of Gnosticism probably still survive among the mysterious sects inhabiting the valleys of Libanus. As late as the time of Justinian, Procopius states that more than a million of Idolaters, Manicheans, and Samaritans (a Gnostic sect), were destroyed in Syria by the persecutions carried on by this bigoted emperor; and as that region soon afterwards fell into the hands of the more tolerant Mahometans, who never interfered with the religion of their tributaries, there is a probability of these doctrines having been handed down to the present day, especially when we consider the extraordinary vitality of every well-defined system of religious opinions. It is a most singular circumstance that, amidst this multitude of heretical designs, intagli representing purely Christian subjects are of the rarest possible occurrence, that is, in works the Ophites." Here he makes out that by "Baphomet " is meant the Baon Mýridos, or baptism of the Spirit; and he discovers an endless variety of Gnostic emblems in the jettons dug up occasionally in the ruins of their preceptories, and in the sculptures ornamenting the churches of the Order. But these mysterious jettons are in fact merely bracteate coins of certain Suabian Westphalian bishops, and of the markgraves of Brandenburgh; and the "Baphomet," whom, as it is set forth in the indictment, "they adored in the shape of a man's head, with a long beard,” is only the name Mahomet, corrupted in the mouth of the ignorant French witness for the prosecution. of indubitable antiquity; for of modern times they are, as might be expected, by no means uncommon. I have, however, met with one of good work, apparently of the third century, a red Jasper, engraved with the martyrdom of a female kneeling before a naked executioner armed with a singularly shaped sword, evidently made for the purpose of a headsman's instrument. Before the saint is a dove with a palm in its beak, above is the monogram of Christ, in the exergue the letters ANFT, which may perhaps fix the scene of the event at Antioch. A Nicolo, engraved with the Heavenly Father seated on his throne, and surrounded by the twelve patriarchs, might belong to any sect of the late period to which its style induced me to refer it. In the Herz Collection was a Carnelian intaglio of the Good Shepherd standing between two tigers looking up at him, inscribed ESIVKEV, in which the name of Jesus appears to be intended, together with some other appellation or title. The collection of the British Museum contains, however, some highly curious and undoubted Christian subjects engraved on gems. The most interesting of these is a red Jasper set in an elegant antique gold ring, the shank formed of a corded. pattern, in wire, of a novel and tasteful design. The stone bears in neatly formed letters,—IHCOYC EOYYIOC THPE, "Christ, Son of God, keep us." Another of equal interest and of the earliest period of our religion, a fish cut on a fine Emerald (quarter of an inch square), is set in an exquisitely moulded six-sided ring with fluted and knotted shank, imitating a bent reed, very similar to a bronze one figured in Caylus. A beautiful and large Sapphire of very spherical form, is engraved with the monogram of Christ, the straight line of the P being converted into a cross by a line passing through it. Another example this, to be added to the list of genuine antique works upon this stone. A Sard of the same Collection bears a singular device, a cross planted upon a fish, with two doves perched at the extremities of the arms, and the name IHCOYC repeated above and below them. Lastly, the Good Shepherd in a landscape, did not appear to me of such indubitable authenticity as the rest, for the work was entirely wheel-cut on Sard, in the style of the Gnostic school; so easily imitated by the modern gem engravers. ΙΑ. ΑΒΡΑΞΑΣ. We have seen the statement of Origen, which too is adopted by Matter, 'Histoire Critique du Gnosticisme,' that Iao, Adonai, &c., were the names of the genii of the moon, sun, and planets, beings inferior and even antagonistic to Abraxas the representative of the Supreme Creator himself. But, resting on the actual authority of the inscribed amulets, I am inclined entirely to reject this theory, and to assert that this doctrine, if ever held, must have been that of a small sect of Jewish or Magian origin, and certainly not that of the numerous body who engraved and wore the gems that have come down to us in such abundance. The inscriptions upon these prove beyond a doubt that Abraxas, Adonai, Sabao, are merely titles or synonyms of Iao, the deity symbolically represented by the engraving. Thus we find the prayer, "Iao, Abraxas, Adonai, Holy Name, Holy Powers, defend Vibia Paulina from every evil spirit;" and the same names constantly occur united together, and followed by the epithets ABAAOANABAA, "Thou art our Father,"-CEMECEIAAM, “The Eternal Sun;" a mode of invocation which would certainly not have been applied to beings of a discordant, much less of an antagonistic, character to each other. Besides, if Abraxas were the opponent and future victor of Iao, it would have been absurd to place their names together (that of Iao often 66 the first), each evidently invoked in the accompanying prayer, and honoured by the same titles of adoration. Again, the composite figure which represents, as all writers agree, Abraxas himself, is much more frequently accompanied by the inscription Iao than by the word Abraxas, and nevertheless is followed by the same addresses of "Thou art our Father," "Eternal Sun," as when both names occur united. It would also be quite as contrary to the usual course of proceeding in representations of sacred subjects, to make the picture of a deity and inscribe over it the name of his adversary, as it would be to paint a crucifix with the name of Satan occupying the place of an explanatory legend. And it will be shown presently that the numerical value of the name Abraxas has a distinct reference to the nature of the god worshipped, from the earliest period, under the title of Iao. If we examine the figure of Abraxas, we shall find it to be made up of portions of animals considered, in the ancient religion, as attributes of the sun. Thus he has the head of a cock and serpent legs, emblems of the sun in the Egyptian mythology, and he bears in his hand a whip, the symbol of the god of day. That the name Abraxas had reference to the sun appears from Jerome on Amos, III., “As Basilides, who called Almighty God by the portentous name of Abraxas, and says that the same word, according to the Greek numerals, and the sum of his annual revolutions, are contained in the circle of the sun; whom the heathen, taking the same sum, but expressed in different numerical letters, call Mithras; and whom the simple Iberians worship under the names Balsamus (Lord-Sun), and Barbelus (Son of the Lord)." Augustine explains these numbers thus: "Basilides pretended the number of heavens to be 365, the number of the days in the year. Hence he used to glorify a 'Sacred Name' as it were, namely the word Abraxas, the letters in which name, according to the Greek mode of computation, make up that number." These passages establish the identity of Abraxas with Mithras, which latter name we also meet with upon Gnostic intagli. For the same reason Apollo in his car, intagli of a better time of art, occur frequently inscribed with Iao and Abraxas in characters of a later date; proving that the ancient type was viewed as indicative of the same idea as the newly-coined Sacred Name of Basilides. His religious system is thus briefly and clearly given by Tertullian, Praescript.:-"Afterwards Basilides the heretic broke loose. He asserted that there was a supreme God, by name Abraxas, by whom Mind was created, whom the Greeks call Nous. From this emanated the Word, thence Providence; from Providence, Virtue and Wisdom; from these afterwards Virtues, Principalities, and Powers were made; then infinite productions and emissions of Angels; by these Angels 365 heavens were established. Amongst the lowest Angels indeed, and those who made this world, he sets last of all the God of the Jews, whom he denies to be God, but affirms that he is an Angel." Having thus proved the identity of Abraxas with Mithras, or rather the fact of the word's being only a numerical epithet applied to the Sun-god, let us examine the exact sense of the name Iao, and we shall find this too to be but a synonym of Mithras. Macrobius (B. 1.) says that Apollo of Claros, being consulted as to which of the gods that deity was to be regarded who was called Iaos, delivered the following oracle: "The joyous rites ye 've learnt to none disclose, Pluto in Winter, at Spring's opening Jove; Phoebus through blazing Summer rules the day, |