I enjoy reading books by Elaine Pagels. I’ve come to trust her scholarly work on the Gnostic writings. I’m presently reading The Origin of Satan.
In the 6th chapter she’s talking about the Gnostic book entitled “The Testimony of Truth.” She claims that it says “The God of the Hebrew Bible is an evil fallen angel.” And she provides a footnote, referencing The Gnostic Library.
So I look up The Testimony of Truth to read it for myself. However I find no such reference about God being an evil fallen angel. I’ve searched and search for it, every which way. I even read the whole Testimony, and can’t find it.
Now my trust in Pagels has slipped. Cuz unless I’m missing something she made it up to suit the subject of her book.
Does anyone know anything about this matter of God being considered an evil fallen angel?
In the "T of T " Satan is divine wisdom as Serpent ( in Gnostic belief), while the creator God is a liar.
I read “The Origin of Satan” last month. Found no inconsistencies in Pagel’s account. “T of T” is a gnostic scripture. The demiuge is a basic gnostic belief.
There’s also that old idea of how the devil made the physical world and the good creator created the spirit world.
Maybe that is what some of the people are referring to when they make claims about the earth-creator being a demon.
Still, “demon” is not really a good or useful word. Hardly anything is pure evil. Most evil is mixed with a good thing before it holds any power.
Demiurge ideas are one way to deal with the problem of evil.
You Think there are problems, well, there are problems. A demiurge is in charge (locally, or now).
The Real God is beyond this, interesting with a female aspect also.
And, as Dan says, the demiurge rules a sectioned off physical realm and does not even know he is not God.
I know people like this.
I get and knew about the Gnostics turning the paradise story in Genesis on its head, saying that it was Jesus that appeared to Eve as the crafty serpent, to free Adam and Eve from the demiurge creator (and law giver) God, that was attempting to trap light in matter.
That’s not what has my knickers in a bunch about Elaine Pagels’ claim that “The Testimony of Truth” says that the Hebrew God was/is an evil fallen angel.
First, I’ve never heard of the fallen angels referred to as demiurges. Second, God being a fallen angel (those that rebelled against God) is different than a demiurge.
But none of that has me vexed. What has me vexed is that I can’t find Pagels claim in the T of T.
And I read the whole T of T, of the only translation T of T, available on the Nag Hammadi Library and on the web, and It’s just not there.
So I thought Pagels might be reading a different translation and so purchased from Amazon “The Nag Hammadi Scriptures” for Kindle (not cheap). And I’ve searched that translation and it’s not there either.
So why would Pagels stain her scholarship with a false claim?
It’s an interesting claim, I’ll grant her that ; that the Hebrew God rebelled against God. But it’s just not in the T of T, that I can find.
Now I’d like to contact her to question her. Anyone know how I can do that?
In the text of the Testimony of Truth translated by Birger A. Pearson in The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume there is a footnote to verse five which identifies the archon of darkness with the creator. In a footnote to verse 77 it states that only in this midrash that God refers to the lower creator. So, there is no explicit statement in the text that God is a fallen angel. It is the inference of the translator and hence Pagels.
In the ways V described in the opening post of his thread- the ‘making it up’ ways. Which is why this thread should be named in a way parallel to the one about the Catholic Church- because that would be funny.
On page 158 in The Origin of Satan, when speaking of The Testimony of Truth, you write, and I quote :
"The Testimony even claims that the God whom most Christians worship, the God of the Hebrew Bible, is himself one of the fallen angels - indeed the chief of the fallen angels, from whose tyranny Christ came to set human beings free: for the Testimony declares “the word of the Son of man . . . separates us from the error of the angels.”
Well I’ve read every translation of the T of T that I can get my hands and eyes on, and can’t find where it states such a thing about the God of the Hebrew Bible.
And I can’t tell you how tickled pink it would make me to know where you came about this specific information.
The only way I can see that is any angel that dabbles with actual physical beings, separates itself from its host of angels. Its new title is god and thus lesser.
Cut and paste quote from email:
Since I’m not near my libtrary at this moment–August is not term time at PRinceton–I cannot respond until I get back. If you email me then, I’ll check on this–perhaps best around mid September. Would be intrigued to know what prompts the quetion.
Best wishes, Elaine Pagels
Professor of Religion, PRinceton University End Cut and Paste
I think it’s funny when even supposed objective scholars try to interject their biases into their work. I’m surprised that her Nag Hammadi scholar peers haven’t called her on this
I plan on taking Elaine on the carpet over this. If her claim in her book can’t be substantiated it seriously sends a torpedo midship into her credentials as a Gnostic scholar, or scholar of any sort … Princeton or not.
And yes Ucci, we may get some laughs out of her fancy footwork, trying to wiggle out of this spot she’s found herself in.
With the burdens of students and writings at PRinceton, it is remarkable that Pagels answered you at all. You must be prepared, Voice, to answer the question of why this matter is important to you. Keep at it. In the 1980s I wrote Karl Pribram (neuroscience) telling him of my writings about bioepistemology. To his credit and to my astonishment Pribram responded with encouragement and a suggested book to read. Keep at it.
Maybe she made a mistake. Maybe she chose the wrong words. Maybe she meant to say that the Hebrew God is a nasty evil bastard rather than an evil fallen angel.
