Basilides: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:53, 1 January 2026

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Script error: No such module "Sidebar". Basilides (Greek: Βασιλείδης) was an early Christian Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt^[1] who, according to Clement of Alexandria, was active between 117–161 AD,Template:Sfn and claimed to have inherited his teachings from the apostle Saint Matthias.^[2]^[3] He was a pupil of either the Simonian teacher Menander,^[4] or a disciple of Peter called Glaucias.^[5] He is believed to have written over a 24 book long commentary on the Christian Gospel as reported by Agrippa Castor (now all lost) entitled Exegetica,^[4] making him one of the earliest Gospel commentators. Origen of Alexandria informs us of a Gospel according to Basilides^[6] but his report is probably nothing more than a distortion of the well-known fact that Basilides had composed a collection of commentaries on the Gospel, his Exegetica.^[7] Jerome and Ambrose similarly follow this error.

The followers of Basilides, the Basilideans, formed a movement that persisted for at least two centuries after him^[8] – Epiphanius of Salamis, at the end of the 4th century, recognized a persistent Basilidian presence over the Nile Delta in Egypt.^[9] It is probable, however, that the school melded into the mainstream of Gnosticism by the latter half of the 2nd century.Template:Sfn

Doctrine

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".The two main sources for the mythological and philosophical system of Basilides are from the writings of Irenaeus and Hippolytus of Rome. However, these two sources starkly contradict one another. The consensus of historians previously favored the account of Hippolytus as more authentic, but the matter has become more contested in recent years, and some even consider both accounts as unreliable.Template:Sfn

Theogony

According to Irenaeus, Basilides believed that the ungendered Father was the first principle. From the Father came a total of five emanations: the (1) Nous (Intellect) originated from the Father, the (2) Logos (Word) emanated from the Nous, (3) Phronesis (Prudence) emanated from the Logos, (4) Phronesis Sophia (Wisdom) emanated from Phronesis, and (5) Dynamis (Power) emanated from Phronesis Sophia. Clement of Alexandria specifies that Basilides believed in a primal Ogdoad, or eight primordial deities. This octet of beings is composed by "Justice" and its offspring "Peace" (which in the cosmology of Basilides are not mere human virtues). A second source confirming the belief in an Ogdoad by Basilides is the Testimony of Truth from the Nag Hammadi library. Basilides may have received the idea of an Ogdoad from a Jewish gnostic work in Alexandria.Template:Sfn

Cosmology and cosmogony

Irenaeus reports that Basilides believed that Sophia and Dynamis created a group of angels, and these angels were responsible for the creation of the first heaven. Emanations of the first angels then created the second heaven. Emanations from the second angels created the third heaven, and so on, until 365 heavens were created. This, for Basilides, also explains why the number of days in a (solar) year was set at 365 (to reflect the number of heavens). This system of creator-angels creating a series of heavens in accordance with the number of days in a calendrical year is found in several other cosmologies, like that of Saturninus of Antioch, the Epistle of Eugnostos, and the long version of the Apocryphon of John. The world as it is known to humans corresponds to the final heaven, and was created by the final angelic emanation. The chief of this final set of emanations (also known as the Archon) is, in the view of Basilides, the God of the Jews, so called because he favors the Jewish people.Template:Sfn

Jesus

Basilides and his followers largely accepted the biography of Jesus found in the canonical Gospels. One possible deviation, however, is claimed by Irenaeus: that Jesus was substituted on the cross with Simon of Cyrene during the walk to Golgotha. Simon was commissioned to carry the cross of Jesus during this walk, but at some point, their physical features were swapped. Simon was then crucified, while Jesus stood by, laughing and ridiculing them. However, M. David Litwa has argued that Irenaeus has confused the views of Basilides with those of others, such as the views found in the Second Treatise of the Great Seth. Irenaeus elsewhere reports that the Basilidean view was that the body of Jesus suffered on the cross, which is also confirmed by Clement of Alexandria's Stromata (4.12.83.1). The image of Jesus in the initial report of Irenaeus also does not fit well with the character of Jesus in Basilides' canonical sources (including him laughing while an innocent man is crucified in his place) and matches more with the attempts of other heresiologists, like Tertullian, to paint their opponents as rejecting the salvific death of Jesus.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn^[10]

Faith and Election

Like other gnostics, Basilides taught that salvation comes through knowledge and not faith.^[11] This knowledge, or gnosis, was considered esoteric, a revelation to human beings by the divine being, Jesus Christ. Faith played no part in salvation. Indeed, Basilides believed faith was merely "an assent of the soul to any of the things which do not excite sensation, because they are not present". He also believed faith was a matter of "nature," not of conscious choice, so that men would "discover doctrines without demonstration by an intellective apprehension".^[12] Basilides also appears to have accumulated forms of dignity in accordance with ones' faith.^[13]

Because Basilides believed faith was a matter of nature, doubtlessly he pushed election so far as to sever a portion of mankind from the rest, as alone entitled by Divine decree to receive a higher enlightenment. In this sense it must have been that he called "the elect a stranger to the world, as being by nature supermundane".^[14]

Metempsychosis

Basilides likewise brought in the notion of sin in a past stage of existence suffering its penalty here, "the elect soul" suffering "honourably through martyrdom, and the soul of another kind being cleansed by an appropriate punishment." To this doctrine of metempsychosis the Basilidians are likewise said to have referred the language of the Lord about requital to the third and fourth generations;^[15] Origen states that Basilides himself interpreted Script error: No such module "Bibleverse". in this sense,Template:Sfn

The Apostle said, 'I lived without a law once,' that is, before I came into this body, I lived in such a form of body as was not under a law, that of a beast namely, or a bird.^[16]

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However, if there be any who suffers without previous sin, it will not be "by the design of an [adverse] power", but as suffers the babe who appears to have committed no sin. The infant is said to receive a benefit when it is subjected to suffering, "gaining" many hardships.Template:Sfn

Hell

Origen complained that Basilides deprived men of a salutary fear by teaching that transmigrations are the only punishments after death.^[17]

Martyrdom

Because Basilides held to a fatalistic view of metempsychosis, he believed the Christian martyrs were being punished not for being Christians, but for sins they had committed in the past.^[18] This is why Origen says that he depreciated the martyrs.^[19]

Passions

The Basilideans were accustomed to call the passions Appendages, stating that these are certain spirits that append (προσηρτημένα) themselves to rational souls in a certain primitive turmoil and confusion. Then, they imitate the actions of those they are appended to, and not only acquire the impulses of the irrational animals, but even imitate the movements and beauties of plants. These Appendages can also have characteristics of habit [derived from stones], as the hardness of a diamond.^[20]

Practices

Marriage

Reciting the views of different heretics on marriage, Clement^[21] gives specimens of the teaching of Basilides and his son Isidore, by way of rebuke to the immorality of the later Basilidians. He first reports the exposition of Script error: No such module "Bibleverse". (or a similar evangelic passage), in which there is nothing specially to note except the interpretation of the last class of eunuchs as those who remain in celibacy to avoid the distracting cares of providing a livelihood. He goes on to the paraphrase of Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"., interposing in the midst an illustrative sentence from Isidore, and transcribes the language used about the class above mentioned.

But suppose a young man either poor or depressed, and in accordance with the word [in the Gospel] unwilling to marry, let him not separate from his brother; let him say 'I have entered into the holy place, nothing can befall me'; but if he have a suspicion, let him say, 'Brother, lay thy hand on me, that I may sin not,' and he shall receive help both to mind and to senses; let him only have the will to carry out completely what is good, and he shall succeed. But sometimes we say with the lips, 'We will not sin,' while our thoughts are turned towards sinning: such as one abstains by reason of fear from doing what he wills, lest the punishment be reckoned to his account. But the estate of mankind has only certain things at once necessary and natural, clothing being necessary and natural, but sexual intercourse natural, yet not necessary.^[22]

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Epiphany

Although we have no evidence that Basilides, like some others, regarded Jesus's Baptism as the time when a Divine being first was joined to Jesus of Nazareth, it seems clear that he attached some unusual significance to the event. St. Hippolytus of Rome implied that Basilides regarded the Baptism as the occasion when Jesus received "the Gospel" by a Divine illumination.^[23]

"They of Basilides," says Clement,^[24] "celebrate the day of His Baptism by a preliminary night-service of [Scripture] readings." The Venice MS. states that the Basilideans celebrated the night before the Epiphany singing and flute-playing in a heathen temple at Alexandria: so that probably the Basilidian rite was a modification of an old local custom.^[25]

Meat offered to idols and apostasy

Eusebius of Caesarea, relying on Agrippa Castor, says Basilides "taught also that the eating of meat offered to idols and the unguarded renunciation of the faith in times of persecution were matters of indifference".^[4] Evidence from Clement's Stromata suggests Agrippa misunderstood Basilides' argument, partly from the doctrine and practice of later Basilidians; but it may also have had some justification in incidental words which have not been preserved.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". It appears as if Basilides was actually saying that the eating of meat offered to idols and apostasy weren't condemned for immorality, but were punishments because of immorality.^[18]

Silence

According to Agrippa Castor, Basilides "in Pythagorean fashion" prescribed a silence of five years to his disciples.^[4]

Prophets

Agrippa Castor stated that Basilides "invented prophets for himself named Barcabbas and Barcoph, and others that had no existence".^[4] The alleged prophecies apparently belonged to the apocryphal Zoroastrian literature popular with various Gnostics.Template:Sfn

Traditions of Matthias

According to Basilides and Isidore, Matthias spoke to them mystical doctrines which he heard in private teaching from the Saviour.^[26]^[27] Origen also^[28] and after him Eusebius refer to a "Gospel" of or according to Matthias.^[29] The true name was apparently the Traditions of Matthias.^[30]

Acts of the Disputation with Manes

The identity of the Basilides of the Acts with the Alexandrian has been denied by Gieseler with some show of reason. It is at least strange that our Basilides should be described simply as a "preacher among the Persians," a character in which he is otherwise unknown; and all the more since he has been previously mentioned with Marcion and Valentinus as a heretic of familiar name.^[31] On the other hand, it has been justly urged that the two passages are addressed to different persons. The correspondence is likewise remarkable between the "treatises" in at least thirteen books, with an interpretation of a parable among their contents, and the "twenty-four books on the Gospel" mentioned by Agrippa Castor, called Exegetica by Clement. Thus the evidence for the identity of the two writers may on the whole be treated as preponderating. But the ambiguity of interpretation remains; and it would be impossible to rank Basilides confidently among dualists, even if the passage in the Acts stood alone: much more to use it as a standard by which to force a dualistic interpretation upon other clearer statements of his doctrine.Template:Sfn

Isidorus

Hippolytus^[26] couples with Basilides "his true child and disciple" Isidore. He is there referring to the use which they made of the Traditions of Matthias; but in the next sentence he treats them as jointly responsible for the doctrines which he recites. Our only other authority respecting Isidore is Clement (copied by Theodoret), who calls him in like manner "at once son and disciple" of Basilides.^[32]

Expositions of the Prophet Parchor

Isidore's Expositions of the Prophet Parchor taught the higher thoughts of heathen philosophers and mythologers were derived from Jewish sources.Template:Sfn So, by quoting the philosopher Pherecydes, who had probably a peculiar interest for Isidore as the earliest promulgator of the doctrine of metempsychosis known to tradition,^[33] Isidore was proving his validity as a descendant of the prophets.Template:Sfn

Isidore's allegation that Pherecydes followed "the prophecy of Ham" was also used to claim that the apocryphal Zoroastrian books had quasi-biblical sanctity as proceeding from Zoroaster, a son of Noah; so Isidore gladly accepted the theory as evidence for his argument.Template:Sfn

On an Adherent Soul

In his book On an Adherent Soul, Isidore appears to have argued against his father's teaching on "Appendages".^[34] He insists on the unity of the soul, and maintains that bad men will find "no common excuse" in the violence of the "appendages" for pleading that their evil acts were involuntary: "our duty is", he says, "by overcoming the inferior creation within us through the reasoning faculty, to show ourselves to have the mastery".Template:Sfn

Ethics

A passage from Isidore's Ethics says: "Abstain, then, from a quarrelsome woman lest you are distracted from the grace of God. But when you have rejected the fire of the seed, then pray with an undisturbed conscience. And when your prayer of thanksgiving," he says, "descends to a prayer of request, and your request is not that in future you may do right, but that you may do no wrong, then marry."^[35]

Legacy

Gnosticism was throughout eclectic, and Basilides superadded an eclecticism of his own. Antecedent Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, and the Christian faith and scriptures all exercised a powerful and immediate influence over his mind. It is evident at a glance that his system is far removed from any known form of Syrian or original Gnosticism. Like that of Valentinus, it has been remoulded in a Greek spirit, but much more completely.Template:Sfn

Ancient writers usually name Basilides before Valentinus; but there is little doubt that they were at least approximately contemporaries, and it is not unlikely that Valentinus was best known personally from his sojourn at Rome, which was probably^[36] the last of the recorded stages of his life. There is at all events no serious chronological difficulty in supposing that the Valentinian system was the starting-point from which Basilides proceeded to construct by contrast his own theory, and this is the view which a comparison of doctrines suggests.Template:Sfn

In no point, unless it be the retention of the widely spread term archon, is Basilides nearer than Valentinus to the older Gnosticism, while several leading Gnostic forms or ideas which he discards or even repudiates are held fast by Valentinus.Template:Sfn Such are descent from above,^[37] putting forth or pullulation, syzygies of male and female powers, and the deposition of faith to a lower level than knowledge. Further, the unique name given by Basilides to the Holy Spirit, "the Limitary (μεθόριον) Spirit," together with the place assigned to it, can hardly be anything else than a transformation of the strange Valentinian "Limit".^[38]

The same softening of oppositions which retain much of their force even with Valentinus shows itself in other instances, as of matter and spirit, creation and redemption, the Jewish age and the Christian age, the earthly and the heavenly elements in the Person of Jesus. The strongest impulse in this direction probably came from Christian ideas.Template:Sfn

An antecedent matter was expressly repudiated, the words of Script error: No such module "Bibleverse". eagerly appropriated, and a Divine counsel represented as foreordaining all future growths and processes; yet the chaotic nullity out of which the developed universe was to spring was attributed with equal boldness to its Maker: Creator and creation were not confused, but they melted away in the distance together.Template:Sfn Nature was accepted not only as prescribing the conditions of the lower life, but as practically the supreme and permanent arbiter of destiny. Thus though faith regained its rights, it remained an energy of the understanding, confined to those who had the requisite inborn capacity; while the dealings of God with man were shut up within the lines of mechanical justice.Template:Sfn

Sources

The main sources of information about Basilides are accounts by various Church Fathers, including Eusebius in his Chronicon, the conflicting accounts offered by Irenaeus and Hippolytus of Rome, and excerpts from the lost writings of Basilides provided by Clement of Alexandria. Basilides' son, Isidore, was a disciple of his, and also wrote three works called On the Grown Soul, Ethics, and Expositions of the Prophet Parchor. However, these writings are lost and little is known about their contents.^[39] Other church fathers also wrote about him, but apart from these sources, they largely depended on other sources, or their views were more informed by the followers of Basilides they interacted with than by Basilides himself. For example, the earliest discussion of the mythological system of Basilides was in Against Heresies (1.24.3–7), by Irenaeus, which, in turn, was re-used by Pseudo-Tertullian (Adversus omnes haereses 1.5; Epiphanius, Panarion 24; Filastrius, Diversarum haereseon liber 32).Template:Sfn

There is also a lost refutation of Basilides by Agrippa Castor, known only from the reference to and brief quotations from it by Eusebius.^[40]

Writings of Basilides

Nearly everything Basilides wrote has been lost, but the names of three of his works and fragments are available in the present day:Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The writings of Basilides and the writings of his followers were regularly quoted. 19 surviving fragments are known in total, 10 of which are about Basilides himself. Five of these fragments are from the fourth book of Clement's Stromata (fragments 7, 8, 10, 11, 12); two from the homilies of Origen (17, 18); and one from Hegemonius' Acta Archelai (19). The authenticity of a number of these fragments, however, remains a matter of debate among historians.Template:Sfn
Fragments of the Exegetica are available from St. Clement of Alexandria in his Stromata, Book IV, Chapter 12, and from Archelaus in his Acts of the Disputation with Manes, Chapter 55, and probably also from Origen in his Commentary on Romans V, Book I.
Origen states that "Basilides had even the audacity to write a Gospel according to Basilides",^[41] and both St. Jerome^[42] and St. Ambrose^[43] repeat Origen. Yet no trace of a Gospel by Basilides exists elsewhere; and it is possible either that Origen misunderstood the nature of the Exegetica, or that the Gospel was known under another name.^[44]
Origen in a note on Job, xxi, 1 sqq.,Script error: No such module "Unsubst". speaks of "Odes" of Basilides.Template:Sfn

Other works

Some fragments are known through the work of Clement of Alexandria:Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The Octet of Subsistent Entities (Fragment A)
The Uniqueness of the World (Fragment B)
Election Naturally Entails Faith and Virtue (Fragment C)
The State of Virtue (Fragment D)
The Elect Transcend the World (Fragment E)
Reincarnation (Fragment F)
Human Suffering and the Goodness of Providence (Fragment G)
Forgivable Sins (Fragment H)

A book called Acts of the Disputation with Manes, which was written during the close of the 3rd century or later, speaks about the Basilidean origins of Manichaeism.Template:Sfn

References

↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Iren. p. 100 Mass.; followed by Eus. H. E. iv. 7; Epiph. Haer. xxiv. 1, p. 68 c; cf. xxiii. 1, p. 62 <templatestyles src="smallcaps/styles.css"/>B; Theod. Haer. Fab. i. 2.
↑ Gospel of Basilides
↑ Basilides
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History Book iv. Chapter vii.
↑ St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book vii. Chapter xvii. Gnostic scholar Bentley Layton accepts the Glaukias connection". Pearson 2008, 4.
↑ Hom. in Luc. 1
↑ Pearson in Marjanen and Luomanen 2005 p. 5
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". states that "It is a singular testimony to the impression created at the outset by Basilides and his system that he remained for centuries one of the eponymi of heresy".
↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
↑ Louis P. Pojman, "Basilides," in The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 3rd ed., ed. Robert Audi.
↑ St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book ii. Chapter iii.
↑ St. Clement of Alexandria Stromata Book v. Chapter i.
↑ St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book iv. Chapter xxvi.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Exc. Theod. 976.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Rom. iv. 549, Ru.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Matt. l.c.
↑ ^a ^b St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book iv. Chapter xii.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Matt. iii. 856 Ru.
↑ St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book ii. Chapter xx.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. iii. 508 ff.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Plut. Mor. 989.
↑ St. Hippolytus of Rome, Philosophumena Book vii.
↑ Strom. i. 146, p. 408.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Venice MS. ii. 483 Dind.: iii. 632 Oehler.
↑ ^a ^b St. Hippolytus of Rome, Philosophumena Book vii. Chapter viii.
↑ Strom. vii. 900. Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Hom. in Luc. i. t. iii p. 933.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites H. E. iii. 25, 6.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. ii. 452; iii. 523 (copied by Eusebius, H. E. iii. 29. 4); vii. 882.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Routh, Rell. Sac. c. 38, p. 138.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. vi. 767.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Zeller, Philos. d. Griechen, i. 55 f. ed. 3.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. ii. 488.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. iii. 510.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Lipsius, Quellen d. ält. Ketzergeschichte, 256.
↑ See a passage at the end of Hippolytus, Philos. vii. 22.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Baur in Theol. Jahrb. for 1856, 156 f.
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↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Origen, Homilies on Luke 1.1.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites St. Jerome, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew Prologue
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Ambrose, Expositio, Euangelii, Lucae i.2.
↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Hilgenfeld, Clem. Rec. u. Hom. 123 ff.

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Bibliography

Attribution

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Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication in the public domain: Script error: No such module "template wrapper".

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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Template:Gnosticism topics Template:Authority control

[1] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Iren. p. 100 Mass.; followed by Eus. H. E. iv. 7; Epiph. Haer. xxiv. 1, p. 68 c; cf. xxiii. 1, p. 62 <templatestyles src="smallcaps/styles.css"/>B; Theod. Haer. Fab. i. 2.

[2] Gospel of Basilides

[3] Basilides

[Eusebius4-7-4] Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History Book iv. Chapter vii.

[5] St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book vii. Chapter xvii. Gnostic scholar Bentley Layton accepts the Glaukias connection". Pearson 2008, 4.

[6] Hom. in Luc. 1

[7] Pearson in Marjanen and Luomanen 2005 p. 5

[8] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". states that "It is a singular testimony to the impression created at the outset by Basilides and his system that he remained for centuries one of the eponymi of heresy".

[:0-9] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[10] Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

[11] Louis P. Pojman, "Basilides," in The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, 3rd ed., ed. Robert Audi.

[12] St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book ii. Chapter iii.

[13] St. Clement of Alexandria Stromata Book v. Chapter i.

[14] St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book iv. Chapter xxvi.

[15] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Exc. Theod. 976.

[16] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Rom. iv. 549, Ru.

[17] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Matt. l.c.

[Martyrdom-18] St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book iv. Chapter xii.

[19] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Com. in Matt. iii. 856 Ru.

[20] St. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata Book ii. Chapter xx.

[21] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. iii. 508 ff.

[22] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Plut. Mor. 989.

[23] St. Hippolytus of Rome, Philosophumena Book vii.

[24] Strom. i. 146, p. 408.

[25] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Venice MS. ii. 483 Dind.: iii. 632 Oehler.

[Matthias-26] St. Hippolytus of Rome, Philosophumena Book vii. Chapter viii.

[27] Strom. vii. 900. Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

[28] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Hom. in Luc. i. t. iii p. 933.

[29] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites H. E. iii. 25, 6.

[30] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. ii. 452; iii. 523 (copied by Eusebius, H. E. iii. 29. 4); vii. 882.

[31] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Routh, Rell. Sac. c. 38, p. 138.

[32] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. vi. 767.

[33] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Zeller, Philos. d. Griechen, i. 55 f. ed. 3.

[34] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. ii. 488.

[35] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Strom. iii. 510.

[36] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Lipsius, Quellen d. ält. Ketzergeschichte, 256.

[37] See a passage at the end of Hippolytus, Philos. vii. 22.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

[38] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Baur in Theol. Jahrb. for 1856, 156 f.

[39] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[40] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

[41] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Origen, Homilies on Luke 1.1.

[42] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites St. Jerome, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew Prologue

[43] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Ambrose, Expositio, Euangelii, Lucae i.2.

[44] Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Cf. Hilgenfeld, Clem. Rec. u. Hom. 123 ff.

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-'''Basilides''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Βασιλείδης) was an [[Gnosticism#Origins|early Christian Gnostic]] religious teacher in [[Alexandria, Egypt]]<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Iren. p. 100 Mass.; followed by Eus. ''H. E.'' iv. 7; Epiph. ''Haer.'' xxiv. 1, p. 68 c; cf. xxiii. 1, p. 62 {{small-caps|B}}; Theod. ''Haer. Fab.'' i. 2.</ref> who taught from 117 to 138 AD,<ref group="*">{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} notes that to prove that the heretical sects were "later than the catholic Church," Clement of Alexandria ([http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02107.htm ''Stromata'', vii. 17]) assigns Christ's own teaching to the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius; that of the apostles <!--, of at least, -->ends, he says, in the time of Nero; whereas "the authors of the sects arose later, about the times of the emperor Hadrian, and continued quite as late as the age of the elder Antoninus." He gives as examples Basilides, [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]], and (if the text is sound) [[Marcion]]. Yet his language about [[Carpocrates]] a few lines further on suggests a doubt whether he had any better evidence than a fallacious inference from their order in Irenaeus.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} He was acquainted with the refutation of Basilides by Agrippa Castor; but it is not clear, as is sometimes assumed, that he meant to assign both writers to the same reign. His chronicle (Armenian) at the year 17 of Hadrian ({{small-caps|a.d.}}133) has the note "The heresiarch Basilides appeared at these times". Earliest of all, but vaguest, is the testimony of Justin Martyr. The probable inference that the other great heresiarchs, including Basilides, were by this time dead receives some confirmation from a passage in his ''Dialogue against Trypho'' (135 AD).</ref> and claimed to have inherited his teachings from the apostle [[Saint Matthias]].<ref>[https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/gospel-basilides Gospel of Basilides]</ref><ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02326a.htm Basilides]</ref> He was a pupil of either the [[Simonians|Simonian]] teacher [[Menander (gnostic)|Menander]],<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> or a disciple of [[St. Peter|Peter]] called Glaucias.<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book VII/Chapter XVII.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book vii. Chapter xvii.]] Gnostic scholar [[Bentley Layton]] accepts the Glaukias connection". Pearson 2008, 4.</ref> The ''Acts of the Disputation with Manes'' state that for a time he taught among the [[Ancient Persia|Persians]].<ref>Archelaus, ''Acts of the Disputation with Manes'' Chapter lv.{{Verify source|date=April 2011}}</ref> According to [[Agapius of Hierapolis]] he appeared in the 15th year of the reign of [[Trajan]] (113 AD).<ref>Agapius of Menbij, Universal History, Year 15 of Trajan [113].</ref> He is believed to have written over two dozen books of commentary on the Christian [[Gospel]] (now all lost) entitled ''Exegetica'',<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> making him one of the earliest Gospel commentators.
+'''Basilides''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Βασιλείδης) was an [[Gnosticism#Origins|early Christian Gnostic]] religious teacher in [[Alexandria, Egypt]]<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Iren. p. 100 Mass.; followed by Eus. ''H. E.'' iv. 7; Epiph. ''Haer.'' xxiv. 1, p. 68 c; cf. xxiii. 1, p. 62 {{small-caps|B}}; Theod. ''Haer. Fab.'' i. 2.</ref> who, according to [[Clement of Alexandria]], was active between 117–161 AD,{{Sfn|Litwa|2022|p=113}} and claimed to have inherited his teachings from the apostle [[Saint Matthias]].<ref>[https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/gospel-basilides Gospel of Basilides]</ref><ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02326a.htm Basilides]</ref> He was a pupil of either the [[Simonians|Simonian]] teacher [[Menander (gnostic)|Menander]],<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> or a disciple of [[St. Peter|Peter]] called Glaucias.<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book VII/Chapter XVII.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book vii. Chapter xvii.]] Gnostic scholar [[Bentley Layton]] accepts the Glaukias connection". Pearson 2008, 4.</ref> He is believed to have written over a 24 book long commentary on the Christian [[Gospel]] as reported by [[Agrippa Castor]] (now all lost) entitled ''Exegetica'',<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> making him one of the earliest Gospel commentators. [[Origen|Origen of Alexandria]] informs us of a ''Gospel according to Basilides''<ref>Hom. in Luc. 1</ref> but his report is probably nothing more than a distortion of the well-known fact that Basilides had composed a collection of commentaries on the Gospel, his ''Exegetica''.<ref>Pearson in Marjanen and Luomanen 2005 p. 5</ref> Jerome and Ambrose similarly follow this error.
-The followers of Basilides, the [[Basilideans]], formed a movement that persisted for at least two centuries after him<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} states that "It is a singular testimony to the impression created at the outset by Basilides and his system that he remained for centuries one of the eponymi of heresy".</ref> – [[Epiphanius of Salamis]], at the end of the 4th century, recognized a persistent Basilidian presence over the [[Nile Delta]] in  [[Egypt]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Basilides |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02326a.htm |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> It is probable, however, that the school melded into the mainstream of [[Gnosticism]] by the latter half of the 2nd century.<ref>Mead 1900, 253 f.</ref>
+The followers of Basilides, the [[Basilideans]], formed a movement that persisted for at least two centuries after him<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} states that "It is a singular testimony to the impression created at the outset by Basilides and his system that he remained for centuries one of the eponymi of heresy".</ref> – [[Epiphanius of Salamis]], at the end of the 4th century, recognized a persistent Basilidian presence over the [[Nile Delta]] in [[Egypt]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Basilides |url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02326a.htm |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> It is probable, however, that the school melded into the mainstream of [[Gnosticism]] by the latter half of the 2nd century.{{Sfn|Mead|1900|p=253f}}
 ==Doctrine==
-{{Main|Basilidians}}
+{{Main|Basilidians}}The two main sources for the mythological and philosophical system of Basilides are from the writings of [[Irenaeus]] and [[Hippolytus of Rome]]. However, these two sources starkly contradict one another. The consensus of historians previously favored the account of Hippolytus as more authentic, but the matter has become more contested in recent years, and some even consider both accounts as unreliable.{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|p=2–3, 8–10}}
-{{essay-like|reason=[[WP:IS]]|date=November 2022}}
-The diverse and sometimes contradictory descriptions of Basilides' system by primary sources pose challenges. [[Irenaeus|St. Irenæus]] portrayed Basilides as a [[Dualism in cosmology|dualist]] and [[Emanationism|emanationist]] in his ''[[Adversus Haereses]]'',<ref>Kurt Rudolph, '<nowiki/>'''Gnosis: The Nature & History of Gnosticism'''', page 310 (T & T Clark Ltd, second and revised and expanded edition, 1980). {{ISBN|0-567-08640-2}}</ref> while [[Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus]] painted him in his ''[[Refutation of All Heresies|Philosophumena]]'' as a [[Pantheism|pantheistic]] evolutionist.<ref name=":0" />
-From Irenaeus' perspective, Basilides proposed a hierarchy of emanations from an Unborn Father ([[Abraxas]]), resulting in multiple heavenly realms and angelic powers, with the Jewish God identified as one of these angels. He introduced [[Jesus|Christ]] as a savior from the angelic rule, implying a replacement of Christ with [[Simon of Cyrene]] during the crucifixion.
+=== Theogony ===
+According to Irenaeus, Basilides believed that the ungendered Father was the first principle. From the Father came a total of five [[Aeon (Gnosticism)|emanations]]: the (1) Nous (Intellect) originated from the Father, the (2) [[Logos]] (Word) emanated from the Nous, (3) Phronesis (Prudence) emanated from the Logos, (4) Phronesis Sophia (Wisdom) emanated from Phronesis, and (5) Dynamis (Power) emanated from Phronesis Sophia. Clement of Alexandria specifies that Basilides believed in a primal [[Ogdoad (Gnosticism)|Ogdoad]], or eight primordial deities. This octet of beings is composed by "Justice" and its offspring "Peace" (which in the cosmology of Basilides are not mere human virtues). A second source confirming the belief in an Ogdoad by Basilides is the ''[[Testimony of Truth]]'' from the [[Nag Hammadi library]]. Basilides may have received the idea of an Ogdoad from a Jewish gnostic work in [[Alexandria]].{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|p=10–13}}
-Epiphanius and [[Pseudo-Tertullian]] contribute to this portrayal by associating Basilides with the mystical name Abraxas and contempt for material reality. They indicate that Basilides considered suffering and martyrdom as meaningless and attached to the physical world.
+===Cosmology and cosmogony===
+Irenaeus reports that Basilides believed that Sophia and Dynamis created a group of angels, and these angels were responsible for the creation of the first heaven. Emanations of the first angels then created the second heaven. Emanations from the second angels created the third heaven, and so on, until 365 heavens were created. This, for Basilides, also explains why the number of days in a (solar) year was set at 365 (to reflect the number of heavens). This system of creator-angels creating a series of heavens in accordance with the number of days in a calendrical year is found in several other cosmologies, like that of [[Saturninus of Antioch]], the ''[[Epistle of Eugnostos]]'', and the long version of the ''[[Apocryphon of John]]''. The world as it is known to humans corresponds to the final heaven, and was created by the final angelic emanation. The chief of this final set of emanations (also known as the [[Archon (Gnosticism)|''Archon'']]) is, in the view of Basilides, the God of the Jews, so called because he favors the Jewish people.{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|p=13–17}}
-On the other hand, Hippolytus presented Basilides' teachings as proposing a state of nonexistence prior to creation, brought into existence by a desireless and passionless Not-Being God, who generated the seed of the world. Basilides negated both emanation and the eternity of matter, associating creation with a divine command rather than material processes.
+=== Jesus ===
+Basilides and his followers largely accepted the biography of Jesus found in the [[canonical Gospels]]. One possible deviation, however, is claimed by Irenaeus: that Jesus was substituted on the cross with [[Simon of Cyrene]] during the walk to [[Calvary|Golgotha]]. Simon was commissioned to carry the cross of Jesus during this walk, but at some point, their physical features were swapped. Simon was then crucified, while Jesus stood by, laughing and ridiculing them. However, M. David Litwa has argued that Irenaeus has confused the views of Basilides with those of others, such as the views found in the ''[[Second Treatise of the Great Seth]]''. Irenaeus elsewhere reports that the Basilidean view was that the body of Jesus suffered on the cross, which is also confirmed by [[Clement of Alexandria]]'s ''Stromata'' (4.12.83.1). The image of Jesus in the initial report of Irenaeus also does not fit well with the character of Jesus in Basilides' canonical sources (including him laughing while an innocent man is crucified in his place) and matches more with the attempts of other [[heresiologists]], like [[Tertullian]], to paint their opponents as rejecting the salvific death of Jesus.{{Sfn|Litwa|2022|p=120–121}}{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|p=26}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilhite |first=David E. |date=2017-01-05 |title=Was Marcion a Docetist? The Body of Evidence vs. Tertullian's Argument |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/vc/71/1/article-p1_1.xml |journal=Vigiliae Christianae |language=en |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=1–36 |doi=10.1163/15700720-12341272 |issn=1570-0720|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
-In this view, Basilides described three ''Filiations'' within the world seed, representing different elements of existence, each striving towards the Not-Being God through different means. He envisaged a divine hierarchy with [[Archon (Gnosticism)|Archons]] ruling different heavenly spheres, with the highest being Abraxas.
-In the context of [[History of Christianity|Christian history]], Basilides constructed an elaborate metaphysical system which, among other features, attributed distinct eras to varying Archons, or rulers of the cosmos. These Archons, according to Basilides, each had dominion over specific epochs. This chronology culminated in what Basilides referred to as the reign of the Gospel, a period where spiritual enlightenment through the teachings of Jesus Christ becomes paramount, marking a significant shift from the previously held dominion of the Archons.
-[[Redemption (theology)|Redemption]], as conceived by Basilides, constitutes a return to the primordial state of being, a reversion to the original state of existence before the creation of the world. In this process, each constituent part of existence reverts to its original condition. Material elements, which Basilides associated with the physical world and its inherent imperfections, return to a state of primal chaos. The psychic element, linked with the soul and consciousness, returns to the [[Archon (Gnosticism)#Hebdomad|Hebdomad]], a term that in Basilides' system may refer to the realm governed by the second Archon.
-The spiritual element, seen as the highest form of existence, is believed to return to what Basilides cryptically referred to as the Not-Being God, a divine entity that, paradoxically, exists beyond existence itself. This spiritual return signifies a transcendence beyond the physical and psychic realms, a reunification with absolute divinity.
-The final state in Basilides' metaphysical system is known as the Restoration of all things. In this state, Basilides envisions a divine blissful Ignorance being poured over all existence. This doesn't denote ignorance in the common understanding as a lack of knowledge or understanding, but rather, a state of divine tranquility and peace, an absence of desire or striving. This state signifies an end to the dualistic conflicts and the cessation of all suffering, a state of perfect unity and harmony. Basilides' idea of a divine blissful Ignorance, thus, suggests a kind of heavenly serenity, marking the final stage of the cosmic journey towards ultimate redemption.
-Ethically, Basilides seems to have assigned [[faith]] as a natural trait rather than a conscious choice, and viewed [[sin]] and [[suffering]] as intrinsic to existence. He conceived [[evil]] as an inherent principle, making even Christ a sinful man.
-Later interpretations criticized Basilides' system for potential immorality, though it's likely that these accusations did not apply to Basilides himself. Nevertheless, it's clear that some forms of Gnosticism, including Basilidianism, led to morally questionable practices over time. Extracts from Basilides' son and successor suggest indulgence in sensual desires for spiritual peace, possibly corroborating accusations of immorality among Gnostics.
-Isidore, the son of Basilides, played a crucial role in the continuation and elaboration of Basilidian Gnosticism. He maintained his father's core ideas while also introducing additional elements, some of which seem to have derived from [[Stoicism|Stoic philosophy]] and popular superstition. Isidore purportedly developed a more ethically balanced approach, emphasizing the need to abstain from worldly desires in order to achieve the purifying knowledge ([[Gnosis]]).
-The Basilidian tradition is believed to have survived until the fourth century AD, primarily in Egypt, before eventually fading out due to a combination of external pressure and internal conflicts. The establishment of the [[Nicene Creed]] in 325 AD heavily marginalized Gnostic sects, including Basilidianism.
-However, the influence of Basilides' teachings has permeated through history and has been rekindled in the modern era due to increased interest in [[List of Gnostic texts|Gnostic texts]]. The recovery of the [[Nag Hammadi library]] in the mid-20th century, a collection of Gnostic texts, has offered new insights into Gnosticism, including potentially Basilidian beliefs. Despite its demise, Basilidianism has left a lasting impact on religious thought, particularly in terms of its challenge to orthodoxy and its innovative approach to issues of the divine, the [[cosmos]], and the nature of humanity.
-While interpreting these historical sources, we must bear in mind that most of these accounts were written by individuals who were opposed to Gnosticism, and therefore, their portrayals are not objective. Interpretations of Basilides' philosophy are thus subject to ongoing debate among scholars.
-===Creation===
-His view of creation, according to the orthodox heresiologists, was likely similar to that of [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]], whom he rivaled, being based on a ''doctrine of emanations'' proceeding from an uncreated, ineffable [[Pleroma]]. Like his rival, Basilides taught that matter, and the material universe, are evil, and that the God of the Old Testament, who was responsible for creation, is a misguided ''archon'' or lesser deity.<ref>Louis P. Pojman, "Basilides," in ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy'', 3rd ed., ed. Robert Audi.</ref>
-Historians, such as Philip Shaff, have the opinion that: "Irenaeus described a form of Basilideanism which was not the original, but a later corruption of the system. On the other hand, Clement of Alexandria surely, and Hippolytus, in the fuller account of his ''Philosophumena'', probably drew their knowledge of the system directly from Basilides' own work, the ''Exegetica'', and hence represent the form of doctrine taught by Basilides himself".<ref>''Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series'' volume=? page 178, note 7. {{Verify source|date=April 2011}}<!--This is a 14 volume book! http://www.amazon.com/Nicene-Post-Nicene-Fathers-Second-Volumes/dp/1565631161--></ref>
 ===Faith and Election===
-Like other gnostics, Basilides taught that salvation comes through knowledge and not faith.<ref>Louis P. Pojman, "Basilides," in ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy," 3rd ed., ed. Robert Audi.</ref> This knowledge, or ''gnosis'', was considered esoteric, a revelation to human beings by the divine [[Aeon (Gnosticism)|being]], Jesus Christ. Faith played no part in salvation. Indeed, Basilides believed faith was merely "an assent of the soul to any of the things which do not excite sensation, because they are not present". He also believed faith was a matter of "nature," not of conscious choice, so that men would "discover doctrines without demonstration by an intellective apprehension".<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book II/Chapter III.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book ii. Chapter iii.]]</ref> Basilides also appears to have accumulated forms of dignity in accordance with ones' faith.<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book V/Chap. I.|St. Clement of Alexandria ''Stromata'' Book v. Chapter i.]]</ref>
+Like other gnostics, Basilides taught that salvation comes through knowledge and not faith.<ref>Louis P. Pojman, "Basilides," in ''The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy'', 3rd ed., ed. Robert Audi.</ref> This knowledge, or ''gnosis'', was considered esoteric, a revelation to human beings by the divine [[Aeon (Gnosticism)|being]], Jesus Christ. Faith played no part in salvation. Indeed, Basilides believed faith was merely "an assent of the soul to any of the things which do not excite sensation, because they are not present". He also believed faith was a matter of "nature," not of conscious choice, so that men would "discover doctrines without demonstration by an intellective apprehension".<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book II/Chapter III.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book ii. Chapter iii.]]</ref> Basilides also appears to have accumulated forms of dignity in accordance with ones' faith.<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book V/Chap. I.|St. Clement of Alexandria ''Stromata'' Book v. Chapter i.]]</ref>
 Because Basilides believed faith was a matter of nature, doubtlessly he pushed election so far as to sever a portion of mankind from the rest, as alone entitled by Divine decree to receive a higher enlightenment. In this sense it must have been that he called "the elect a stranger to the world, as being by nature supermundane".<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book IV/Chapter XXIII.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book iv. Chapter xxvi.]]</ref>
-===Biblical canon===
-The canon of Basilides had its own [[Gospel of Basilides|Gospel]] alongside the [[Gospel of John]],<ref>{{cite wikisource | wslink = Ante-Nicene Fathers / Volume V / Hippolytus / The Refutation of All Heresies / Book VII / Part 11 | The Refutation of All Heresies, Book VII | author = Hippolytus | translator = John Henry MacMahon}}</ref> rejected the [[Epistle of Titus]]<ref>{{cite wikisource | wslink = Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VI/Prefaces/Prefaces to Commentaries/Titus|Commentaries to Titus| author = Jerome | translator = Philip Schaff}}</ref> and selectively included only specific writings from the [[Pauline epistles]]. This canon also contained other unique texts, which are believed to have been penned by Basilides himself or his immediate followers, including the ''Interpretations of the Gospels'' and the ''Exegetica''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Layton |first1=Bentley |title=The Gnostic Scriptures |last2=Brakke |first2=David |author-link2=David Brakke|publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-300-20854-2 |edition=2nd |location=New Haven (Conn.) London |language=English}}</ref> Unlike the standard Christian canon, it did not include the [[Synoptic Gospels]]—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—as these were considered inconsistent with the Gnostic perspective.<ref>{{Cite book |last=King |first=Karen L. |title=What is gnosticism? |publisher=Belknap Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-674-01762-7 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref> Basilides further eschewed mainstream Christian works he perceived as failing to reflect his Gnostic interpretation of Christianity, viewing such texts as distorting the true nature of the divine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brakke |first=David |author-link=David Brakke |title=The Gnostics: myth, ritual, and diversity in early Christianity |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-674-04684-9 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref> As such, the canon of Basilides provides a distinct example of early Christian diversity and the varied textual traditions that existed within the nascent Christian community.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D. |title=Lost christianities: the battles for scripture and the faiths we never knew |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518249-1 |edition=Oxford Univ. Press paperback |location=Oxford}}</ref>
 ===Metempsychosis===
@@ Line 66: / Line 37: @@
 ===Passions===
 The Basilideans were accustomed to call the passions ''Appendages'', stating that these are certain spirits that append (προσηρτημένα) themselves to rational souls in a certain primitive turmoil and confusion. Then, they imitate the actions of those they are appended to, and not only acquire the impulses of the irrational animals, but even imitate the movements and beauties of plants. These Appendages can also have characteristics of habit [derived from stones], as the hardness of a [[diamond]].<ref>[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume II/CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA/The Stromata, or Miscellanies/Book II/Chapter XX.|St. Clement of Alexandria, ''Stromata'' Book ii. Chapter xx.]]</ref>
-It is impossible to determine the precise origin of this singular theory, but it was probably connected with the doctrine of ''metempsychosis'', which seemed to find support in [[Plato]]'s ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]''.<ref>''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plat.+Tim.+42&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0180 42], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plat.+Tim.+90&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0180 90 f].</ref> St. Clement of Alexandria stated that the plurality of souls makes the body a [[Trojan horse]].{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
 ==Practices==
@@ Line 81: / Line 50: @@
 ===Meat offered to idols and apostasy===
-Eusebius of Caesarea is quoting Agrippa Castor, when he states that Basilides: "taught also that the eating of meat offered to idols and the unguarded renunciation of the faith in times of persecution were matters of indifference".<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> However, from St. Clement of Alexandria's Stromata, it appears that Agrippa Castor misunderstood the purpose of Basilides's argument, partly from the actual doctrine and practices of later Basilidians; but it may also have had some justification in incidental words which have not been preserved.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} It appears as if Basilides was actually saying that the eating of meat offered to idols and apostasy weren't condemned for immorality, but were punishments because of immorality.<ref name=Martyrdom/>
+Eusebius of Caesarea, relying on Agrippa Castor, says Basilides "taught also that the eating of meat offered to idols and the unguarded renunciation of the faith in times of persecution were matters of indifference".<ref name=Eusebius4-7/> Evidence from Clement's ''Stromata'' suggests Agrippa misunderstood Basilides' argument, partly from the doctrine and practice of later Basilidians; but it may also have had some justification in incidental words which have not been preserved.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} It appears as if Basilides was actually saying that the eating of meat offered to idols and apostasy weren't condemned for immorality, but were punishments because of immorality.<ref name=Martyrdom/>
 ===Silence===
@@ Line 93: / Line 62: @@
 == ''Acts of the Disputation with Manes'' ==
-The writer of ''Acts'' held Basilides responsible for dualism, yet his language on this point is loose, as if he were not sure of his ground; and the quotation which he gives by no means bears him out. It is quite conceivable that his understanding of Basilides came from the dualistic Basilidians of his day, who have given a wrong interpretation to genuine words of their master.<ref>Cf. Uhlhorn, 52 f. {{Verify source|date=April 2011}}</ref> Indeed the description of evil as a ''[[supervenient]]'' nature ''without root'', reads almost as if it were directed against Persian doctrine, and may be fairly interpreted by Basilides's comparison of pain and fear to the rust of iron as natural accidents.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}<!--for the whole paragraph-->
 The identity of the Basilides of the Acts with the Alexandrian has been denied by [[Gieseler]] with some show of reason. It is at least strange that our Basilides should be described simply as a "preacher among the Persians," a character in which he is otherwise unknown; and all the more since he has been previously mentioned with Marcion and [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]] as a heretic of familiar name.<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Routh, ''Rell. Sac.'' c. 38, p. 138.</ref> On the other hand, it has been justly urged that the two passages are addressed to different persons. The correspondence is likewise remarkable between the "treatises" in at least thirteen books, with an interpretation of a parable among their contents, and the "twenty-four books on the Gospel" mentioned by Agrippa Castor, called ''Exegetica'' by Clement. Thus the evidence for the identity of the two writers may on the whole be treated as preponderating. But the ambiguity of interpretation remains; and it would be impossible to rank Basilides confidently among dualists, even if the passage in the Acts stood alone: much more to use it as a standard by which to force a dualistic interpretation upon other clearer statements of his doctrine.{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
 ==Isidorus==
 Hippolytus<ref name=Matthias/> couples with Basilides "his true child and disciple" Isidore. He is there referring to the use which they made of the ''Traditions of Matthias''; but in the next sentence he treats them as jointly responsible for the doctrines which he recites. Our only other authority respecting Isidore is Clement (copied by Theodoret), who calls him in like manner "at once son and disciple" of Basilides.<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites ''Strom.'' vi. 767.</ref>
@@ Line 112: / Line 78: @@
 ==Legacy==
-Gnosticism was throughout eclectic, and Basilides superadded an eclecticism of his own. Antecedent Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, and the Christian faith and Scriptures all exercised a powerful and immediate influence over his mind. It is evident at a glance that his system is far removed from any known form of Syrian or original Gnosticism. Like that of Valentinus, it has been remoulded in a Greek spirit, but much more completely.{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
+Gnosticism was throughout eclectic, and Basilides superadded an eclecticism of his own. Antecedent Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, and the Christian faith and scriptures all exercised a powerful and immediate influence over his mind. It is evident at a glance that his system is far removed from any known form of Syrian or original Gnosticism. Like that of Valentinus, it has been remoulded in a Greek spirit, but much more completely.{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
 Ancient writers usually name Basilides before Valentinus; but there is little doubt that they were at least approximately contemporaries, and it is not unlikely that Valentinus was best known personally from his sojourn at Rome, which was probably<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Lipsius, ''Quellen d. ält. Ketzergeschichte'', 256.</ref> the last of the recorded stages of his life. There is at all events no serious chronological difficulty in supposing that the Valentinian system was the starting-point from which Basilides proceeded to construct by contrast his own theory, and this is the view which a comparison of doctrines suggests.{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
@@ Line 121: / Line 87: @@
 An antecedent matter was expressly repudiated, the words of {{bibleverse||Genesis|1:3}} eagerly appropriated, and a Divine counsel represented as foreordaining all future growths and processes; yet the chaotic nullity out of which the developed universe was to spring was attributed with equal boldness to its Maker: Creator and creation were not confused, but they melted away in the distance together.{{sfn|Hort|1911}} Nature was accepted not only as prescribing the conditions of the lower life, but as practically the supreme and permanent arbiter of destiny. Thus though faith regained its rights, it remained an energy of the understanding, confined to those who had the requisite inborn capacity; while the dealings of God with man were shut up within the lines of mechanical justice.{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
-===Popularity===
-Basilides had to all appearance no eminent disciple except his own son. Although Basilides is mentioned by all the Church Fathers as one of the chiefs of Gnosticism, the system of Valentinus seems to have been much more popular and wider spread,{{sfn|Hort|1911}} as was also [[Marcionism]].{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}
-===Influence===
-th-century [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalyst]] [[Carl Jung]] wrote his [[Seven Sermons to the Dead]] and attributed them to Basilides.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} The Argentine writer [[Jorge Luis Borges]] was interested in Irenaeus' account of Basilides' Gnostic doctrine and wrote an essay on the subject:  "A Vindication of the False Basilides" (1932).<ref>Borges J.L., ''Discusión'', (1932), p.48</ref> Basilides' Gnostic Gospel is one of the books mentioned in Borges's short story "The Library of Babel" (1941).{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} Basilides also appears in Borges' "Three Versions of Judas" (1944), which opens with the striking passage: "In [[Asia Minor]] or in Alexandria, in the second century of our faith, when Basilides published that the Cosmos was a reckless or evil improvisation by deficient [[angel]]s...".{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}
 ==Sources==
+The main sources of information about Basilides are accounts by various [[Church Fathers]], including [[Eusebius]] in his [[Chronicon (Eusebius)|''Chronicon'']], the conflicting accounts offered by [[Irenaeus]] and [[Hippolytus of Rome]], and excerpts from the lost writings of Basilides provided by [[Clement of Alexandria]]. Basilides' son, Isidore, was a disciple of his, and also wrote three works called ''On the Grown Soul'', ''Ethics'', and ''Expositions of the Prophet Parchor''. However, these writings are lost and little is known about their contents.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Carl |title=Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts: Reconsidering the Bauer Thesis |date=2015 |publisher=Lutterworth Press |isbn= |editor-last=Hartog |editor-first=Paul |location= |pages=73 |chapter=Post-Bauer Scholarship on Gnosticism(s): The Current State of Our "Knowledge"}}</ref> Other church fathers also wrote about him, but apart from these sources, they largely depended on other sources, or their views were more informed by the followers of Basilides they interacted with than by Basilides himself. For example, the earliest discussion of the mythological system of Basilides was in [[Against Heresies (Irenaeus)|''Against Heresies'']] (1.24.3–7), by Irenaeus, which, in turn, was re-used by Pseudo-Tertullian (''Adversus omnes haereses'' 1.5; Epiphanius, ''[[Panarion]]'' 24; Filastrius, ''Diversarum haereseon liber'' 32).{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|p=2}}
-===Church Fathers===
+There is also a lost refutation of Basilides by Agrippa Castor, known only from the reference to and brief quotations from it by Eusebius.<ref>{{Citation |last=Roukema |first=Riemer |title=Micah in Ancient Christianity: Reception and Interpretation |work=Micah in Ancient Christianity |pages=23 |publication-date=2019 |url=https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110666021/html |access-date= |publisher=De Gruyter |language= |doi=10.1515/9783110666021 |isbn=978-3-11-066602-1}}</ref>
-Historians know of Basilides and his teachings mainly through the writings of his detractors, and it is impossible to determine how reliable these accounts are.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} The oldest refutation of the teachings of Basilides, by [[Agrippa Castor]], is lost,{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} and we are dependent upon the later accounts of:<ref name=Arendzen>Arendzen 1913.</ref>
-*[[Eusebius of Caesarea]], ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Ecclesiastical History]]'', [[s:Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume I/Church History of Eusebius/Book IV/Chapter 7|Book IV, Chapter vii]], written around the 4th century.
-*[[St. Clement of Alexandria]], ''[[Stromata]]'', Book I, Chapter xxi; Book II, Chapters vi, viii, and xx; Book IV, Chapters xi, xii, and xxv; Book V, Chapter I, etc., written between 208 and 210, and the so-called ''Excerpta ex Theodoto'' perhaps from the same hand.
-*[[St. Hippolytus of Rome]], ''[[Philosophumena]]'', Book VII, written about 225.
-*Pseudo-Tertullian, ''Against All Heresies'', a little treatise usually attached to [[Tertullian]]'s ''De Praescriptionibus'', but really by another hand, perhaps by Victorinus of Pettau, written about 240 and based upon a non-extant "Compendium" of St. Hippolytus.
-*[[St. Epiphanius of Salamis]], ''[[Panarion]]'', Book I, Sect xxiv.
-*[[Theodoret of Cyrus]], ''Compendium of Heretical Accounts'', Book I, Chapter iv.
 ===Writings of Basilides===
 Nearly everything Basilides wrote has been lost, but the names of three of his works and fragments are available in the present day:{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}<!--needed for the list-->
+*The writings of Basilides and the writings of his followers were regularly quoted. 19 surviving fragments are known in total, 10 of which are about Basilides himself. Five of these fragments are from the fourth book of Clement's Stromata (fragments 7, 8, 10, 11, 12); two from the homilies of Origen (17, 18); and one from Hegemonius' Acta Archelai (19). The authenticity of a number of these fragments, however, remains a matter of debate among historians.{{Sfn|Pearson|2008|pp=5–8}}
 *Fragments of the Exegetica are available from St. Clement of Alexandria in his ''Stromata'', Book IV, Chapter 12, and from Archelaus in his ''Acts of the Disputation with Manes'', Chapter 55, and probably also from [[Origen]] in his ''Commentary on Romans V'', Book I.
 *Origen states that  "Basilides had even the audacity to write a [[Gospel of Basilides|Gospel according to Basilides]]",<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Origen, ''Homilies on Luke'' 1.1.</ref> and both [[St. Jerome]]<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites St. Jerome, ''Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew'' Prologue</ref> and [[St. Ambrose]]<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Ambrose, ''Expositio, Euangelii,'' Lucae i.2.</ref> repeat Origen. Yet no trace of a Gospel by Basilides exists elsewhere; and it is possible either that Origen misunderstood the nature of the ''Exegetica,'' or that the Gospel was known under another name.<ref>{{harvnb|Hort|1911}} cites Cf. Hilgenfeld, ''Clem. Rec. u. Hom.'' 123 ff.</ref>
@@ Line 157: / Line 112: @@
 A book called ''Acts of the Disputation with Manes'', which was written during the close of the 3rd century or later, speaks about the Basilidean origins of [[Manichaeism]].{{sfn|Hort|1911}}
-===Artifacts===
-*Artistic remains of Gnosticism such as [[Abrasax]] gems, and literary remains like the ''[[Pistis Sophia]]'', the latter part of which probably dates back to the end of the 2nd century and, though not strictly Basilidian, yet illustrates early Alexandrian Gnosticism.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}}
-== Notes ==
-{{reflist|group="*"}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 179: / Line 128: @@
 ;Secondary sources
-*{{cite book|first=Birger A.|last=Pearson|title=A Companion to Second-Century Christian "Heretics"|chapter=Basilides the Gnostic|year=2008|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn= 978-90-04-17038-4|editor1-first= Antti |editor1-last=Marjanen|editor2-first=Petri|editor2-last=Luomanen}}
+*{{Cite book |last=Litwa |first=M. David |title=Found Christianities: Remaking the World of the Second Century CE |date=2022 |publisher=T&T Clark}}
-*{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Basilides (1)|first=John Peter|last=Arendzen}}
+*{{cite book |url=http://www.gnosis.org/library/grs-mead/fragments_faith_forgotten/fff40.htm |year=1900 |first=G.R.S. |last=Mead |chapter=The Basilidian Gnosis |title=Fragments of Faith Forgotten |location=London |publisher=The Theosophical Publishing Society}}
-*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Basilides}}
+*{{cite book |first=Birger A. |last=Pearson |title=A Companion to Second-Century Christian "Heretics" |chapter=Basilides the Gnostic |year=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |pages=1–31 |isbn=978-90-04-17038-4 |editor1-first=Antti |editor1-last=Marjanen |editor2-first=Petri |editor2-last=Luomanen}}
-* Biondi, Graziano, ''Basilide. La filosofia del Dio inesistente'', Roma 2005, pp.384
-*Buonaiuti, ''Lo Gnosticismo'' (Rome, 1907)
-*Duchesne, ''Hist. ancienne de l'Eglise'' (3d ed., Paris, 1907), I, xi, s.v. ''La Gnose et le Marcionisme''
-*Bareille in ''Dict. de theol. Cath.,'' s. vv. ''Abrasax, Basilide''
-*Leclercq, ''Dict. d'arch. Chret.'', s.v. ''Abrasax''
-*Bardenhewer, ''Gesch. der altkirch. Lit.'' (Freiburg, 1902), I
-*{{cite book|url=http://www.gnosis.org/library/grs-mead/fragments_faith_forgotten/fff40.htm|year=1900|first=G.R.S. |last=Mead|chapter=The Basilidian Gnosis|title=Fragments of Faith Forgotten| location=London|publisher=The Theosophical Publishing Society}}
-*{{cite book|first=C.W. |last=King|title=The Gnostics and their Remains|year=1887|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/gno/gar/index.htm|publisher=David Nutt|location=London|orig-year=1864}}
-*Mansel, ''Gnostic Heresies''
-*De Groot, ''Basilides als erster Zeuge fur das N. T.'' (Leipzig, 1868)
-*Urlhorn, ''Das Basilidianische System'' (Göttingen, 1855).
+== Further reading ==
+* Löhr, Winrich A. (1995). ''Basilides und seine Schule''. Mohr Siebeck. {{ISBN|9783161463006}}
 ==External links==
@@ Line 203: / Line 143: @@
 *[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0616.htm Archelaus' Acts of the Disputation with Manes] see Chapter 55.
+{{Gnosticism topics}}
 {{Authority control}}

Basilides: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:53, 1 January 2026

Contents

Doctrine

Theogony

Cosmology and cosmogony

Jesus

Faith and Election

Metempsychosis

Hell

Martyrdom

Passions

Practices

Marriage

Epiphany

Meat offered to idols and apostasy

Silence

Prophets

Traditions of Matthias

Acts of the Disputation with Manes

Isidorus

Expositions of the Prophet Parchor

On an Adherent Soul

Ethics

Legacy

Sources

Writings of Basilides

Other works

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Navigation menu

Basilides: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:53, 1 January 2026

Doctrine

Theogony

Cosmology and cosmogony

Jesus

Faith and Election

Metempsychosis

Hell

Martyrdom

Passions

Practices

Marriage

Epiphany

Meat offered to idols and apostasy

Silence

Prophets

Traditions of Matthias

Acts of the Disputation with Manes

Isidorus

Expositions of the Prophet Parchor

On an Adherent Soul

Ethics

Legacy

Sources

Writings of Basilides

Other works

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

Navigation menu

Search