Nomos AG
obolos 24 21 Aug 2022
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EASTERN ASIA MINOR. Circa 3rd-4th century AD. Gnostic Tessera (Lead, 14 mm, 2.59 g, 12 h). Abrasax facing, with the head of a rooster and snakes for legs, holding a whip in his right hand and a shield with his left. Rev. IAω in one line. Highly interesting. Very fine.
From the J. Metzger Collection, USA.
This interesting tessera depicts the Basilidian Gnostic deity Abrasax, a god whose precise significance is uncertain. In one tradition, he is the All-Being, but he was not viewed in this way universally. The Catholic Church considers him a demon (see J. Collin de Plancy, Infernal Dictionary, 1818), stemming from the heretical teachings of Basilides, an early Christian Gnostic teacher from Alexandria who taught during the reign of Hadrian (117-138), and who claimed to have inherited his teachings from the apostle Saint Matthias.
From the J. Metzger Collection, USA.
This interesting tessera depicts the Basilidian Gnostic deity Abrasax, a god whose precise significance is uncertain. In one tradition, he is the All-Being, but he was not viewed in this way universally. The Catholic Church considers him a demon (see J. Collin de Plancy, Infernal Dictionary, 1818), stemming from the heretical teachings of Basilides, an early Christian Gnostic teacher from Alexandria who taught during the reign of Hadrian (117-138), and who claimed to have inherited his teachings from the apostle Saint Matthias.