ABRASAX, or ABRAKAS, the supreme god of the Basilidian heretics. It is a mystical word, composed of the Greek numerals α, β, γ, δ, ε, ζ, which together make up the number CCCLXV. For Basilides taught, that there were 365 heavens between the earth and the empyrean; each of which heavens had its angel or intelligence, which created it; each of which angels likewise

* Suidas, in 6th Eccl. See Jos. xxiv. 2. † Apud Gen. in Chron. ‡ More No. v. c. 29.

§ Heidegger Hist. Patriarch. tom. iii. p. 36.

† Trad. ham came safe and found out of the flames.—This Hebrew. in Genes. Jerom; who seems to credit it in general, but disbe-

Abraham
|| Abrafax.
* It is
the proper
name of a
city, and it
also signifi-
cance he employed
the very same
words in the
beginning of
the decalogue
to denote the
deliverance from
Egypt.
has it thus:
† Antiq.
lib. i. cap. 7.

Heidegger
Talmud‡,
and the
Rabbis
Chanina
and
Hofchia
used
it to
read
it on
the
eve
before
the
sabbath.
In the
first
ages
of
Christianity,
according
to
St
Epiphanius‡,
a
heretical
sect,
called
Sethinians,
dispersed
a
piece
which
had
the
title
of
Abraham's
Revelation.

Origen
mentions
also
a
treatise
supposed
to
be
wrote
by
this
patriarch.
All
the
several
works
which
Abraham
composed
in
the
plains
of
Maure,
are
said
to
be
contained
in
the
library
of
the
monastery
of
the
Holy
Cross
on
Mount
Amaria,
in
Ethiopia§.
The
book
on
the
creation
was
printed
at
Paris
1552,
and
translated
into
Latin
by
a
converted
Jew,
and
professor
at
Konigsberg,
gave
also
a
Latin
translation
of
it,
with
remarks,
in
1642.

Abrasion
||
Abreast.

wife was created by the angel next above it; thus ascending by a scale to the supreme Being, or first Creator. The Basilidians used the word Abraxas by way of charm or amulet.