Apollonius of Tyana Greek philosopher, representative of neo-Pythagoreanism Country: Greece

Biography of Apollonius of Tyana

Apollonius of Tyana, a Greek philosopher and representative of Neopythagoreanism, was born in the city of Tyana in the Roman province of Cappadocia in Asia Minor. Little is known about him with certainty, but he was an orator and philosopher who lived during the time of Jesus Christ. In the 4th century, Christians and popular writers compared him to Jesus of Nazareth. Apollonius was born into a respected and wealthy Greek family, but the exact dates of his birth and death remain unknown.

His main biographer, Philostratus the Elder, states that Apollonius lived from 3 BCE to 97 CE. Most scholars agree that he was roughly the same age as Jesus Christ. Charles Eells suggests that Apollonius was born three years before Jesus, whose birth date is also uncertain. However, in his work "The Life of Apollonius of Tyana," Philostratus describes him standing before King Vardanes I, who ruled between 40 and 47 CE. Based on this information, it is believed that Apollonius' adult life can be confined to the years 15 and 98 CE.

Apollonius is credited with numerous writings, some of which have been lost, while only fragments remain of others, the authenticity of which still needs to be proven. Porphyry and Iamblichus refer to a biography of Apollonius of Tyana written by Pythagoras, which has not survived to the present day. This biography is also mentioned in the Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia.

Apollonius wrote a treatise called "On Sacrifices," of which only one possibly authentic fragment has survived. If we consider Philostratus' work as a colorful fiction, then we know very little about the real, historical Apollonius. As James Francis wrote, "At most, it can be said that Apollonius appears to us as an astonishing ascetic, philosopher, and worker - a prototype familiar to the western part of the Roman Empire."

We can assume that he was a true Pythagorean and, in accordance with Pythagorean traditions, lived a simple life and abstained from eating meat. He spent his entire life in cities in Asia Minor and northern Syria, although his letters indicate that he also traveled, as many philosophers did at the time. As for his philosophical writings, there is a fascinating fragment from his treatise "On Sacrifices" in which he expresses his views. Apollonius believed that prayers and sacrifices cannot influence God, the most beautiful being in the world. He was not interested in being worshipped by humans. He believed that one can attain knowledge of God by using the intellect (known as "Nous"), as God represents Nous in its purest form, and Nous is the highest gift bestowed upon humans.

Philostratus' biography of Apollonius was collected and systematized by John Stobaeus, who also included the philosopher's presumed letters. Some of these letters are presented in full, while others are only fragments. Some letters have also been preserved in medieval manuscripts. It is difficult to determine which are genuine and which are not. Some of the letters may be forgeries or literary exercises collected in the compilation. It is claimed that Philostratus personally falsified some of the letters and included them in his work, while the rest were older forgeries that came into his possession. All these disputes are based on biases surrounding miraculous events, and despite Philostratus' reliable source, a complex non-scientific choice must be made - to believe him or not.