The law of Moses as the devil christadelphian vs Valentinian

**The Law of Moses as the Devil: Christadelphian vs. Valentinian Teachings**


The Christadelphians present an extreme form of Christian Gnosticism where they believe the Law of Moses is the devil. This interpretation is not only contrary to their own original teachings by their founder, Dr. John Thomas, but also contradicts classical Valentinian Gnostic teachings, which hold a more nuanced view of the Law.


### **The Law of Moses as an Adversary in Christadelphian Theology**


Christadelphians, particularly in modern interpretations, argue that the Law of Moses functions as the "Devil" in biblical theology. They base this view on passages such as Acts 10:38, which describes Jesus as healing "all that were oppressed of the Devil." Some interpret "oppressed" (literally “held down”) as referring to those burdened by the Jewish legal system. Duncan Heaster states:


> “Him that had the power of death, that is the Devil” (Hebrews 2:14) may refer to the fact that “the sting (power) of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the (Jewish) Law” (1 Corinthians 15:56; see also Romans 4:15; 5:13; 7:8, where ‘the Law’ that gives power to sin is clearly the Jewish law). Bearing in mind that the ‘Devil’ often refers to sin and the flesh, it seems significant that ‘the flesh’ and ‘sin’ are often associated with the Mosaic Law. The whole passage in Hebrews 2:14 can be read with reference to the Jewish Law being ‘taken out of the way’ by the death of Jesus [A.V. “destroy him that hath the power of death”]. The Devil kept men in bondage, just as the Law did (Galatians 4:9; 5:1; Acts 15:10; Romans 7:6–11). The Law was an ‘accuser’ (Romans 2:19-20; 7:7) just as the Devil is.” (Duncan Heaster, *The Real Devil*, p. 137)


Andrew Perry further argues that the "Devil" refers to a power structure:


> “What we can say is this: the devil has the power of death, i.e., the devil exercised a power—the administration of death. If Christ’s death nullifies the one who exercises such a power, he will also *ipso facto* take away the imposition of death. *Prima facia*, this must refer to either the Roman civil power or the Jewish ecclesiastical power.” (Andrew Perry, *Demons and Magic in Medicine*, p. 259)


### **Dr. John Thomas’ Original Christadelphian View**


However, the early Christadelphian understanding of the Devil was quite different. Dr. John Thomas, the movement’s founder, saw the Devil not as an abstract concept but as a physical principle present in human nature since creation. He described this principle as the cause of sin, disease, and death, aligning it with what modern science would call cellular aging and decay:


> “The word sin is used in two principal acceptations in the scripture. It signifies in the first place, ‘the transgression of the law’; and in the next, it represents that physical principle of the animal nature, which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. It is that in the flesh ‘which has the power of death Hebrews 2:14’ and it is called sin, because the development, or fixation, of this evil in the flesh, was the result of transgression. Inasmuch as this evil principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled ‘sinful flesh,’ that is, ‘flesh full of sin’; so that sin, in the sacred style, came to stand for the substance called man.” (*Elpis Israel*, 1848, ch. 4)


### **The Valentinian Perspective on the Law of Moses**


The Valentinian interpretation of the Law of Moses is drastically different from Christadelphianism. While Valentinians did not view the Law as salvific, they did not equate it with the devil either. Instead, they saw the Law as a tool used by the Demiurge to manage human beings and protect them from chaotic forces.

According to Ptolemy, a Valentinian teacher:


> “The creation is not due to a god who corrupts but to one who is just and hates evil.” (*Letter to Flora* 3:6)


> “He [the Demiurge] is essentially different from these two (God and the Devil) and is between them, he is rightly given the name, Middle.” (*Letter to Flora* 7:4)


In contrast to Sethian Gnosticism, which views the creator as a malevolent being, Valentinians argue that the Demiurge gave the Law of Moses to protect humanity from the forces of darkness:


> “One of the weapons used by the Demiurge in his war against the forces of the left is the Law given to Moses. As Ptolemy says, the Law is the legislation of ‘one who is just and hates evil’ (Letter to Flora 7:3-4).”


However, they also acknowledge that the Law was imperfect and unable to provide ultimate salvation:


> “It is evident that the Law was not ordained by the perfect God the Father, for it is secondary, being imperfect and in need of completion by another, containing commandments alien to the nature and intentions of such a God.” (*Letter to Flora* 3:4-5)




The Law of Moses is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It provides knowledge of righteousness and sin, but it does not free humanity from sin or grant true righteousness. Instead, disobedience to the Law results in both spiritual and physical death as a punishment for transgression. As the Gospel of Philip states, "It has the power to give knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good. Instead, it created death for those who ate of it. For when it said, 'Eat this. Do not eat that,' it became the beginning of death" (Gospel of Philip 74:3-11). The Demiurge, in giving the Law, established death as the consequence for breaking it. However, the Law itself is not evil; rather, it exposes sin and enforces justice. It is not the devil, as the Christadelphians claim, but a means through which sin is revealed and judged, demonstrating the need for a greater redemption beyond the Law in Christ.


### **The Demiurge as the Lawgiver and Judge**


The Demiurge, in Valentinian teaching, is not Satan or the Devil, but a neutral divine being  who administers justice:


> “The Demiurge acts as ‘the arbitrator of the justice which depends on him’ (Letter to Flora 7:5). Accordingly, he ‘established a rest for those who obey him, but for those who disobey him, he also established punishments’ (*Tripartite Tractate* 101: 25-28).”


However, his judgments only affect carnal and sensual-dominated individuals, not those who attain spiritual enlightenment:


> “It has come to pass that they can neither be detained nor even seen by the judge.” (*Against Heresies* 1:13:6)


### **Conclusion**


The modern Christadelphian view of the Law of Moses as "the Devil" is a radical departure from both their own foundational theology and Valentinian thought. While Christadelphians argue that the Law was an oppressive adversary that needed to be abolished, Valentinians maintained that the Law was a well-intended but ultimately flawed tool wielded by the Demiurge.
Unlike the Christadelphians, the Valentinians never equated the Law with the devil, instead seeing it as a tool that, while insufficient for salvation, was still an instrument of divine justice

































The law of Moses as the devil christadelphian vs Valentinian teachings


The Christadelphians present an extreme form of Christian gnosticism were they believe the law of Moses is the devil this is contrary to their own original teachings by their founder Dr John Thomas and contrary to classical Christian gnostic teachings by the Valentinians

The Law of Moses as an Adversary

When Peter was explaining how Christ had opened a way for Gentiles to obtain salvation without the Law, he reminded them how Jesus had healed “all that were oppressed of the Devil” (Acts 10:38). „Oppressed‟ meaning literally „held down‟, is he hinting that the people Jesus helped had been hopelessly in bondage to the Jewish system? “Him that had the power of death, that is the Devil” (Heb. 2:14) may refer to the fact that “the sting (power) of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the (Jewish) Law” (1 Cor.15:56; see also Rom. 4:15; 5:13;7:8, where „the Law‟ that gives power to sin is clearly the Jewish law). Bearing in mind that the „Devil‟ often refers to sin and the flesh, it seems significant that „the flesh‟ and „sin‟ are often associated with the Mosaic Law. The whole passage in Heb. 2:14 can be read with reference to the Jewish Law being „taken out of the way‟ by the death of Jesus [A.V. “destroy him that hath the power of death”]. The Devil kept men in bondage, just as the Law did (Gal. 4:9; 5:1; Acts 15:10; Rom. 7:6–11). The Law was an „accuser‟ (Rom. 2:19,20; 7:7) just as the Devil is. Duncan Heaster The real devil page 137

What we can say is this: the devil has the power of death, i.e. the devil exercised a power—the administration of death. If Christ’s death nullifies the one who exercises such a power, he will also ipso facto take away the imposition of death. Prima facia, this must refer to either the Roman civil power or the Jewish ecclesiastical power. Demons magic in medicine page 259 Andrew Perry




The original christadelphian view is very different from this Dr John Thomas interpreted the devil as a personification of Sin not as an abstract concept but as a physical principle existing within Human Nature before the fall which is responsible for simple impulses diseases death and resolution into dust today using modern medical terminology we would call this physical principal cellular Decay cellular aging



The word sin is used in two principal acceptations in the scripture. It signifies in the first place, "the transgression of the law"; and in the next, it represents that physical principle of the animal nature, which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. It is that in the flesh "which has the power of death Hebrews 2:14" and it is called sin, because the development, or fixation, of this evil in the flesh, was the result of transgression. Inasmuch as this evil principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled "sinful flesh," that is, "flesh full of sin"; so that sin, in the sacred style, came to stand for the substance called man. In human flesh "dwells no good thing" (Rom. 7:17,18); and all the evil a man does is the result of this principle dwelling in him. Operating upon the brain, it excites the "propensities", and these set the "intellect" and "sentiments" to work. The propensities are blind, and so are the intellect and sentiments in a purely natural state; when therefore, the latter operate under the sole impulse of the propensities, "the understanding is darkened through ignorance, because of the blindness of the heart" (Eph. 4:18).Dr John Thimas Elpis Israel 1848 chapter 4 See also our terrestrial system before the Fall 1855

Valentinian perspective the valentinian perspective is very different to the christadelphian perspective

However, the Demiurge in Valentinianism is quite different in character from the hostile creator figure familiar from other schools of Gnosticism. In the Sethian school, for example, the Demiurge is a hostile demonic force who creates the material world in order to trap the spiritual elements. In contrast, Valentinians "show a relatively positive attitude towards the craftsman of the world or god of Israel" (Layton 1987). Valentinians insisted that while the Demiurge may be a bit foolish, he certainly could not be considered evil. Instead, he has a role to play in the process of redemption.

The Valentinian teacher Ptolemy strongly criticizes non-Valentinian Gnostics who taught that the Demiurge was evil. In his view, those who view the creator as evil "do not comprehend what was said by the Savior...Only thoughtless people have this idea, people who do not recognize the providence of the creator and so are blind not only the eye of the soul but even in the eye of the body" (Letter to Flora 3:2-6). They are as "completely in error" as orthodox Christians who taught that the Demiurge was the highest God (Letter to Flora 3:2).

In contrast, he and other Valentinians steadfastly maintained that "the creation is not due to a god who corrupts but to one who is just and hates evil" (Letter to Flora 3:6). He carefully distinguished the Demiurge from both God and the Devil. According to Ptolemy, "he is essentially different from these two (God and the Devil) and is between them, he is rightly given the name, Middle" (Letter to Flora 7:4). He is "neither good nor evil and unjust, can properly be called just , since he is the arbitrator of the justice which depends on him" (Letter to Flora 7:5).

Although valentinians believed in a supernatural devil and fallen angels referred to as the forces of the left they believed the law of Moses was a weapon used by the Demiurge to protect us from the forces of the left


One of the weapons used by the Demiurge in his war against the forces of the left is the Law given to Moses. As Ptolemy says, the Law is the legislation of "one who is just and hates evil" (Letter to Flora 7:3-4). It provides human beings with a very crude measure of good and evil. According to Ptolemy, "it is evident that the Law was not ordained by the perfect God the Father, for it is secondary, being imperfect and in need of completion by another, containing commandments alien to the nature and intentions of such a God"(Letter to Flora 3:4-5).






The Law, given by the Demiurge, was intended to impart the knowledge of good and evil, yet it did not free humanity from sin or establish righteousness. Instead, disobedience to the Law brought both spiritual and physical death as a consequence of transgression. As the Gospel of Philip states, "It has the power to give knowledge of good and evil. It neither removed him from evil, nor did it set him in the good. Instead, it created death for those who ate of it. For when it said, 'Eat this. Do not eat that,' it became the beginning of death" (Gospel of Philip 74:3-11). The Demiurge, in enforcing the Law, prescribed death as the penalty for disobedience. However, this does not mean the Law itself is evil, as some claim. Rather, it reveals sin and its consequences, demonstrating the need for true restoration beyond mere legal adherence.



The Demiurge acts as "the arbitrator of the justice which depends on him" (Letter to Flora 7:5). Accordingly, he "established a rest for those who obey him, but for those who disobey him, he also established punishments" (Tripartite Tractate 101: 25-28). He acts as the judge of those who are subject to him. As Heracleon says, "the one who judges and punishes is . . . the law-giver himself" (Heracleon Fragment 48). According to him, the Demiurge's role as judge is sanctioned by God himself. He is the "the servant commissioned for that purpose, who does not bear the sword in vain, the avenger of the king" (Heracleon Fragment 48). By judging and punishing the wicked and rewarding the virtuous, he is acting as a servant of the true God. However, only the material and soul dominated human beings receive rewards and punishment from him. The spiritual ones who have attained to gnosis are not subject to his judgment. Because of their redemption, "it has come to pass that they can neither be detained nor even seen by the judge" (Against Heresies 1:13:6)