A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

BASILEIDES.
"Chalcedon, and afterwards spread the tenets of
Eutyches through Syria and Armenia, about A. D.
460. (Asseman, Bibliotht. Orient. ii. pp. 1-10, and
preliminary Dissertation, iii. pt. 1. p. 66.) [P.S.]
BARTHOLOMAEUS (Bap0ohoXaeos), one of
the twelve apostles of our Lord. Eusebius (IH. E.
v. 10) informs us, that when Pantaenus visited the
Indians, he found in their possession a Hebrew
Gospel of Matthew, which their fathers had received from Bartholomew. The story is confirmed
by Jerome, who relates that this Hebrew Gospel
was brought to Alexandria by Pantaenus. It is
not very easy to determine who these Indians
were; but Mosheim and Neander, who identify
them with the inhabitants of Arabia Felix, are
probably in the right. The time, place, and manner of the death of Bartholomew are altogether
uncertain. There was an apocryphal gospel falsely
attributed to him, which is condemned by Pope
Gelasius in his decree de Libris Apocryphis. (Tillemont, M1emoires, oc. vol. i. pp. 387-389, 642 -645. Ed. sec.; Mosheim, de Rebus Christianorum,
Jc. p. 205, &c.; Neander, Allygmeine Geschliclte,
c. i. p. 113.) [J. M. M.]
BARSAENTES (Bape-rYrose), or BARZAENTUS (Bapdevros), satrap of the Arachoti and
Drangae, was present at the battle of Guagamela,
a. c. 331, and after the defeat of the Persian army
conspired with Bessus against Dareius. He was
one of those who mortally wounded the Persian
king, when Alexander was in pursuit of him;
and after this he fled to India, where, however, he
was seized by the inhabitants and delivered up to
Alexander, who put him to death. (Arrian, Anab.
iii. 8, 21, 25; Diod. xvii. 74; Curt. vi. 6, viii.
13.)
BARYAXES (Bapvans), a Mede, who
assumed the sovereignty during Alexander's absence in India, but was seized by Atropates, the
satrap of Media, and put to death by Alexander,
B. c. 325. (Arrian, Anab. vi. 29.)
BARZANES (Bapadivns). 1. One of the early
kings of Armenia according to Diodorus (ii. 1),
who makes him a tributary of the Assyrian Ninus.
2. Appointed satrap of the Parthyaei by Bessus,
B. C. 330, afterwards fell into the power of Alexander. (Arrian, Anab. iv. 7.)
BAS (Bas), king of Bithynia, reigned fifty
years, from B. c. 376 to 326, and died at the age
of 71. He succeeded his father Boteiras, and was
himself succeeded by his own son Zipoetes. He
defeated Calantus, the general of Alexander, and
maintained the independence of Bithynia. (Memnon, c. 20, ed. Orelli.)
BASILEI'DES (Bao-h-tejs). 1. A Greek
grammarian, who wrote a work on the Dialect of
Homer (rEpl A4ws 'OqptKucfs), of which an epitome was made by Cratinus. Both works are
lost. (Etymol. Mag. s.v. ApiT'hos.)
2. Of Scythopolis, a Stoic philosopher mentioned
by Eusebius (Chron. Arm. p. 384, ed. Zohrab and
Mai) and Syncellus (p. 351, b.) as flourishing under Antoninus Pius, and as the teacher of Verus
Caesar.
3. An Epicurean philosopher, the successor of
Dionysius. (Diog. Laert. x. 25.)
4. Of Alexandria, was one of the earliest and most
eminent leaders of the Gnostics. The time when he
lived is not ascertained with certainty, but it was
probably about 120 A. D. He professed to have
received from Glaucias, a disciple of St. Peter, the

BASILIDES. 465
esoteric doctrine of that apostle. (Clem. Alex. Strom.
vii. p. 765, ed. Potter.) No other Christian writer
makes any mention of Glaucias. Basileides was
the disciple of Menander and the fellow-disciple of
Saturninus. He is said to have spent some time
at Antioch with Saturninus, when the latter was
commencing his heretical teaching, and then to
have proceeded to Persia, where he sowed the
seeds of Gnosticism, which ripened under Manes.
Thence he returned to Egypt, and publicly taught
his heretical doctrines at Alexandria. He appears
to have lived till after the accession of Antoninus
Pius in 138 A. D. IHe made additions to the doctrines of Menander and Saturninus. A complete
account of his system of theology and cosmogony
is given by Mosheim (Eccles. Hiist. bk. i. pt. ii.
c. 5. ~~ 11-13, and de Reb. Christ. ante Constant.
pp. 342-361), Lardner (History of Heretics, bk. ii.
c. 2), and Walch. (Hist. der Ketzer. i. 281-309.)
Basileides was the author of Commentaries on the
Gospel, in twenty-four books, fragments of which
are preserved in Grabe, Spiciley, ii. p. 39. Origen,
Ambrose, and Jerome mention a " gospel of Basileides," which may perhaps mean nothing more
than his Commentaries.
5. Bishop of the Libyan Pentapolis, was a contemporary and friend of Dionysius of Alexandria,
to whom he wrote letters " on the time of our
Lord's resurrection, and at what hour of that day
the antepaschal fast should cease." The letters of
Basileides are lost, but the answers of Dionysius
remain. Cave says, that Basileides seems to have
been an Egyptian by birth, and he places him at
the year 256 A. D. (Hist. Litt. sub. ann.) [P. S.]
BASILIA'NUS, prefect of Egypt at the assassination of Caracalla and the elevation of Macrinus,
by whom he was nominated to the command of
the praetorians. Before setting out to assume his
office, he put to death certain messengers despatched
by Elagabalus to publish his claims and proclaim
his accession; but soon after, upon hearing of the
success of the pretender and the overthrow of his
patron, he fled to Italy, where he was betrayed by
a friend, seized, and sent off to the new emperor,
at that time wintering in Nicomedeia. Upon his
arrival, he was slain by the orders of the prince,
A. D. 213. (Dion Cass. lxxviii. 35.) [W. R.]
BASILICA. [PRAXILLA.]
BASI'LACAS. [NICEaPHORUS BASILICAS.]
BASI'LICUS (Baot-iM ds), a rhetorician and
sophist of Nicomedeia. As we know that he was
one of the teachers of Apsines of Gadara, he must
have lived about A. D. 200. He was the author of
several rhetorical works, among which are specified
one wErpl rLay d rv XE Ae(wv o xTlsdrToe, a second
repl prlTopicrjo s wapaariccvis, a third srepl dci-Koicjws,
and a fourth 7repl pTEra-ot'-Ewos. (Suidas, s. uv.
Baohuodis and 'Aýs/ivs; Eudoc. p. 93.) [L. S.]
BASI'LIDES. 1. A priest, who predicted success to Vespasian as he was sacrificing on mount
Carmel. (Tac. Hist. ii. 71.)
2. An Egyptian of high rank, who is related to
have appeared miraculously to Vespasian in the
temple of Jupiter Serapis at Alexandria. (Tac.
Hist. iv. 82; Sueton. Vesp. 7.) Suetonius calls
him a freedman; but the reading is probably corrupt.
BASI'LIDES, a jurist, contemporary with Justinian, and one of a commission of ten employed
by the emperor to compile the first code, which
was afterwards suppressed, and gave place to thie
2a