Life of Apollonius

by Philostratus, C.P. Jones (Translator), Glen W. Bowersock (Introduction)

Apollonius is said to have been born in the early years of the Christian era in Cappadocia and according to Philostratus he raised the dead, healed the sick and ascended bodily into heaven. He was, as Professor Bowersock explains in his introduction, one of life's committed non-conformists who became a figure of importance in the great struggle of the pagans against the Christians. Later St. Augustine himself rebuked the foolishness of those who ranked Apollonius above Jesus Christ.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Classics, Biography, Religion, Ancient History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 238

Reviews

[Erick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've wanted to read Philostatus' account of Apollonius' activities for quite some time. Apollonius was a wandering Neo-Pythagorean ascetic, credited with being a wonder-worker. He seems to have been of the most interest to people of the modern era who would like to believe Jesus never really existed (yes, there are some foolish people who actually believe this). Strangely, there is far less evidence for Apollonius' existence. He is ignored by every contemporary historian, which is strange since he supposedly disappeared in the presence of Domitian; how that wasn't a noteworthy occurrence to someone like Plutarch, strongly suggests that the story was a fabrication like much of what is recounted by Philostratus.

Philostratus' account is really the only existing account we have of Apollonius' activities. He is mentioned in passing by Neo-Platonists like Iamblichus and Porphyry (biased sources to be sure), but is almost completely ignored by everyone else. Apollonius was supposedly a contemporary of Jesus. Philostratus lived in the 3rd century, so his account as it stands is very late. He is dependent on two supposedly earlier accounts primarily. One account was composed by Apollonius' supposed travel partner, a man named Damis. How much embellishment was done by Philostratus (or an earlier source) is difficult to tell because those two supposed early accounts no longer exist. The account of Apollonius' healings has every appearance of being a textual interpolation. It is inserted starkly into an account of his philosophical discussions with an Indian nobleman that is located near the end of the book. Almost nothing else in the entire account bears any similarity to Christ at all. It is far more likely that the gospel narrative inspired that portion than the other way around. Pagans probably felt some kind of need to produce a figure that could be molded into a miracle worker (even if there were very little suggestion in the earliest accounts that he performed any miraculous healings at all) in order to compete with Christianity; Porphyry's later polemical use seems to support this. Apollonius probably was the closest they could come to a Christ like figure. His life was subsequently romanticized and much folklore accumulated regarding him and other elements were added purposely to make him seem like he had extraordinary powers of healing.

Philostratus' Life of Apollonius is very similar to the semi-Gnostic Christian apocrypha that was composed around the same time (e.g. the Acts of Thomas springs to mind). It is full of fabulous stories of dragons, pygmies, lodestones, etc, that were the kind of standard elements of romantic tales of the time. It is interesting though that the account regarding dragons does look remarkably similar to some of the rituals that are known to occur with King Cobras in India; so that may actually have some thread of truth. Some of the travels of Apollonius may be based in history, but there isn't any definite way to determine what is historical about him and what is pure fiction. Of course, that won't stop people who have a penchant for anti-Christian sensationalism. Dealing with these types is like dealing with flat earthers, or any other absurd conspiracy theory that suits a biased agenda; these people aren't particularly rational, so it's a waste of time trying to talk sense to them.

Philostratus' account of the life of Apollonius is an interesting example of third century romantic story telling. It is largely ahistorical. It's a book that is a product of a couple of centuries of folklore that surrounded a figure that was known among certain people, but wasn't popular enough to be mentioned in standard histories. The benefit of there being no well known early account of his life meant that material could be added later and no one would know the difference. Hardly surprising that he became far more popular way after he died. After the accumulation of material, he became super human. Sadly, there isn't much in here that even qualifies as profound philosophy. Most of Apollonius' sayings included in here were philosophical truisms by that time and could be found in earlier works.

If someone simply wants to know what Philostratus' wrote, or if someone is simply interested in Neo-Pythagoreanism, this book could be recommended. It's interesting romance, but not that interesting as philosophy. Of course, as modern fodder for propaganda, it doesn't have to be all that profound, I suppose. I give it around 2-and-a-half stars.

[Joseph F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who like classics, this is one of those books that are probably a bit off the beaten path, and worthy of checking out.
Apollonius of Tyana was a miracle worker of antiquity who was, if he really lived, a near contemporary of Jesus. So for all you neo-pagans out there who are looking for a pagan holy man as a counterpart to Jesus, well this is your guy. I don't know if he really lived; he might at least have been inspired by someone at the time.
The story has our hero traveling the world, learning wisdom from those wiser than himself, and sharing it with those who are dumber than him. I put it this way because I found Apollonius a tad pompous at times; an old smarty-pants without the humility of Socrates. Yes I appreciated the fact that philosophy was all important to him, but at times I really disagreed with him about things that he was adamant about. For example, when arguing with the Egyptian philosophers, he chides them for representing their gods as animals rather than the nobler way the Greeks saw them. The Egyptians answer by saying Apollonius is not correctly understanding how they see the gods. The gist of the writing I felt was on the side of Apollonius, but my sympathies were with the Egyptians. There are other examples as well.
Of course Apollonius is also wrong about certain scientific opinions, but I can't fault the writer for that due to the knowledge of the time.
The engine that runs the virtue of Apollonius is his love for the gods and how they should be worshipped. Blood must not be shed during rituals. Because of this, and the fact that he lives a certain way (such as eating very little and keeping vegetarian), allows him to develop certain powers. Thus he can tell if a demon is among the crowd disguised as a person, or being able to know what is going on in another place without him being there, or to see into people's past lives. He was, after all, a Pythagorian; they believed in past lives.
There is something Indian about this, that is, developing powers by denying yourself luxuries. And this is no surprise since an important part of Apollonius' education is a trip to India to meet the holy Brahmans.
In spite of how interesting this is, in the end I was not really blown away by this book. I liked it, I just did not really like it. It did not teach me much apart from some little bits of wisdom hear and there. Maybe if I really believed in such things as religion, reincarnation and starving myself while walking around in a piece of linen it might have meant more to me. Despite all the wisdom it tries to celebrate, it naturally does not teach how to perform miracles, the real interesting parts of this story. (I would of course probably be accused by Apollonius of not being worthy).
There are also long stretches of dull dialog and soliloquys, although not always bad at times if you are patient.

[Peter J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out quite unrealistic for maybe the first 1/3 with his visits to India etc and the enlightened Brahmas floating around and reading minds. It came alive however in the rest when it got into the deep philosophical discussions between Apollonius and various others including four Roman Emperors; Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. The part during his encounter with the horrid Domitian being by far my favorite.

While I don't agree with him on everything, and some of his opinions are glaringly incorrect in the light of modernity, overall, he ranks with Socrates in my opinion regarding both succinctity and profundity.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the first example in literature of an insufferable Vegetarian. This book was written by Philostratus on request of a Roman Empress; I get the distinct impression that the author "phoned it in." Apollonius was a 1st century CE "philosopher" and reformer of pagan practices. He was a Pythagorean, and therefore opposed animal sacrifice (which by the way provided meat to the people during religious festivals). He also performed many miracles--raising the dead, etc. He made some enemies along the way, most apparently the Stoic Euphrates, who was admired by Pliny the Younger. Apollonius sucked up to Vespasian, and ultimately was tried by the Emperor Domitian for charges that he was a wizard who performed human sacrifice. He was acquitted of the charges but wisely disappeared from the proceedings.

The above description omits the many tedious chapters in the book. There is no real "philosophy" expounded by Apollonius. I suspect the reason the author goes to great lengths to call him a philosopher is to defend him from charges that he was a wizard or magician.

Although some sections were interesting, ultimately I can't recommend the book.

[Marc Gerstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a thorough and at times interesting exposition of a less-recognized Roman orator-philosopher who some thought might be a rival to Jesus. But by offering what’s essentially an information dump (in contrast to the more artfully crafted works created by Jesus’ followers), Apollonius isn’t seem as having quite the same street, or mount, cred. I was at one point tempted to give Philostratus (the author who wrote this a bit after the death of Apollonius at the request of a commission from Julia Domna, wife of emperor Lucius Septimius, and, I presume, a fan of Mr. A) given that his heart may not have been in it (he probably couldn’t say no to a fan whose hubby is the current Caesar). I don’t know. Parts were good, but on the whole, it just didn’t grab me.

[Roger Bundridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bro predicted death

[Camiel 2004 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prachtige keuze voor mijn eerste boek van 2026, geef me nu goede punten aub

[Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apollonius was a Pythagorean philosopher and sage that lived in Anatolia within the Roman Empire in the first century AD.

Philostratus describes Apollonius having a single disciple, named Damis, kept journals that he based his work on. The pair travelled to Arabia, Persia, India and Egypt to learn from the various philosophers and sages along the way. He is described as displaying deep wisdom and performing many miracles, including healing the sick, predicting the future, expelling demons, talking to animals, knowing all languages, teleportation, and ultimately being immortal.

Throughout the biography, Apollonius’s rival philosopher Euphrates is popping up along his journeys and spreading rumors or otherwise trying to stymie his goals. They send mean letters to each other and eventually, Euphrates is able to get Apollonius arrested for wizardry and judged by Emperor Domitian. Apollonius goes before Domitian, says he is innocent but that he has no power over him as he is not mortal and then blinks out of the room. His followers find he had teleported miles away. He then goes bodily into heaven.

I first heard of Apollonius through Rene Girard’s book I See Satan Fall Like Lightning, where he describes a scene from Philostratus’ work. There is a plague in Ephesus and Apollonius comes into town. There is a sick old man begging in the street. Apollonius says the old man is actually a demon and embodiment of the plague and the town has to kill him. The townspeople stone the old man to death, and after the old man screams for mercy they say they see his face turn into a demon. The plague then ends. Girard used this in comparison to Jesus who sacrificed himself rather than others, showing the uniqueness and superiority of Jesus.

The comparisons between Apollonius and Jesus started thousands of years ago, with Eusebius writing a full treatise denouncing Apollonius and Philostratus’s account. He points out many inconsistencies in the biography, making some strong and weaker points. However, the story is really meant as an idealized archetype of a pagan philosopher, written explicitly in response to a rising Christianity. He shows a detachment from humanity and love of knowledge above all else. One can see why that would appeal to some but didn’t have the legs to ignite a philosophical pagan revival.

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessante.
Il Cristo pagano era stato definito, ed in effetti, quando uno legge la vita di Apollonio risulta chiaro il perché di questa definizione. Chissà quanti come lui ce n'erano in giro per il mondo, romano e non, in quei due secoli. Poi per carità, come per i vangeli cristiani, apocrifi o canonici, restano tutte belle favola senza fondamento reale fatte per incantare la gente e rendere più facile il controllo.
Perché, non dimentichiamolo mai, Dio è amore, ma sopratutto è Controllo e Condizionamento.
2 stelle e mezza.

[earlgray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prof said this would be like reading the Bible—but it felt more like diving back into the world of GREEK MYTH! What a beauty. Apollonius the DIVINE holy man—foreshadowed a lot of what Jesus would do (with his wisdom teachings and healings).

[Mario Sergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para os estudiosos do cristianismo o primeiro século de nossa era é de extrema importância e mesmo assim conhecemos muito pouco desta época.

Um dos personagens destes tempos foi Apolônio de Tiana, cujas primeiras referências escritas em língua moderna foram publicadas apenas no século 19. Apolônio viveu no século I e suas atividades se deram precisamente entre associações religiosas, seitas e colégios e o estudo de suas atividades trariam grande luz sobre quem realmente ele foi.

No entanto, a partir do século IV parece que ele foi considerado uma ameaça ao cristianismo e o sábio de Tiana começou a ser olhado como charlatão e anticristão o que tornou ainda mais difícil o esclarecimento desse personagem, que passou a maior parte de sua vida tentando reformar os cultos do Império romano. O Império Romano estava então no zenite de seu poderio.

Para quem nunca ouviu falar de Apolônio, ele nasceu no alvorecer do cristianismo, em Tiana, na Capadócia. De acordo com a tradição popular, seu nascimento foi brindado com milagres e portentos. Com a idade de 16 adotou a rigidez dos Pitagóricos e assumiu uma vida monástica abandonando o vinho, renunciando ao casamento, se recusando a ingerir qualquer tipo de carne e particularmente condenando o sacrifício de animais para divindades. Logo se estabeleceu como um reformador e se fixando na cidade de Eubea (Aegae) tomou residência no templo de Esculápio, onde rapidamente granjeou uma reputação de santidade, que fazia com que as pessoas doentes se locomovessem até ele buscando obter cura. Manteve um regime de rígido ascetismo e pobreza condenando qualquer tipo de diversão e pedindo às pessoas que gastassem suas riquezas para amenizar a vida dos mais pobres. Visitou a Pérsia e a India e teve contato com doutrina religiosa Hindu. Vistou também o Egito. Foi preso por Nero e posteriormente por Domiciano. Morreu em avançada idade e reza a tradição que o seu corpo subiu aos ceus tendo depois aparecido para certas pessoas que mantinham dúvidas sobre vida após a morte.

No fim do século III quando a briga entre o cristianismo e o decadente paganismo se acirrou, Apolônio de Tiana começou a ter sobre si sérias objeções da nascente organização da Igreja Crista Primitiva e então suas vida e feitos foram considerados como um perigo para o cristianismo. Eusébio de Cesárea, um dos patriarcas da Igreja ,se preocupou em considerá-lo um charlatão e afirmar que suas façanhas, se existiram, eram provenientes de espíritos inferiores e eram demoníacas.

A presente obra sobre a Vida de Apolônio, foi escrita por Philostrato no ano 172 e traduzida para o inglês em 1811, por um clérigo irlandês. Vale a pena ler para conhecermos este personagem tão pouco referenciado e que alguns apontam como base para o mito cristão.

[Stephen]

On the First Volume, Books 1-4 (the Loeb Classic)

If you love to read writings from ancient people then it's ehhh...okay to read this book.
If you don't like being lied to then don't bother with it.

As the story goes, Empress Julia Domina, wife of Emperor Septimius Severus and mother to Caracalla and Greta who was killed by his brother, then co-emperor, in front of his mother commissioned Philostratus to write the story about Apollonius approximately a hundred plus years after his death apparently to appease her son? She died in 217AD and the book was completed some time in 220's.

The book is supposedly the story of a widely traveled Pythagorean philosopher that lived in the time of Jesus Christ and is said to have rivaled Jesus Christ in fame, followers, wisdom, miracles and the like. Whatever the evidence for this is it was poorly demonstrated in books I-IV.

The draw to this book for me was his supposed travel to India to study under tutelage of their religious leaders who at the time and location of his travels would of been either Hindu Brahmins or Buddhist Monks, or off shoots there of. To tell this story Philostratus relied on a discovered manuscript from a purported acolyte named Damis, of Apollonius who supposedly is giving a first hand account of Apollonius and his travels. What comes in the story can be summed up in one word, trite. The wisdom and miracles described seem ineffectual and if you know anything at all about Hinduism or Buddhism then you will find that there is no indication that Apollonius met with any such religious leaders. Void are the descriptions of their religion, rites, philosophies, cosmology, gods, meta physics or what have you. Nothing, zilch.

I dutifully finished the first volume but will not bother with the second volume.
The "you decide" aspect of the story is decided. The book is a crock. Fortunately it was an easy read and I do love the little Loeb books, just not this one. If there is anything to the Apollonius story, Philostratus did not find it, given what was writ in volume I.

[Sosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life of Apollonius is a book that will ultimately be recognized as superior in literary quality to the Gospels, with the possible exception of the non-narrative Gospel of Thomas. The most exciting aspects of the Jesus and Socrates narratives are captured in Apollonius's epic journeys. It's also more crisp and modern-feeling than those hazy Greek or Roman epics. We accompany Apollonius from city to city, country to country, as he meets, teaches, and befriends; performs miracles; and stands up against two tyrannical Roman emperors. His grasp of divine justice is as unparalleled as his courage. His wisdom is profound and his pronouncements ring true.

The Christian church's disapproval of Life of Apollonius, spearheaded by the sophist Eusebius in the 4th century, has caused its reputation to suffer, if only because Christians are the only ones who want to read something like this. On a similar note, the book's most notable translator, F.C. Conybeare, has a book on Christianity called "Myth, Magic, and Morals" that I'm eager to dive into. In the first chapter, he asks whether it was really Jesus's divinity that caused Christianity to go global, or if Paul deserves most of the credit for that. Paul himself convinced everyone that Jesus did it, by divinely inspiring him. Eusebius agrees. Conybeare questions the extent of the changes Paul made to the teachings in order to popularize them. None of it really matters anyway though, because Apollonius was better.

[Squire Whitney: Hufflepuff Book Reviwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Reading Apollonius of Tiana can be certainly useful in order to better grasp the world of ancient mythology (hence the solid three-star rating), but I did not get far into it before becoming deeply bored. I am already entirely convinced that any parallels that anyone endeavors to draw between Apollonius and Jesus are far overstated. The few similarities between them are often articulated conveniently by the likes of Bart Ehrman to sound more prominent than they indeed are. Moreover, the character and views of the two men (at least as far as we can tell by their biographical accounts) could hardly stand further apart. Whereas Jesus was the lover of the outcast and the marginalized, Apollonius was prone to marginalize—insisting that anyone with handicaps has been cursed by the “gods” (yes, he believed in multiple gods) and at one point even commanding the stoning of a “nobody” as a sacrifice in order to undo a plague. Yeah, nice try, Bart Ehrman.

[David Celley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a difficult read, but one must remember that it was written about 1800 years ago and translated to modern English over 100 years ago probably from from ancient texts. I enjoyed learning about Apollonius, who was wise sage of his time.

[Lulu]

Life of Apollonius of tyana c. 217-238 CE

Read the Loeb version ?

[Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

un loquillo este Apolonio, el primer "me la suda soy manolo" que conservamos