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Abraxas is described as a powerful entity or deity. In Gnostic belief, Abraxas is a god with many attributes. On ancient amulets and gems he is often shown with the head of a rooster, the body of a human and snakes for legs. The figure stands for a supreme being who holds both the divine and the demonic.
The name also matters in numerology. Its letters add up to the mystical number 365, the number of days in the year, which makes it a symbol of the completeness of the universe.
Irenaeus on Abraxas and the number 365
Irenaeus, writing against the followers of Basilides, links the 365 heavens of their teaching to the name Abraxas.
They hold that their chief is Abraxas; and, on this account, that word contains in itself the numbers amounting to three hundred and sixty-five.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.24.7 (tr. Roberts and Rambaut, 1885)
Abraxas also appears in literature and psychology, most notably in the work of Carl Jung. Jung read the figure as the driving force of synthesis, a unity between opposing forces within the psyche. A related figure from Gnostic tradition has its own page: Yaldabaoth.
Mystical and historical role
Abraxas was invoked in ancient magic rituals. The name also appears on gemstones, known as Abraxas stones, which were believed to have protective and mystical powers.
Some early Christian writers, such as Irenaeus, saw Abraxas as a heretical idea and linked it to the Gnostic sects they sought to discredit.
In modern times, Carl Jung treated Abraxas as a symbol of the union of opposites, and the figure played a key role in his study of the human psyche.
Abraxas in broader culture
Abraxas still interests scholars, mystics and artists, and appears in literature, art and modern spirituality. The figure speaks to people exploring unity, paradox and the hidden forces that shape existence.
