community of amazing, curious and sophisticated people who congregate here to learn.
    Cheers!