BASILI'DES, an Alexandrian Gnostic, who flourished during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. Regarding his life, little is known. He is said to have taught in Antioch; afterwards in Persia; and, finally, in Egypt, where lie is supposed to have died shortly before the middle of the 2d century. He was a disciple of one Glaucias, not elsewhere mentioned in history, but whom he terms an interpreter of St. Peter, and from whom he alleges that lie had received the esoteric faith of that apostle. B. probably considered himself a Christian, but his fantastic speculations bore a greater resemblance to the doctrines of Zoroaster, and in some points to the Indian philosophy, than to the religion of Christ. According to the system of B., there are two eternal and independent principles—the one, good; the other, evil. Whatever exists, emanates from these. The good principle—i.e., the supreme God, or Father—constitutes, with his seven perfec tions, viz., the mind, the word, the understanding, power, excellences, princes, and angels, the blessed ogdoad (combination of eight). These seven perfections, or powers, in which the supreme God is reflected, are in their turn themselves reflected, but more feebly, in seven other angelic powers, which emanate from them; and so on through the whole circle of emanations, which amount to 365, the mystic number so often inscribed on the symbolic stones in the G nostic schools (see ABRAXAS STONES). Each of these angelic powers governs a world. There are, consequently, 865 worlds, to each of which B. gave
a name. The head of the 365th, or lowest world, rules the material universe, which, along with other angels, he also created. He is the God or Jehovah of the Old Testament, and when the earth was divided among the rulers of the material universe, the Jewish nation fell to the share of himself, who was the prince of the lowest class of angels. But wish ing to absorb all power himself, he strove against the other angels, and to make them subject to his "chosen people," the result of which was war, strife, division in the world, together with the loss of the true religion, to restore which the supreme God sent the first YEon (Nous, or intelligence), who united himself to the man Jesus at his baptism, and so taught men that the destiny of their rational spirit was to return into God. This Nous, however (who was the true Christ), did not really suffer crucifixion, for, changing forms with Simon of Cyrene, he stood by laughing while Simon suffered, and afterwards returned to heaven. B. also taught the doctrine of a purgatorial transmigration of souls in the case of the wicked. His disciples (Basilidians) were numerous in Egypt, Syria, Italy, and even in Gaul, where they continued to exist till the 4th century. They were accused by their enemies of Antinomianism and " magic," but whether on good grounds or not, cannot be ascertained.