Basilides maintained that he had had all his doctrines from the Apostle Matthew, and from Peter through Glaucus, the disciple of the latter.[262] According to Eusebius,[263] he published twenty-four volumes of _Interpretations upon the Gospels_,[264] all of which were burned, a fact which makes us suppose that they contained more truthful matter than the school of Irenæus was prepared to deny. He asserted that the unknown, eternal, and uncreated Father having first brought forth _Nous_, or Mind, the latter emanated from itself--the _Logos_. The Logos (the Word of John) emanated in its turn _Phronesis_, or the Intelligences (Divine-human spirits). From Phronesis sprung _Sophia_, or feminine wisdom, and _Dynamis_--strength. These were the personified attributes of the Mysterious godhead, the Gnostic quinternion, typifying the five spiritual, but intelligible substances, personal virtues or beings external to the unknown godhead. This is preëminently a kabalistic idea. It is still more Buddhistic. The earliest system of the Buddhistic philosophy--which preceded by far Gautama-Buddha--is based upon the uncreated substance of the “Unknown,” the A’di Buddha.[265] This eternal, infinite Monad possesses, as proper to his own essence, five acts of wisdom. From these it, by five separate acts of Dhyân, emitted five Dhyani Buddhas; these, like A’di Buddha, are quiescent in their system (passive). Neither A’di, nor either of the five Dhyani Buddhas, were ever incarnated, but seven of their emanations became Avatars, _i.e._, were incarnated on this earth. Describing the Basilidean system, Irenæus, quoting the Gnostics, declares as follows: “When the uncreated, _unnamed_ Father saw the corruption of mankind, he sent his first-born _Nous_, into the world, in the form of Christ, for the redemption of all who believe in him, out of the power of those who fabricated the world (the Demiurgus, and his six sons, the planetary genii). He appeared amongst men as the man, Jesus, and wrought miracles. This Christ did _not die_ in person, but Simon the Cyrenian suffered in his stead, _to whom he lent his bodily form_; for the Divine Power, the Nous of the Eternal Father, _is not corporeal_, and _cannot die_. Whoso, therefore, maintains that Christ has died, is still the bondsman of ignorance; whoso denies the same, he is free, and hath understood the purpose of the Father.”[266]