Basilides of Pentapolis

BASILIDES of Pentapolis

BASIL the Great (pseudo). The Tractatus de consolatione in adversis, a short work composed probably in *Gaul on the occasion of the epidemic of 580, seems to have been written to console its readers, exhorting them to accept their sorrows in the light of Christ’s redemptive work. It was previously identified with the consoling letter sent by *Victor of Cartenna to a certain Basil (CPL 854) about his son’s death. CPL 999; PG 31, 1687-1704; DTC 15, 2876-2877; F. Görres, Der echte und falsche Victor von Cartenna: Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Theologie 49 (1906) 484-494.

P. Marone BASILIAD. Name given by *Gregory of Nazianzus to the “new city” (Or. 43,63) founded by *Basil the Great just outside the walls of his episcopal see of Caesarea for receiving and caring for *lepers, the injured, the sick, the *poor and *pilgrims. Named for Basil, the city was an application of the evangelical principles of poverty and charitable openness to the poor and needy, an openness born out of an intrinsic demand of being followers and imitators of Jesus Christ. Basil’s city exercised such an attraction on the people that the old city was gradually abandoned, and the city-hospice of St. Basil kept the name “new city” even after a century. M.M. Fox, The Life and Times of St. Basil the Great as Revealed in his Works, Washington, DC 1939; Ph. Rousseau, Basil of Caesarea, Berkeley, CA 1994; A. Holmes, A Life Pleasing to God: The Spirituality of the Rules of St. Basil, London 2000.

M.G. Bianco BASILIDES (2nd c.). According to information from *Clement of Alexandria (Strom. VII, 106,4), the *gnostic Basilides lived and taught at *Alexandria during the time of the emperors *Hadrian (117–138) and *Antoninus Pius (138–161). Basilides claimed the derivation of his teaching from a secret tradition going back to the apostle *Matthias (Hip., Ref. VII, 20,1-5); he also invoked Glaucias, Peter’s interpreter, as his teacher. *Hegemonius’s claim (Act. Arch. 67,4) that Basilides also taught in *Persia is confirmed by no other source. Twenty-Four Books on the Gospel are attributed to Basilides (Eus., HE IV, 7,7); he is accused by *Origen of having himself written a gospel (Hom. I in Lc.). Origen also said that Basilides wrote a book of Odes (In Job. 21,11; Pitra, Anal. S. II, 368). Interpretation of Basilides’s thought is complicated not only by the nature of the sources (exclusively heresiological) but also by their

lack of homogeneity: there is esp. a great difference between the full and detailed exposition of *Hippolytus, and those less extensive of *Irenaeus, Clement and Hegemonius. According to Hippolytus, Basilides held that from the “nonexistent” (ouvk w=n) God was derived the seed of the world, which contained all things in itself. From it, through successive generations, the world and a whole series of beings came about. Irenaeus does not mention the seed of the world, describing rather the series of successive emanations that, from the ungenerated Father, arrive at the angels, who in turn give origin to the 365 heavens: the angels of the last heaven created the world. Irenaeus also refers to Basilidian *Christology, which has traits typical of gnostic *docetism: the intellect sent by the Father was not crucified, but rather a certain Simon of Cyrene. Another description—more decisively *dualistic—of Basilides’s thought is offered by the Acta Archelai (4th-c. anti-*Manichean writing). The passage, taken from the “thirteenth book of his treatises,” is reported in a way that presents Basilides as a precursor of *Mani in the doctrine of the opposition between light and darkness. A critical judgment on this is particularly difficult, however, because here Basilides does not expound his own thought but reports that of others. Other aspects of Basilides’s thought—more clearly anthropological—are reported by Origen (from whom we learn that Basilides accepted the doctrine of the transmigration of *souls) and by Clement of Alexandria, whose fragments on *evil, the intrinsic sinfulness of the soul and the consequent need for *expiation reveal Basilidian pessimism. Irenaeus, Adv. haer. I, 24,3-7; Hippolytus, Ref. VII, 20-27; Clement Al., Strom. II, 113,3–114, 1; III, 1,1–3,2; IV, 81,1–83,1; 86,1; VI, 53,2-5; Act. Arch. 67,4-12; Origen, Com. Rom. V, 1; G. Quispel, L’Homme gnostique. La doctrine de Basilide: Eranos - Jb 16 (1948) 89-139; A. Orbe, Los “apéndices” de Basilide (Un capítulo de filosofía gnostica), Gregorianum 17 (1976) 81-107, 251-284; R.M. Grant, Place de Basilide dans la théologie chrétienne ancienne: REAug 25 (1979) 201-216; S. Pétrement, Le Dieu separé. Les origines du gnosticisme, Paris 1984, 459-473; M. Simonetti, Testi gnostici in lingua greca e latina, Milan 1993, 134-179; Marienlexikon 1,387.

A. Monaci Castagno BASILIDES of Pentapolis (3rd c.). Bishop of *Pentapolis, known as the addressee of a letter of *Dionysius of Alexandria (Ep. canonica ad Basilidem episcopum) on the length of *Lent and on the appropriate comportment for approaching the *Eucharist. CPG 1569; PG 10, 1271-1290; J.B. Pitra, Iuris ecclesiastici graecorum historia et monumenta, I, Rome 1864, 541-545; P.P. Joan-

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BASILISCUS nou, Fonti. Fascicolo IX. Discipline générale antique (IIe-IXe s.), II: Les canons des Pères grecs, Grottaferrata (Rome) 1963, 4-14.

P. Marone

BASSIANUS of Ephesus (mid-5th c.). A priest of *Ephesus, Bassanius had a ptocheion with 70 beds built for the poor and sick; he was proud of this work and became popular because of his charitable works. Out of envy his bishop, Memnon, with force and even blows, ordained him bishop of Euaza ca. 431 (Mansi 7, 273ff.), but he refused to go. Memnon was succeeded by Basil, who allowed Bassianus to remain in the city, and on Basil’s death the people elected him as their bishop, the choice being accepted by the emperor *Theodosius II. In 448 a rival group elected *Stephen. The 11th and 12th sessions of the Council of *Chalcedon dealt with the contest between Bassianus and Stephen, deciding that neither were fit to govern the Ephesian church and requiring them to resign with a substantial pension, to be paid by the church of Ephesus.

BASILISCUS. Emperor of the eastern Roman Empire (January 475–August 476), consul in 465 and 476, as magister militum moved against the *Goths from *Thrace, perhaps at the request of his sister Verina, wife of the emperor *Leo I (457–474); in 468 was supreme commander of a large expedition, organized by Leo I with the Western empire, against the *Vandals. Given Basiliscus’s ineptitude, largescale corruption and treacherous plots, the military campaign ended with the annihilation of the *Byzantine fleet by the Vandals. Basiliscus did save himself, and by Verina’s intercession obtained a pardon from the emperor. A conspiracy with generals Illus Mansi 7, 273-300; DHGE 6, 1274-1275; DCB 1, 298-299; D.J. and Theodoric Strabo led to *Zeno’s fall (474/475) Constantelos, Byzantine Philanthropy and Social Welfare, New and put Basiliscus on the throne; he crowned his Brunswick, NJ 1968. wife Zenonis queen, and his son Mark caesar. He L. Navarra ruled only twenty months: the usurper thought to consolidate his power by attacking the resolutions of the Council of *Chalcedon and allowing *Timothy BASSIANUS of Lodi (d. 409). Bishop of Lodi (Laus Aelurus to return from exile; the latter was received Pompeia) from ca. 373 to 409; an anti-*Arian, he with honor at *Constantinople by the emperor, but participated at the Council of *Aquileia in 381 (he not by the Patriarch Acacius. Timothy requested of was one of the bishops who condemned the Arian Basiliscus the encyclical (enkyklion) in which only *Palladius), and in 393 at the provincial Council of the councils of *Nicaea, Constantinople I and *Milan that accepted the condemnation of *Jovinian *Ephesus were recognized as valid, with Pope *Leo’s by Pope *Siricius. Mentioned as a friend of *Am*Tomus and the definition of Chalcedon explicitly re- brose (in Ep. 4 and in *Paulinus, Vita Ambr. 47), jected. Patriarch Acacius reacted immediately, stir- Bassanius had a church built in honor of the *aposring up clergy, monks and people, thus forcing tles (basilica apostolorum) outside the city walls on Basiliscus to promulgate an antiencyclical by which the road to *Rome; it was consecrated by Ambrose he revoked the earlier encyclical—the last act of his ca. 387 (PL 16, 889). Patron of the diocese of Lodi, theological adventures. In the meantime a fire de- his identification (by Savio) with *Pacian, who took stroyed much of the city; clergy, artisans and mer- part in the Roman synod of 372, has been rejected by chants were instigated to revolt against the emperor Lanzoni (Le diocesi d’Italia, II, Faenza 1927, 994). because of his tax policies; Verina became upset over the removal of her lover Patricius. General opinion F. Savio, Gli antichi vescovi d’Italia. La Lombardia II, Bergamo thus moved against Basiliscus, and Zeno, who had 1932, 156-161; G. Baroni, S. B. nella storia religiosa e civile, nell’arte, nelle lettere e nella legislazione, Lodi 1938; var. aus., San been imprisoned by Trocondus and Illus in a moun- Bassiano vescovo di Lodi. Studi nel XVI centenario della ordintain fortress, was able with the connivance of his azione episcopale 374-1974, Lodi 1974; Diocesi di Lodi, eds. A. guard to return to Constantinople. Basiliscus en- Caprioli et al., Brescia 1989, passim; PCBE 2,269–2,270. trusted himself to the church’s protection but was L. Navarra handed over by the patriarch and transferred to *Cappadocia with his wife and son, where he died of hunger in prison. BAUDONIVIA (late 6th–early 7th c.). Nun of the Monastery of the Holy Cross, *Poitiers, ordered by PWK, 3, 101ff.; I.E. Caraghiannopoulos, Historia Byzantinous the abbess Dedimia to write an enlargement of *Vekratous, Thessaloníki 1978, 300-304; E. Dovere, L’Enkyklion nantius Fortunatus’s Vita S. Radegundis—not to reBasiliskon. Un caso di normativa imperiale in Oriente su temi di dogmatica teologica: SDHI 51 (1985) 153-188; A. Grillmeier, peat him, but to add ea quae prolixitate praetermisit. Gesù il Cristo nella fede della Chiesa, Brescia 1996, 329-343. Baudonivia admits her lack of literary skill and uses J. Irmscher - C. Dell’Osso barbarisms common in Merovingian Latin but rises

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