Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/652

BASILICA ÆMILIA. ing the Forum. It stood on the east side of the Forum near the Curia, or Senate-House. After a fire, it was restored in B.C. 17, and adorned with splendid columns of Phrygian marble, which were later set up in Saint Paul Without the Walls, and destroyed by fire in 1823.

BASILICA JU'LIA. A great basilica on the south side of the Roman Forum, founded by Julius Cffisar, and opened after the battle of Thapsus in B.C. 46. It was several times de- stroyed by fire and rebuilt. Its walls were of solid marble, and the pilasters which divided its nave and four aisles were of travertine sheathed with marble. The eastern end is crossed by the Cloaca Maxima. In the Basilica Julia the ses- sions of the Court of the Centumviri were held. In the Sixth Century, the northern vestibule was made into the Church of Santa ilaria de Foro; in the Eleventh, rope-makers took possession of it; and, in the Fifteenth Century, it was given over to lime-burners, who set u]) in it theirkilns, and turned its marbles into lime. Later, it was used as a hospital burying-ground, which cov- ered its surface with a "layer of human bones 6 to 8 feet deep. The basilica, like other buildings, has from time to time been despoiled of its materials, which have been used in the construc- tion of other edifices, and the remains at the present time represent chiefly modern restora- tions.

BASILICA or CON'STANTINE. See CoNSTANTINE, B.SII.ICA OF.

BASILICA PORCIA, por'shl-a. The earliest Koman basilica, built in B.C. 184 by the elder Cato. It adjoined the Curia, and with the latter was burned by the followers of Clodius in B.C. 52.

BASILICA UL'PIA. A basilica built by Trajan as part of his forum. It measured 67 yards in width, and was surrounded by 96 col- umns, manv of which were found when the basilica was excavated in 1813. The pavement was incrusted with valuable marbles, the roof of the nave was of bronze, as was the frieze, which was richly decorated and inscribed with the names of victorious legions. At the ends of the basilica were hemicycles, a part of which is still visible.

BASIL'ICON (Lat., from Gk. /3ai7iXiK6^, hasili- hon, a black plaster, properly neut. of /3airiXiK6s, hasilikos, royal, i.e. of great virtue). A name given to an "ointment com])osed of yellow wax. black pitch, resin, and olive- oil. The ointment has also been called nnffiientum tetraphnrmncum (from the Gk. r^rrapa ^lipMaKa, trttara phiirmnka, i.e. four drugs). Basilicon ointment, or resin cerate, as it is sometimes called, is used as a gently stimulant application to ulcers, burns, scalds, chilblains, and boils.

BASIL'ICON DO'RON (Gk. pa<niKbp dQpov, bafiiliko,, dOroii, royal gift). The title of a treatise written bv James VI. of Scotland (after- wards James I. of England) for the instruction of his sou. Prince Henry. It was first jirinted in 1599. The work is divided into three books, which treat severally of a king's duty toward God, his duty in his office, and his duty in in- different things. In the first book is laid down the divine right of kings.

BASILIDES, bas'i-li'dez ( Gk. BaffiXefSjjs, Ba- sileidcs). A famous Gnostic Christian of Alexan- dria, who flourished during the reign of Hadrian (A.D. 117-138). Few details of his life are known. We are told, on doubtful autliority, that he was a pupil of the heretical Jlenander at. Antioch, and that he taught in Persia, where his dualistic system was later revived by Mani (see JIaxich.eism). Basilides himself claimed to be a follower of one Glaueias, 'the interpreter of Peter,' but no such person is known to us from any other source. The otherwise unknown prophecies of Barcabbas am Bareoph, to which. Basilides refers, have been conjectured to be apocryplial Zoroastrian books. Basilides wrot; a Gospel commentary, called the Exegetica, in 24 books. Origen speaks of a "Gospel accord- ing to Basilides," but it is improbable that Ba- silides did more than edit some kind of a gos- pel for the use of his followers. He shows some acquaintance with material included in our Mat- thew, Luke, and John. His son Isidore wrote several books, three of which are mentioned by Clement of Alexandria, and from others of the Basilidian School there come various incanta- tions and odes. None of these writings are known to us except through opponents of the movement. Agrippa Castor was one of the first to attack Basilides, but his book has per- ished. Irenieus, Clement of Alexandria, Hippo- lytus, and Origeh discuss Basilides's doctrine at some length, but they do not agree in their ac- counts of what he taught. Following their divergent opinions, some modern scholars hold that Basilides constructed his system on Greek models, espcciallv Aristotle; others, that he drew from the Orient, especially from the Persian dualism of Zoroaster. Criticism inclines at pres- ent, toward the latter view.

Basilides's teaching should be studied in com- parison with that of other Gnostics. ( See GNOS- TICISM.) He taught an elaborate cosmology, a system less perhaps like emanation than like evolution from the great Original. The cosmic process extended through a complicated series of heavens to the creation of our universe, and included redemption as its chief Christian fea- ture. This redemption is not so much from sin as from cosmic disorders of all kinds, occasioned by Darkness invading the domain of Light. In the ensuing conflict, Light (Good) finally con- quers. Basilides's system was not acceptable to- the Church at large, and was pronounced heret- ical. His followers, however, were quite numer- ous, and we hear of them as late as the Fourth Century, although they never attained any im- portance outside of Egypt. It is doubtful whether we should connect the later Priscillian- ists of Spain with the Basilidians. An illustra- tion of how widclv the Basilidians departed from the principles of their founder may be drawn from the tact that some of them practiced a gross licentiousness, while Basilides was inclined toward asceticism.

The 'Abraxas gems,' many of which have been brought to light, are wrongly supposed by some to be of Gnostic origin, because of the occur- rence of the word 'Abraxas' (Ahrnsax is the correct form) in Basilides's system, where it is the collective designation of the heavenly or spiritual beings, whose number is 305 (repre- sented in Greek by the letters of the word abra- sax). These charms and amulets iirobably have- nothing to do with Gnosticism. See Abraxas.

BIBLIOORAPITY. Uhlhorn. Dna hiixilulianische Kvsicm (Giittingen, 1855) ; Mansol, dnostic Here-