Ground-plan of Basilica of St. Paul, Rome.
When Christianity took possession of the Roman empire, these basilicas were taken as models for church edifices. The pagan temples were built for residences of the deities, not for holding large bodies of people ; and also, being given to unholy purposes, could not be used or copied in Christian churches. The basilicas, on the other hand, had been polluted by no heathen rites, and corresponded with the traditional synagogue in much of their interior construction. Some of the basilicas were given to the Church, and devoted to sa- cred purposes; and the same plan of building was fol- lowed in new church edifices. The plan included a broad central nave with a pointed roof (instead of the arched roof of the classic Roman basilica or the cpen nave of the Grecian), and on each side were one or tvo side aisles, covered by a single roof. In the semicircular apsis, opposite the entrance, the seats of the judges were appropriated by the bishops. In front of this, and under the round arched tribune, was the high altar over the crypt (q. v.). Beyond this were two pulpits, one on each side of the nave, for reading the Scriptures and preaching. The pillars in the. colonnades separating the aisles were joined by round arches instead of beams, as in the Roman basilicas. During the lasilican period (A.D. 300 to A.D. 700-800) no towers or spires were built. In Rome the oldest basilicas are those of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John Lat- eran, St. Clement, Sta. Maria in Trastevere, and St. Lawrence. Others, as Sta. Maria Maggiore, Sta. Ag- nes, Sta. Croce in Jerusalem, were built after the true basilican period, as were also the present edifices of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. John Lateran. St. Cle- ment, and SS. Nereo and Achilleo, preserve most dis- tinctly the features of the original basilica. Out of
BASILIDES
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Rome, the best preserved ancient basilicas are those of St. Apollinari in Classe (near Ravenna), and of St. Apollinari in Ravenna, Basilican churches were built extensively in Asia Minor, other parts of Italy, and South France, and in these last two this style has ever exercised almost a controlling influence on eccle- siastical architecture. It gave also the general ground- plan and many other elements to the succeeding Ro- manesque, and even to the contemporary Byzantine Btvles. In the same general style are the churches of St. Boniface (Roman Catholic) in Munich, and of St. Jacob (Protestant) in Berlin, both built within the last twenty years. There is no prospect, however, that the style will ever be generally adopted in the erection of modern churches. Sec Zestermann, De An- tic, ei Christ. Basilicis (Brussels, 18-17); Bunsen, Die Christlichen Basiliken Roms (Munich, 1843) ; Kugler, Geschichii <1 r Baukunst (Stuttgardt, 1859); Ferguson, Dictionary of Architecture ; Bingham, Orlg. Eccles.bk. viii, eh. i, § 5. See also Architecture; Church Edii tCES.
Basilides, the chief of the Egyptian Gnostics in the second century. The place of his birth is un- known ; some call him a Syrian, others a Persian, others an Egyptian. According to Clemens Alex. {stmm. vii, 17) lie appeared in the reign of Hadrian ; li.ironius and Pearson suppose him to have begun his h sresy in the latter part of the first century. The probable date of his deatli is A.D. 125-130. He pub- lished a book which he called "the Gospel," and wrote also 24 hooks exegetieal of the Gospel, but whether it was a comment upon his own "Gospel" or upon the four evangelists is uncertain. He left a son, Isidorus, who defended his opinions. Fragments of both Ba- silides and Isidorus are given in Grabe, Spkileg. saec. ii, p. 37, G4. (Burton, Ecclcs. Hist. Lect. xv; Burton, Bampton Lectures, note 13.) Our knowledge of Basilides is chiefly derived from Irenseus (Adv. II" r. i, 24), Epiphanius (liar, xxiv), and the newly- discovered Philiinphonmena (bk. vii) of Hippolytus (q. v.). Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. iv, 7) speaks of a refu- tation of Basilides by Agrippa Castor.
He taught that the supreme God, perfect in wisdom and goodness, the un begotten and nameless Father, produced from his own substance seven ceons of a most excellent nature. According to Irenajus (Adv. Hcer. i, 24), from the Belf-existent Father was born NoCc, Intelligence; from Nous, Adyor, the Word; from Lngos, . Prud snee; from Phronesis, ~2.o<pia and Av- vafUQ, Wisdom and Power; from Dunamis and Sophia, Powers, Principalities, and Angels, by whom the first heaven was made ; from these sprung other angels and other heavens to the number of three hundred and sixty-five of each, whence are so man}' days in the 3 ■ ir. The angels which uphold the lower heaven made all things in this world, and then divided it
a g themselves; the chief of which is the God of
the Jews, who wished to bring other nations into sub- .i i tion to lli^ people, but was opposed. The self-ex- I ther, seeing their danger, sent his first-begot- ten Nous, the Christ, for the salvation of such as be- lieved in Him : 1 1 < - appeared on earth as a man, and wroughl miracles,bu1 He did not suffer. The man uffered,bu1 not in any vicarious sense; the divine justice will not allow one being to Buffer for another. It se ims, therefore, thai the modern ration- alistic views as to the espial ion of Christ arc derived, ""' from ih" apostles, but from the Gnostics. (See Shedd, Uistory of Dot trines, ii, 205. ) [renajus charges Basilides with holding that Simon ofCyrene was com- pelled to bear Christ's cross, and was crucified for Him.; that be ■ i into the likeness of Je-