A'bram, the original name (Gen. xvii, 5) of Abba-, ham (q. v.).
Abraxas (1) (a/3p«£ac or afipaaaF), a mystical word composed of the Greek letters a, /3, n, a, \, a, r, which together, according to Greek numeration, make up the number 365. Basilides taught that there were 365 heavens between the earth and the empyrean, and as many different orders of angels ; and he applied the Cabalistic name Abraxas to the Supreme Lord of all these heavens (B-enosris, lib. i, cap. xxiv, 67). See Basilides. In his sj'stem there was an imitation of the Pythagorean philosophy with regard to numbers, as well as an adoption of Egyptian hieroglvphical symbols. Jerome seems to intimate that this was done in imitation of the practice of thus representing Mithras, the deity of the Persians ; or the sun, other- wise Apollo, the god of healing. For instance :
a — 1 ^ az 40
P = 100 , — 10
a - 1 0 =9
f = co p =100
? = 200 r = 200
Abraxas = 365 Meithras, or Mithras — 3C5 Probably Basilides intended, in this way, to express the number of intelligences which compose the ITero- ma, or the Deity under various manifestations, or the sun, in which Pythagoras supposed that the intelli- gence resided which produced the world. — A few of the modes of deriving this term are subjoined. Bel- lerman takes it from the Coptic, the ancient language of Egypt; the syllable sadsch (which the Greeks were obliged to convert into <r«£, or crac, or aaZ,, as the last letter of this word could only be expressed by 3, 2, or Z) signifying "word," and abrak, "blessed, holy, adorable ;" abraxas being, therefore, " adorable word." Others make it to signify "the new word." Beau- sobre derives it from dfipog, which he renders magnifi- cent; and cither rraio, I save, or aa, safety. Others find it to signify the mystery of the Trinity and of the divinity of Christ : they assume that it is composed of the initial letters of the following words : iSt. father ; "|2l, son ; ra"i, spirit ; ^HX, one (that is, one God) ; Xpioroe,, Christ; "Av9p<»>irog,man (that is, God-man); Suffi'/n, Saviour. See ABRACADABRA.
(2.) Abraxas Gems or Images. — A great number of relics (L'ems and plates, or tablets of metal) have been discovered, chiefly in Egypt, bearing the word abraxas, or an image supposed to designate the god of that name. There has been much discussion about these relics, some regarding them as all of Basilidian origin; others holding them, in part or in whole, to be Egyp- tian. Descriptions of them may lie found in Macarii Abraxas seu de Gem. Basil. Bisquisitio, edited by Chifnet (Antw. 1657, 4to) ; Montfaucon, Paheogr.
ABRECH
34
ABSALOM
Grcec. lib. ii, cap. viii; Passed, /> Gemini's Basilidianis, in Gori, Tin saurus Gt m. Astrif. (Flor. 1750, 3 vols. -1 to); Bellermann, Ueb.die Gemmen der A Iten mit dem A braxas- bilde (Berlin. 1817-1819) ; Walsh, Ancient Coins, Medals, etc. (Lond. 1828, 8vo); Kopp, Palceographia Critica (Mannh. 1827, pt. iv). Matter (in Herzog's Eeal-En- cyklopiidie, ami in his IHstoire du Gnostieisme, vol. iii) gives a elassilieation of them which will tend greatly to facilitate their study. Some of them contain the Abraxas image alone, or with a shield, spear, or other emblems of Gnostic origin. Some have Jewish words (e. g. Jehovah, Adonai. etc.) ; others combine the Ab- raxas with Persian, Egyptian, or Grecian symbols. Montfaucon has divided these gems into seven classes. 1. Those having the head of a cock, the symbol of the sun ; 2. Those having the head of a lion, expressive of the heat of the sun : these have the inscription Mi- thras ; 3. Serapis; 4. Sphinxes, apes, and other ani- mals ; 5. Human figures, with the names of Iao, Saba- oth, Adonai, etc.; (!. Inscriptions without figures; 7. Monstrous forms. He gives 300 fac-similes of gems with different devices and inscriptions, one of which is shown in the accompanying cut from the collection of Viscount Strangford. It is of an oval form, con- vex on both sides, and both the surface of the stone and the impression of the sculpture highly polished.
Gno?tic Gem. On one side is represented a right, line crossed by three curved ones, a figure very common on gnos- tic gems, ami perhaps representing the golden "can- dlestick." This is surrounded by the legend AB- PACAS IAQ, words also of very common use, and which are to be found either by themselves, or ac- companied by every variety of figure. The word IAQ, in a variety of modifications, is also found on most of the gems of the Gnostics; and, next to Ab- rasax, seems to have been the most portentous and mysterious. It is generalb/ supposed to be a cor- ruption of the tctragrammaton, <Tirp, or Jehovah, to which the Jews attached so awfid an importance. Irenams supposes it lias allusion to the name by which the Divine character of Christ was expressed ; as if the AQ was intended to be the Alpha and Omega of the Revelation, and the characters IAG stood for Jesus the " Redeemer, the first and the last." See Mosheim, Comm. i, 417; Matter, Hist, du Gnostieisme, t. iii; Ne- ander, Gnost. System, 1818; Neander, Ch. /list, i, 401 ; Lardner, Works, viii, 352 sq.; Jeremie, Ch. Hist. p. 149; Schmid, Pent. Dissertt. (Helmst. 1716) ; Jablon- ski, Nov. Mis*,!!. Lips. vii. 1, 63 sq. ; Beausobre, Hist. du Manieh. ii, 50; Gieseler, in the Stud. u. Kritihen, 1830, p. 113 sq. (who shows that not all Abraxas gems were of Gnostic origin) ; King, The Gnostics and their Urn,,,;,,* | Lond. 1864), which contains various cuts of gems, but is otherwise of little value, bee GNOSTI- CISM ; Basilides.