Abraxas is described as a powerful entity or deity.
In Gnostic belief, Abraxas is a god with many attributes.
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.
Abraxas also appears in literature and psychology, most notably in the work of Carl Jung.
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 still interests scholars, mystics and artists, and appears in literature, art and modern spirituality.
Original name: Abraxas.
Jung and the Red Book neighborhood equate Abraxas with Yaldabaoth in popular paraphrase.