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Article CHAPTER IV. ← Page 6 of 8 →
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Chapter Iv.
Rome ; as Jupiter , Apollo , Hercules , Canopus , Diana , with her how and arrows , inscribed with the name of the angel GABRIEI , , the three graces , 6 cc . One is inscribed , " There is bat ONE Jupiter Serapis . " Thus uniting in a single individual the Greek and Egyptian deity . Another presents a figure of Fortune , with an inscription promising " good fortune to Xistus . " Several are impressed with cabalistic characterswhich none understand but the fabricatorsand perhaps they
, , themselves were ignorant of their true interpretation . The figure of Canopus , however , was doubtless a talisman of health , for it bore on the reverse the pentalpha , or endless triangle , which constituted the farfamed seal of Solomon , and was used by these fanatics for the purpose of driving away diseases , as the people of the east applied it to the prevention or cure of witchcraft . 6 . The Abraxas of this class are constructed of a much larger size
for the purpose of containing extended inscriptions ; and few of them have any figures or symbolical representations . These inscriptions consist generally of a series of cabalistic words , intermingled with the names of the Basilidean Intelligences , and are intended as a preservative against the power of evil demons . The words IAO and SABAOTH are abundantly used , as well as those of ABRACAS , SALLAMAXA , BAMAIAOHA , AGANACIIBASAMMAZAZALLABand many otherswhich are the names
, , , , of the above powers . Some are intended for the protection of cities , others to guard individuals from disease , to produce fecundity , and for a happy deliverance from child-bearing . Montfaucon was in possession of a cast sent from Italy , of a talisman of this class , which had on one side the head of Alexander the Great covered with a lion ' s skin , and on
the reverse an ass suckling a colt , with the inscription D . N . I HVXP S DEI FILIVS . He also describes a crystal which was celebrated for consulting spirits . It is globular , oval , and transparent , with the names of various Basilidean powers visible within it . It is an extraordinary specimen , but the explanation is too long for introduction here . 7 . We now come to the seventh and last class of these gems , which contain the names of the celestial powers or Eons of the Gnostics .
They were 365 in number , each having a separate portion of the human body assigned to its protection . Many of these names are lost , but Monlfaucon has preserved upwards of a hundred , most of them being barbarous , and some unpronounceable . These amulets generally contain figures of the constellations , planets , and celestial signs , and some hear all the signs of the zodiac . On an amulet with five faces there are so many inscriptions , each commencing with a different version of the
Sacred Name n " in \ thus : . JKOYAIIO , JEOAYEO , JAEOIEO , EOYIAOE , and EIEOIOA . It appears to have been a kind of palladium or amulet for the protection of a city ; as the meaning of the inscription is : " Jehovah , Holg One , Preserve the city of the Milesians and its inhabitants from all dangers . " I conclude this extended dissertation with an explanation , out of the same authorof " the facultie of Abracor Abracadabra , which was
, , used by the Basilideans in the cure of agues and other diseases ; and the directions for its efficacious application were as follows . It was to be written several times on a piece of paper , in eleven lines , retrenching one letter in each line , until it terminated in an inverted cone . The paper was then to be folded and sealed according to art , and tied round the neck of the patient . The cure , it is said , was certain to follow .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Chapter Iv.
Rome ; as Jupiter , Apollo , Hercules , Canopus , Diana , with her how and arrows , inscribed with the name of the angel GABRIEI , , the three graces , 6 cc . One is inscribed , " There is bat ONE Jupiter Serapis . " Thus uniting in a single individual the Greek and Egyptian deity . Another presents a figure of Fortune , with an inscription promising " good fortune to Xistus . " Several are impressed with cabalistic characterswhich none understand but the fabricatorsand perhaps they
, , themselves were ignorant of their true interpretation . The figure of Canopus , however , was doubtless a talisman of health , for it bore on the reverse the pentalpha , or endless triangle , which constituted the farfamed seal of Solomon , and was used by these fanatics for the purpose of driving away diseases , as the people of the east applied it to the prevention or cure of witchcraft . 6 . The Abraxas of this class are constructed of a much larger size
for the purpose of containing extended inscriptions ; and few of them have any figures or symbolical representations . These inscriptions consist generally of a series of cabalistic words , intermingled with the names of the Basilidean Intelligences , and are intended as a preservative against the power of evil demons . The words IAO and SABAOTH are abundantly used , as well as those of ABRACAS , SALLAMAXA , BAMAIAOHA , AGANACIIBASAMMAZAZALLABand many otherswhich are the names
, , , , of the above powers . Some are intended for the protection of cities , others to guard individuals from disease , to produce fecundity , and for a happy deliverance from child-bearing . Montfaucon was in possession of a cast sent from Italy , of a talisman of this class , which had on one side the head of Alexander the Great covered with a lion ' s skin , and on
the reverse an ass suckling a colt , with the inscription D . N . I HVXP S DEI FILIVS . He also describes a crystal which was celebrated for consulting spirits . It is globular , oval , and transparent , with the names of various Basilidean powers visible within it . It is an extraordinary specimen , but the explanation is too long for introduction here . 7 . We now come to the seventh and last class of these gems , which contain the names of the celestial powers or Eons of the Gnostics .
They were 365 in number , each having a separate portion of the human body assigned to its protection . Many of these names are lost , but Monlfaucon has preserved upwards of a hundred , most of them being barbarous , and some unpronounceable . These amulets generally contain figures of the constellations , planets , and celestial signs , and some hear all the signs of the zodiac . On an amulet with five faces there are so many inscriptions , each commencing with a different version of the
Sacred Name n " in \ thus : . JKOYAIIO , JEOAYEO , JAEOIEO , EOYIAOE , and EIEOIOA . It appears to have been a kind of palladium or amulet for the protection of a city ; as the meaning of the inscription is : " Jehovah , Holg One , Preserve the city of the Milesians and its inhabitants from all dangers . " I conclude this extended dissertation with an explanation , out of the same authorof " the facultie of Abracor Abracadabra , which was
, , used by the Basilideans in the cure of agues and other diseases ; and the directions for its efficacious application were as follows . It was to be written several times on a piece of paper , in eleven lines , retrenching one letter in each line , until it terminated in an inverted cone . The paper was then to be folded and sealed according to art , and tied round the neck of the patient . The cure , it is said , was certain to follow .