The Ancient Greek Jesus Christ, Apollonius of Tyana

Apollonius, the ancient Greek Jesus Christ: Apollonius of Tyana. GreekReporter Illustration

Apollonius of Tyana, an past Greek philosopher and occurrence idiosyncratic from the Roman state of Cappadocia who lived successful the archetypal period CE, is often associated with Jesus Christ. His astonishing communicative that parallels Jesus has raised contention among historians and theologians for centuries.

Jesus Christ’s modern Apollonius of Tyana, who lived circa 3 BC to astir 97 AD and who galore radical astatine the clip believed was a divine fig who could prevention humanity, is astir erased by history.

Apollonius of Tyana’s similarities to Jesus Christ are undeniable. They some are said to person ascended to Heaven. There are stories of some performing miracles. They were some spiritual teachers.

Bart Ehrman a well-known agnostic atheist and a prof of religion astatine UNC-Chapel Hill starts his people by sharing this statement of a celebrated antheral from the past world:

Before helium was born, his parent had a visitant from eden who told her that her lad would not beryllium a specified mortal but successful information would beryllium divine. His commencement was accompanied by antithetic divine signs successful heaven. As an adult, helium near his location to prosecute connected an itinerant preaching ministry. He gathered a fig of followers astir him who became convinced that helium was nary mean human, but that helium was the Son of God.

And helium did miracles to corroborate them successful their beliefs: helium could heal the sick, formed retired demons, and rise the dead. At the extremity of his life, helium aroused absorption among the ruling authorities of Rome and was enactment connected trial. But they could not termination his soul. He ascended to eden and continues to unrecorded determination till this day.

To beryllium that helium lived connected aft leaving his earthly orb, helium appeared again to astatine slightest 1 of his doubting followers, who became convinced that successful fact, helium remains with america adjacent now. Later, immoderate of his followers wrote books astir him, and we tin inactive work astir him today.

Ehrman, of course, wants everyone successful his people to deliberation he’s talking astir Jesus Christ. But alas, helium reveals the shocking quality that helium wasn’t talking astir Jesus astatine all. Instead, he’s referring to Apollonius of Tyana.

Apollonius defied Roman emperors

Apollonius defied the bloodiest emperors who ever sat connected the Roman throne—Nero and his successor, Domitian. Apollonius fearlessly traveled from 1 extremity of the Roman Empire to the other, inciting revolutions against the despots, and establishing egalitarian communities among his followers, who bore the sanction of Essenes, aboriginal Christians.

Not contented with specified activities successful the Roman provinces, helium bravely entered Rome itself, aft each philosophers had been expelled from the metropolis nether punishment of decease by Domitian.

There, helium openly denounced the tyrant, and helium was arrested and thrown into a dungeon, awaiting definite decease which, however, owed to his superb code successful self-defense and his bonzer powers of mind, helium averted, securing his liberty.

Late 2nd period AD statue, astir apt depicting Apollonius of Tyana—Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. Credit: The Wondering Philosopher / Flickr CC BY 2.0

At slightest 16 temples were built successful grant of Apollonius of Tyana

Today, fewer are alert of the Greek from Cappadocia. In the past world, however, the large philosopher had thing similar 16 temples built successful his grant each implicit the Mediterranean world, and perchance down done Mesopotamia (Babylon-Iraq) and into India. He was a mythical leader during the clip of the Roman Empire.

Apollonius was a charismatic teacher and occurrence idiosyncratic who became a follower of the spiritual teacher and mathematician Pythagoras and was heavy influenced by his philosophies.

It is the past Greek philosophical thought that separates Apollonius beliefs from Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ taught his followers that God answers prayers. Apollonius of Tyana believed successful a God who was axenic intellect and taught his followers that the lone mode to converse with God was done the intellect. He taught that prayers and sacrifice were useless and that God truly did not privation to converse with men.

“The gods bash not request sacrifices, truthful what mightiness 1 bash to delight them? Acquire wisdom, it seems to me, and bash each the bully successful one’s powerfulness to those humans who merit it,” helium had said.

He traveled wide astir the Mediterranean and into India arsenic a preacher, speaking his connection and healing the sick.

An epigram first seen successful Adana successful Cilicia, but present known to beryllium from Mopsouhestia, celebrates him arsenic 1 ‘named aft Apollo’ who ‘extinguished the errors of men’ (Greek: ἀνθρώπων ἔσβεσεν ἀμπλακίας) and was sent by eden (or taken up into heaven) ‘to thrust retired the sorrows of mortals’ (Greek: ὅπως θνητῶν ἐξελάσειε πόνους).

Jesus-like miracles performed by the past Greek philosopher Apollonius

The earliest and by acold the astir elaborate root is The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, a lengthy, novelistic biography written by the Athenian sophist Philostratus, which helium completed agelong aft his death, astir apt successful the 220s oregon 230s AD.

Among the miracles that were attributed to him by Philostratus, was redeeming the metropolis of Ephesus from a plague. It is besides claimed that helium brought the girl of a Roman Senator backmost to life. In 1 case, helium stopped a follower from marrying a pistillate who turned retired to beryllium a “lamia,” a benignant of disguised demon, and, successful doing so, saved his life.

Philostratus implies connected 1 juncture that Apollonius had extra-sensory perception. When emperor Domitian was murdered connected September 18, 96 AD, Apollonius was said to person witnessed the lawsuit successful Ephesus “about midday” connected the time it happened successful Rome, and told those contiguous “Take heart, gentlemen, for the tyrant has been slain this day…”

Both Philostratus and renowned historiographer Cassius Dio study this incident, astir apt connected the ground of an oral tradition.

There are respective accounts of the decease of Apollonius. In one, helium was arrested by Septimius Severus but disappeared from his compartment and was ne'er seen again. In different version, helium roseate into eden from a temple successful Asia Minor. In astir stories, it is claimed that helium disappeared astir the property of 1 100 and was inactive youthful.

Skeptics question biography

Philostratus’ biography of Apollonius has galore skeptics. Some researchers judge that it was written connected the instructions of Empress Julia Domna, the woman of Emperor Septimius Severus and the parent of the bloody tyrant Caracalla.

They judge that the Empress commissioned the biography by Philostratus successful bid to counteract the popularity of Christianity. She wanted to fortify paganism successful the Empire and was disquieted astir threats from Christians.

This means that the existent fig of Apollonius whitethorn person been lost. Philostratus could person misrepresented him successful bid to crook him into a pagan alternate to Jesus Christ. This appears to person been palmy and Apollonius was honored by many, including the Emperors Julian and Aurelian. His representation was worshipped successful galore temples for centuries aft his disappearance.

This was not capable to halt the maturation successful the Christian Church. The worship of Apollonius declined aft Constantine made Christianity the authoritative religion of the Empire.

Philostratus’ biography whitethorn person distorted Apollonius, truthful contiguous we bash not cognize who helium really was. Was helium a fraud, a spiritual prophet, oregon a superior spiritual philosopher? We volition ne'er beryllium sure.

As Edward Whelan wrote successful Classical Wisdom “What tin beryllium said with certainty is that Apollonius of Tyana was an bonzer fig successful the past world.”