ABRAXASorABRASAX('A,oftener

'A):

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By:LudwigBlau,KaufmannKohler
AtermofGnosticmagic,ofuncertainetymology.AccordingtoIrenus("AdversusHreses,"i.24,37),theGnostic
Basilides(diedabout130)gavethenameofAbraxastothehighestBeing,whopresidesoverthe364kingdomsofspirits
(52x7=364),becausethenumericalvalueofthelettersofthisnameisequivalentto365(a=1,b=2,r=100,a=1,x
=60,a=1,s=200)i.e.,the364spirits+theHighestBeingHimself.Inamagicpapyrusitisexpresslystatedthat
Abraxasisequivalentto365,thenumberofdaysintheyear(Wessely,"NeueZauberpapyri,"p.56Dieterich,"Abraxas,"
p.46).Bellermann("VersuchberGemmenmitAbraxasbild,"Berlin,181719,derivesthiswordfromtheCoptic.He
claimsitisacompoundofAbrckandsax,meaning"theholyWord,""theblessedName."See,ontheotherhand,
Baudissin,"StudienzurSemitischenReligionsgeschichte,"i.189,note1.Otheretymologiesandasummaryofall
investigationsinthematteraregivenbyMatterinhis"HistoireCritiqueduGnosticisme,"1828(Germantrans.byDrner,
ii.56etseq.,Heilbronn,1834).GdemannseesinAbraxassomeconnectionwiththemagicformulaofthepapyri,
"arbathiaoth"(whichheidentifieswith

),thefourletterednameofGod("FestschriftzumAchzigsten
GeburtstageMoritzSteinschneider's,"p.15).MoseSchwabsuggeststhatAbraxasistheequivalentof
("the
Fathercreated")("Vocabulairedel'Anglologie,"p.383).GeigersuggestedaderivationforAbraxasfromtheHebrewha
berakah("theblessing")thisisapprovedbyKing,"Gnostics,"p.251,butrightlyrejectedbyKraussinPaulyWissowa,
"Realencyklopdie,"p.7.
AbraxasGod(GnosticGem,ObverseandReverse).(FromKing's
"Gnostics.")
AshasbeenshownbySchmidt("GnostischeSchrifteninKopt.Sprache,"
pp.562etseq.),Abrasaxstandsinnoorganicconnectionwiththe
Basilidiansystemandits365worldscorrespondingwiththenumericalvalue
oftheGreeklettersofAbrasax.LikeBarbeloandothersimilarnames
mentionedbyPriscillian,Abrasaxrepresentedademiurge,adivinepotency
elevatedbysomehereticsecttothepositionofagod.Fromthepapyriandthemagicgemsitiscertainthattheword
referstotheuseoftheIneffableNameasamasterkeywithwhichthepowersofalltheupperandthenetherworldare
lockedorunlocked,boundorloosened,bythegreatMandadaHaye(WisdomofLife=God).Nowthereoccursinthe
mysticalwritingsthenameRazaRabba("theGreatSecret"),metalsointheCabalaunderthenameofRazadeRazin
("SecretofSecrets").ThissuggeststheetymologyfromAbRaza,"FatheroftheSecret,"whichisthesameas"Master
Secret."SeeBrandt,"MandaeischeSchriften,"pp.143etseq."MandaeischeReligion,"pp.213etseq.
Abraxasgemsareengravedstonesofvaryingmaterialandformuponwhichthiswordappears,eitheraloneorwithother
namesofGod,andinconnectionwithmysticfiguresandgroupsofletters.ThemostfrequentlyencounteredAbraxas
figureisahumanformwithafowl'sheadandtheextremitiesofaserpent,carryingintheonehandashieldandinthe
otherawhip.TheseAbraxasstones,especiallythosewhichfromtheirmaterialareusedforsuperstitiouspractises,are
alsoofinterestfromthestandpointofJudaism,inasmuchastheyoftenbearHebraicnamesofGod:Iao,Sabaoth,
Adonai,Eloai.BesideanAbraxasfigurethefollowing,forinstance,isfound:IAABPAAANATA,"IaoAbrasax,
thouarttheLord"(Bellermann,"Versuch,"iii.,No.10).WiththeAbraxasshieldarealsofoundthedivinenamesSabaoth
Iao,IaoAbrasax,AdonaiAbrasax,etc.(Baudissin,"StudienzurSemitischenReligionsgeschichte,"i.189etseq.).All
thesestonesareusedasamulets,andtheyfurnishindisputableevidenceofJewishinfluenceovertheviewsofheathen
nationsofantiquity.ThemagicpapyrireflectthesameideasastheAbraxasgems.Thefollowingexamplewillsuffice:
"IaoSabaoth,Adonai...Abrasax"(Wessely,"NeueZauberpapyri,"p.27,No.229seetheindex).Inthegroup
"Iakoubia,IaosabaothAdonaiAbrasax"(ibid.p.44,No.715),thefirstnameseemstobecomposedofJacobandYa.
Thepatriarchsaresometimesaddressedasdeitiesforwhichfactmanyinstancesmaybeadduced.Themagicword
"Ablanathanalba,"whichreadsinGreekthesamebackwardasforward,alsooccursintheAbraxasstonesaswellasin
themagicpapyri.ThiswordisusuallyconcededtobederivedfromtheHebrew.(Aramaic),meaning"Thouartourfather"
(
),andalsooccursinconnectionwithAbraxasthefollowinginscriptionisfounduponametalplateinthe
CarlsruheMuseum:
Abraxas(GnosticGem,ObverseandReverse).(FromKing's"Gnostics.")

N
N
ItisevidentthatthelasttwolinesoughttobereadAblanathanalba,which
Baudissin(l.c.202)hasoverlooked.Fromtheexamplesadduceditis
evidentthatAbraxasprobablymeans"holyname,"seeingthatitisoften
attachedtodivineappellations.ItdoesnotseemtobeofHebreworigin,as
thereisnopossiblederivationoretymologyforit(afactwhichinitselfwould
beremarkableinviewoftheunchangedadoptionofthenamesAdonai,
Sabaoth,Eloe,andIao),norhasitmaintaineditselfinJewishlore,while
namesofGodplayasimportantapartinJewishmysticismastheydoin
GnosticheathenJewishmagic,themostimportanttestimoniestowhicharethemagicpapyri.Thereisnotasingle
reliableinstanceof
or
occurringinHebrew.Schwab,inhis"Vocabulairedel'Anglologie,"under

Abragag(=Abrasax),refersto"SeferRaziel,"37bunder
hereferstothearticle
,wherealsothereisnothing
morethanareferenceto"Raziel"(7a)again.InGaster,"TheSwordofMoses"(London,1896),onp.8,No.6,among
certainunintelligiblemagicgroupsofletters,
isfound,whichGasteremends
.Astheolderandmuchmore
frequentformofthewordisAbrasax,thisemendationiscertainlyahazardousone.
Bibliography:
DarembergandSaglio,DictionnaireUniverseldesAntiquitsGrecquesetRomaines,3ded.,1881,s.v.Abrasax
Herzog,ProtestantischeRealeneyklopdie,3ded.,1896:PaulvWissowa,RealeneyklopdiederKlassischen
Alterthumswissenschaft,vol.i.Stuttgart,1894
Hilgenfeld,Ketzergesch.,pp.197etseq.OnAbraxasgemsseeespeciallyKopp,PalographiaCritica,vols.iii.andiv.
(Mannheim,182729)
King,TheGnosticsandtheirRemains,London,2ded.,1887,andtheliteraturegivenbyJacobs,ibid.pp.454455.