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-
