APOLLONIUS OF TYANA

Neopythagorean philosopher and alleged wonder-worker; b. Tyana in Cappadocia; fl. first century a.d. The chief source for his career is the Life of Apollonius, written in Greek, by Philostratus II (b. c. a.d. 170), a typical representative of the second sophistic, who enjoyed the patronage of the Emperor Septimius Severus (a.d. 193–211) and his wife Julia Domna. Apollonius is described as a wandering ascetic and teacher, a miracle-worker, who traveled as far East as India and who barely escaped death under Nero and Domitian. As a clairvoyant he foretold the death of the latter. Philostratus apparently wished to present his hero as an ideal representative of Pythagoreanism and to refute charges that Apollonius was a common magician or charlatan. It is quite possible, as De Labriolle suggests, that Philostratus became acquainted with the Gospel narrative and utilized some of its elements to transform Apollonius into a kind of pagan Christ.

In spite of the unreliability of the Life, Apollonius should be regarded as a historical person and as a Neopythagorean teacher, although there is no precise information extant on his doctrine. The Life was very popular among pagans in the third and fourth centuries. Sossianus Hierocles, a high official under Diocletian, wrote a book against the Christians in which he employed the work of Philostratus to make an unfavorable comparison between the life and miracles of Christ and those of Apollonius. The great Church historian, Eusebius, refuted this attack on Christianity in his Contra Hieraclem.

Bibliography: a. bigelmair, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 1:718–720. k. gross, Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, ed. t. klauser (Stuttgart 1950) 1:529–533, with bibliography. p. de labriolle, La Réaction paiënne: Étude sur la polémique antichrétienne du I ^er au VI^e siècle (6th ed. Paris 1942) 175–189.

[m. r. p. mcguire]