a sect of ancient heretics, thus denominated from their leader Bardesanes, a Syrian of Edessa, in Mesopotamia. Bardesanes, born in the middle of the second century, became eminent, after his conversion to Christianity, for his zeal against heretics, and wrote a multitude of books against them; yet had he the misfortune to fall himself into the errors of Valentinus, to which he added some others of his own. He taught that the actions of men depend altogether on fate, and that God himself is subject to necessity. His followers went further, and denied the resurrection of the body, as well as the incarnation and death of our Saviour, holding that these were only apparent or fantastical.