Part of the series on Gnosticism

History of Gnosticism This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A image of a Gnostic cross. ... The History of Gnosticism is subject to a great deal of debate and interpretation. ...

Persian Gnosticism Mandaeism Manichaeism Mandaeism or Mandaeanism (Mandaic: mandaiuta) is a blanket term for the religion of the Mandaeans (Classical Mandaic mandaiia, Neo-Mandaic Mandeyānā) who are the followers of Mendā d-Heyyi (Mandaic manda Knowledge of Life). Mandaeism is a monotheistic religion practiced primarily in southern Iraq and the Iranian province of... Manichean priests, writing at their desk, with panel inscription in Sogdian. ...

Syrian-Egyptic Gnosticism Sethians Thomasines Valentinians Basilideans Syrian-Egyptian Gnostic Schools were ancient Gnostic sects from around the middle east, with some Judaic influences. ... The Sethian were a group of ancient Gnostics, that date their existence before christianity. ... Thomas was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. ... Valentianism was a relgious doctrine named after Valentine, a Roman theologist who lived circa 2nd century A.D., and abandoned Christian Orthodoxy, in order to follow Gnosticism. ... The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ...

Fathers of Christian Gnosticism Simon Magus Cerinthus Marcion Valentinius Simon Magus, also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by the ancient Christian Orthodoxy to refer to someone they identified as a Samaritan (Proto-)Gnostic, and, also according to ancient Christian Orthodoxy, founder of his own religious sect. ... Cerinthus was the leader of a late first-century or early 2nd century sect, an offshot of the Ebionites yet similar to Gnosticism in some respects, interesting in that it demonstrates the wide range of conclusions that could be drawn from the life and teachings of Jesus. ... Marcion of Sinope (ca. ... -Quevedo Valentinius, also called Valentinus (c. ...

Early Gnosticism Ophites Cainites Carpocratians Borborites The Ophites is a blanket term for numerous gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt about 100 A.D. The common trait was that these sects would give great importance to the serpent of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, connecting the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) to... The Cainites were a Gnostic and Antinomian sect who were known to worship Cain as the first victim of the Demiurge Jehovah, the Old Testament God, who was identified by many groups of gnostics as evil. ... Carpocrates was an early Gnostic from sometime in the second century A.D. who was mentioned by Clement of Alexandria in the Mar Saba letter discovered in 1958 by ancient historian Morton Smith. ... According to Epiphanius of Salamis book Panarion/Adversus Haereses chapter xxv, xxvi and Theodorets Haereticarum Fabularum Compendium the borborites (or barbelos, barbelites, phibionites, stratiotici, coddians etc) were a extraordinarily filthy and evil Gnostic ophite sect. ...

Mediaeval Gnosticism Paulicianism Bogomils Cathars Paulicianism was a Gnostic and Manichaean Christian sect that florished between 650 and 872 in Anatolia, outgoing from Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire. ... Bogomilism is the Gnostic dualistic sect, the synthesis of Armenian Paulicianism and local Slavonic Church reform movement in Bulgaria between 950 and 1396. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassone in 1209. ...

Gnosticism in modern times Gnosticism in popular culture Gnosticism includes a variety of ancient religions prevalent in the Mediterranean in the third century CE. Prior to the 20th century, little was known about the various Gnostic movements, due to paucity of original material available to scholars and the public. ... // Literature Harold Bloom explores Gnosticism in his novel The Flight to Lucifer: A Gnostic Fantasy, and, with William Golding, traces Gnosticism in American beliefs in The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation. ...

Gnostic texts Nag Hammadi Library Gnosticism and the New Testament The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered in the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. ... This article discusses the relationship between Gnosticism and the New Testament. ...

Related Articles Gnosis Pythagoreanism Neoplatonism and Gnosticism Esoteric Christianity Theosophy Look up gnosis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were much influenced by mathematics and probably a main inspirational source for Plato and platonism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Winged Self: The purpose of The Winged Self Symbol is to focus thought in the inner Divine perfection of each individual. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ...

"Basilides" redirects here. For the 17th century Ethiopian Emperor, see Fasilides of Ethiopia.

Basilides (ca 117-138) was an early Christian religious teacher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. His followers, the Basilideans, formed a Gnostic sect. Very little is known with certainty about the teachings of Basilides. An account of his purported heresy is contained in the work Adversus Haereses ("Against Heresies") by Irenaeus of Lyons, but it is impossible to determine how faithful Irenaeus's hostile reading is to the views actually held by Basilides. Fasilides or Basilides (throne name `Alam Sagad), b at Magazaz, Shewa, in 1603 before 10 November, was (1632 - October 18, 1667) of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonid dynasty. ... // Events Trajan subdued a Judean revolt, then fell seriously ill, leaving Hadrian in command of the east. ... Events February 25 - Roman emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius on condition that Antonius would adopt Marcus Annius Aurelius Verus. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ... The Basilideans were a Gnostic sect founded by Basilides of Alexandria in the 2nd century. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies) is the standard name of two books on Gnosticism and other Christian heresies. ... An engraving of Saint Irenaeus (ca. ... Lyons), see Lyons (disambiguation). ...

Basilides

Basilides was a pupil of an alleged interpreter of St. Peter, Glaucias by name, and taught at Alexandria during the reign of Hadrian (117–138). He may have been previously a disciple of Menander at Antioch, together with Saturnilus. The Acta Archelai state that for a time he taught among the Persians. He composed twenty-four books on the Gospel, which, according to Clement of Alexandria were entitled Exegetics. Some fragments, preserved by Clement and in the Acta Archelai, supplement the knowledge of Basilides furnished by his opponents. Origen is certainly wrong in ascribing to him a Gospel. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... This article needs to be updated. ... A bust of Hadrian. ... For the Indo-Greek king (160–135 BC) see Menander the Just. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Persians of Iran (officially named Persia by West until 1935 while still referred to as Persia by some) are an Iranian people who speak Persian (locally named Fârsi by native speakers) and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... Origen (ca. ...

The oldest refutation of the teachings of Basilides, by Agrippa Castor, is lost, and we are dependent upon the later accounts of Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, and Hippolytus. The latter, in his Philosophumena, gives a presentation entirely different from the other sources. It either rests on corrupt accounts, or, more probably, on those of a later, post-Basilidian phase of the system. Hippolytus describes a monistic system, in which Hellenic, or rather Stoic, conceptions stand in the foreground, whereas the genuine Basilides is an Oriental through and through, who stands in closer relationship to Zoroaster than to Aristotle. An engraving of Irenaeus (ca. ... In Greek mythology, Hippolytus was a son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyte. ... Monism is the metaphysical position that all is of one essential essence, substance or energy. ... Hellenic may refer to: the Hellenic Republic (the modern Greek state) the Hellenes, itself a term for either ancient or modern Greeks anything related to Greece in general or Ancient Greece in particular. ... Stoicism is a school of philosophy commonly associated with such Greek philosophers as Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, or Chrysippus and with such later Romans as Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus. ...

Influence

Twentieth-century psychoanalyst Carl Jung wrote his Seven Sermons to the Dead and attributed them to Basilides. 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). Basilides is also mentioned in Borges's short story "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 angels... " This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Carl Jung around 1910, Source: Prints & Photographs Division Library of Congress Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961) (IPA:) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology. ... Jorge Luis Borges (Buenos Aires, Argentina ,August 24, 1899 – Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 1986) was an Argentine writer who is considered one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to the Asian portion of Turkey. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. ...

See also

Basilides or, to be more precise, "the Gnostic Gospel of Basilides", is also mentioned in Borges' story "A Library of Babel". Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Luis Borges (August 24, 1899 – June 14, 1986) was an Argentine writer who is considered to be one of the foremost writers of the 20th century. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The seven sermons to the dead

• "Basilides" by T. Apiryon
• Seven Sermons to the Dead
• Fragments of Basilides
• Fragments of his son Isidore
• Catholic Encyclopedia: a balanced point-of-view from a conservative orthodox Catholic position

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikisource – The Free Library – is a Wikimedia project to build a free, wiki library of source texts, along with translations of source-texts into any language and other supporting materials. ...

References

• This article includes content derived from the public domain Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 1914.