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130 Abraxas

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Abrogation of Laws system and

its

365 worlds correspondiiif]; with thenu-

tlicCJrcck Icltcrs nf Abrasjix. Liki' ISarbelo and 111 liir similar names inciitioiiiMl l)y Priseillian, Alnasax rcpresenteil a demiurge, a divine potency elevated by some heretic seel to the posilion of a ;rod. From the papyri and the maiiie frems it is certain that the word refers to the use of th<' Inelfalile Name as a master key with which the powers of all the upper and the nether world are locked or unlocked, bound or loo.sened, by the great Manda da there occurs in God). llaye (Wisdom of Life the mystical writings the name I{;iza l{iU)ba ("the Great iSecret"), met also in the Cabala under the name of Haza de liizin (" Secret of Si-crets"). This suggests the etymology from Ab Kaza, "Father of the Secret." which is the same as " Master Secret." See

mcrical value

iif

=

Brandt,

"

Now

.Mandaeische Schriften," pp. 143

et seq.;

Maudaeische Heligion," pp. 213 et xeq. Abraxas-gems are engraved stones of varying material and form upon which this word aiijiears, either alone or with other names of God, and in connection with mystic tigures and groups of Utters. '•

130

from the Hebrew (Aramaic), meaning "Thou art our father" (ns p 3t<), and also occurs in connection with Abraxas; ilio following inscription is found upon a metal plate in conceded to be derived

the Carlsriihe .Museum.

ABPA2AH BAANAG ANAAEA II

It is evident that the last two lines ought to be read Ablanathanalba, which Baiulissin (/.c 202) has overkioked. From the examples adduced it is evident that Abraxas probably means " holy name," •seeing that it is often attached to divine appellations. It does not seem to be of Hebrew origin, as there is no possible derivation or etymology for it (a fact which in itsi'lf would be remarkable in view of the imchanged adojition of the names Adonai, Sabaoth, Kloe, and lao), nor has it maintained itself in Jewish lore, while names of God jday as important a imrt in Jewish mysticism as they do in Gnostic-heathen-Jewish magic, the most imp<irtant testimonies to which are the magic jiapyri. There is not a single reliable instance of DSDt^X or DD313K occurriiigin Hebrew. Schwab, in his " Vocabulaire

= .braun<ler bsDISS h(! also there is nolhing

de I'Aiigelologie," under JJ10X Abragag .sax), refers to "

Sefer Raziel."

(

37/(

TX', where more than a reference to "Raziel" (7(') astain. In Gaster, "The Swonl of Closes" (London," 1«9G) on p. 8, No. C, among certain unintelligible magic groups of letters, DD33X is found, which Gaster emends DDSIDS- .sthe olilerand much more fretfst(tiili.-<r}it li'iih nrtiKlttiti'iilit ,:{<teit.. IS^N",; I'jiiilv-Wis.'iiiwii. ltc(tlriicukl"l"'lili': ilrr Kht.<'<i.'<clicn

Altra.i(,'-

tteiii, obvelsi' mid liever-st^). (From King's " Gnosllcs.")

UIll^^O^

The most freciuenllj- encountered Abraxas figure is a human form with a fowl's head and the extremicarrying in the one hand a shield and in the other a whiji. These Abraxas-stones, especially those which from their mat<-rial are used for superstitious practises, are also of interest from the standpoint of Judaism, inasmuch as they often bear Hebraic names of God lao, Sabaoth, Adonai, Eloai. Beside an Abraxas figure the following, for instance, is found: lAH ABPA2AH AiON ATA, "lao Abrasiix, thou art the Lord" (BcUermann. ties of a serpent,



"Versuch," ill., N'o. 10). With the Abra.xas-shield are also found the divine naiiK'S Sabaoth lao, lao Abrasax, Adonai Abrasax, etc. (Baudixsin. "Studien 7,ur Somitischen Religion.sgeschichte," i. 189 et Keq.). All these stones are used as amulets, and they furni.sh indisputable evidence of Jewish influence over the views of heathen nations of antiipiity. The magic jiapyri reflect the same iileas as the Abraxas-gems.

The following example Adonai

.

.

.

will stdlice:

"lao Sabaoth,

Abrasax" (Wessely. "Neue

Zaiiber-

papyri," p. 27, No. 22i): see the index). In the group "lakoubia, laosabaoth Adonai Abrasax" (ibid. p. 44, No. 715), the first name .seems to be composed of Jacob and Ya. The patiiarchs are sometimes addressed asdi'ities: for which fact many instances may be adduced. The magic word "Ablanathanalba, " which reads in Greek the same backward as forward, also occurs in the Abraxas-stones as well as in the magic papj-ri. This word is usually

AtlertlninisiiiKsnisrliaft, vol. 1. Sluttirart, ISiM: llllircnfelil, Kctznwscli.. pp. U)7 (7 st'i/. On Atiraxas-penis sc*- especially Kopp. I'al'Viinrnphki Critk-n, vols. 111. and Iv. (Maiinlielm. lS27-2i») ; Kiii(r, The frtiosticsantl their JicmttinK. htmden. 24l ed., lH.*i7, an1-4;V>.

ABRECH.— Biblical

L. B.-K. Data: The iirodamation

of the eiieis on the approach of Joseph (Gen. xli. It lias lieen variously explained. Some favor an Egyptian origin, others a Semitic one. Jewish commentators derive it from Iniriik (to bend the knee) and recognize in it a hijihil formation. The general opinion of scholars at present is in favor of Semitic origin. Dclitzsch (" Hebrew Language," p. 25) refers it to the Assyrian abnnd-kit (a titled personage) which has much in its favor. The El-Amarna tablets prove the possibility of a .Semitic w:)rd findiuir its wav into Eirvpt at an earlv date. G. B. L. 43).

,

In Rabbinical Literature The term Abreeh, which occurs only once in the Scriptures, engaged the attention of the rabbis from an early date. The following two explanations were given in the miildleof

the second century of the common era Judali b. Ilai considered Abreeh asacimipound of 3X (father) and ]T (tender), anil explained Josejib's title to mean one who is a father in wisdom but young in years. This explanation was held by Judah's contemi)0rary, Jose, "son of a woman (jf Damascus," to be a jM'rversion of words. According to Jose, Abreeh is identical with the title " Alabarchos," given to the head of the Jews in FJgypt (Sifre, Dent. i. Mek. on Dent. i. 1. published b' Hoffmann in the Hildesheimer " Jubelschrift." Hebrew part, p. 5). Despite the opposition to it, Judah's explanation prevailed among Urigen and Jerome, in the Jews (see Gen. R. xc. 3).