Demiurge 
 
Demiurge (Demiurgus, Demiourgos) means "Artificer", "Artisan", "Builder" or "Craftsman" was the name first used by the Athenian philosopher, Plato (428-347 BC).

Plato was a pupil and follower of Socrates. Though, Socrates had left no works about his philosophy, Plato placed Socrates in many of his dialogues. How much of Socrates' real teaching that is in Plato's writings is debatable. Plato's ranged from political to natural science; some of them are religious or metaphysical in natures.

According to Plato's dialogue, Timaeus, Demiurge was the supreme creator of the universe and he created the World Soul, the heaven, earth and seas, as well as the lower deities. It is the lower deities who had created mankind and all other living beings (eg. animals, plants, etc). Plato's Demiurge was actually a benevolent creator.

 

To the Gnostic schools and other usages of Demiurge have changed, it came to mean an arrogant god or angel, who presumed to have created the physical, material world. Usually, the Demiurge is an androgynous being; a being with both genders and able to reproduce without a mate.

The name Demiurge, was later used to call one of the Gnostic gods or angels (known as the archons, "rulers"), named Yaldabaoth, Ialdabaoth or Jaldabaoth. In the Gnostic myth, Ialdabaoth was the arrogant God of Israel (Yahweh), but not the true Supreme Being that Jesus had often referred to as the Good Father or Heavenly Father. Yaldabaoth was indeed the creator of the physical, material world, but it was a world without soul. It was Sophia who gave soul to mankind or breathes life into a body. Yaldabaoth was arrogant ruler, boasting that there was no other god but him. The Aeon or goddess Sophia (Wisdom, but she was also known as Pistis "Faith") proved Yaldabaoth wrong, by appearing to him as limitless light.

Any arrogant god or other being could be called Demiurge, such as the Ophion or the World Serpent, who mated with the Creator Goddess Eurynome. Eurynome lay a silver egg (Cosmic Egg), which the entire world, sun, moon and stars were created, including plant and animal life. Ophion had arrogantly boasted that he alone had created the world. For this boast, Eurynome kicked Ophion's teeth out and flung it into Tartarus.

In the Orphic Creation Myth, the Demiurge is usually referred to Zeus. Zeus swallowed Protogonus, the first creator of the universe, as well as the entire universe. With the universe in his belly, Zeus possessed the powers of Protogonus, Zeus then recreated the world.
   Related Information 
Name 
Demiurge, Demiurgus, Demiourgos �?"Creator", "Builder", "Artificer" or "Craftsman"..

 
Sources 
Timaeus was a dialogue written by Plato.

 
Related Articles 
Ophion.