Son of God, born to a woman at the beginning of our era. A man who rallied disciples and admirers around himself, he wandered the earth, working miracles and even reviving the dead. He helped the rich and the poor, the noble and the rootless - sometimes with good advice, and sometimes with real magic.
Do you think you know who I'm talking about? No, this is not Jesus Christ at all. This is Apollonius of Tyana, a sage and seer who lived in the same age as the Messiah. And although his glory did not shine so brightly, he was an outstanding personality and hero of his time. There were even people who worshiped him … however, Apollonius himself did not like this.
THE BIRTH OF THE HEALER
Legend has it that before the birth of the sage, the sea deity Proteus appeared to the mother of Apollonius in a dream and warned her that he would endow his unborn child with his strength. Following his advice, the woman went to the meadow to pick flowers - and there she was surrounded by a flock of swans sent by Proteus. Birds circled around her in a dance and sang in unison - after this sacrament, Apollonius of Tyana was born.
Myths are myths, and the prophet was really born - in the first year of our era, in the ancient country of Cappadocia, in the city of Tiana. Now Turkey is located on the site of Cappadocia, and Tiana is remembered exclusively as the birthplace of Apollonius. It is known that from childhood he was distinguished by an extraordinary thirst for knowledge and amazing skill. Nevertheless, fourteen … Apollonius was kicked out of school! You can't guess why! For … excessive intelligence. The boy learned everything he could, and periodically began to instruct his teachers.
Two years after such a "graduation", Apollonius decided to devote himself to healing and came to the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing. But the craft, which other adepts studied all their lives, Apollonius learned to perfection in several years. Even as a young man, he could heal the sick with the simple laying on of hands. Able to become famous as the greatest healer of his time, he nevertheless strove to learn other sciences, without dwelling on one thing.
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DEAR PYTHAGORA
Apollonius of Tyana was one of the most devoted followers of the teachings of Pythagoras - both in philosophical and mystical directions. Following the precepts of social justice, he gave away a considerable fortune left to him from his parents, and devoted his life exclusively to good deeds, giving wise instructions and healing people.
The famous magician was greeted at the courts of Babylon and Assyria, where he made magnificent performances. They say that he was able to easily create food and drinks from the air, at his command bronze and marble statues came to life, servants disappeared and appeared. It is no longer possible to separate the myths from the truth over the years.
But this is already an undoubted fact of the life of Apollonius: after studying at the temple of Asclepius, he decided to go to India, following in the footsteps of Pythagoras. Surprising the rulers of cities and states with various miracles, the traveler received provisions, horses and guides for his difficult journey. The pinnacle of his wanderings is considered a visit to the mysterious Shambhala, which only a few people living on Earth managed to reach. The months spent with the wise men there greatly increased the abilities of Apollonius and opened up new facets of his talent.
ROMAN TROUBLES
A sage, a philosopher, a healer, a wandering sorcerer and a magician … Of course, Apollonius was admired! But he also had enemies: while entertaining and healing the mighty of this world, he did not at all want to flatter them. For which you had to pay. So, in Rome he was asked what he thinks of the emperor Nero. “You think that he is a singer, but it seems to me that he has a disgusting voice,” Apollonius snapped at the truth. Such a statement could not go unnoticed, and the sage was taken into custody. But during the tribunal, the unexpected happened: the scroll with numerous charges turned out to be completely empty when the prosecutor opened it. The judge was confused and had to release the sage to freedom.
The philosopher lived in Rome for several decades. Nero could not cope with him, and the next ruler, Vespasian, invited him to be his advisor. After Vespasian's death, the throne was inherited by his son Domitian, who developed a dislike for Apollonius and ordered his arrest. But the miracle worker only laughed at the guards, having easily freed himself from the shackles, and left Rome forever.
A COMPETITOR FOR CHRIST?
When you read the biography of such a majestic person, it is difficult to distinguish truth from fiction. About a hundred letters have survived, belonging to Apollonius himself, but their authenticity cannot be proven. The only work describing his life in detail is the eight-volume Life of Apollonius of Tina, by Philostratus the Elder, published in the year two hundred and twenty AD. This work, written in good literary language, is considered one of the monuments of antiquity, but how plausible is it described in it? Philostratus claimed that he collected information about Apollonius in the cities where he was loved, in the temples where he preached, from the letters of the philosopher himself and the stories of his disciples. Most of the material was the story of a certain Damis: a disciple of Apollonius, who accompanied him on almost all his travels.
Some critics believe that Philostratus the Elder's work contains no word of truth at all. Given the many fantastic elements of the narrative, as well as serious mistakes in geography, absolutely the whole story is declared fiction. Why did Philostratus write his "fairy tale"? the answer is this: he wanted to create an image of a pagan saint with great power in order to oppose it to Christ. The idea is evil, but, at first glance, not devoid of meaning. And only after reading the Life of Apollonius of Tyana in more detail, you can see what the author wanted to say with his work.
TEACHER OF TRUTH
First, there is not the slightest doubt that Apollonius really existed. Mentions of him are found in many countries where he visited, and nowhere, except, perhaps, the Roman Empire, was he considered a liar. Second, aside from the many miracles attributed to Apollonius, his teachings in no way portrayed Christianity as black. On the contrary, the philosopher rejected many pagan rites: first of all, bloody sacrifices and worship of animals. Apollonius recognized all existing religions as the true path to God, and put kindness and wisdom above all. Even if we assume that Philostratus greatly increased the glory of his hero, he clearly did not try to create an antipode of Jesus Christ. What he actually opposed was false prophets, sorcerers, fake magicians and charlatans of all stripes,which at that time there were a great many. Yes, Apollonius worked miracles, including before the earthly rulers, but he never demanded a reward for his labors. He extolled knowledge, not occult rituals, and willingly shared his wisdom with everyone.
It cannot be said that the image of Apollonius of Tyana stood out against the background of Christ and Pythagoras, because he preached the same wisdom and the same love. But this does not diminish his merits to posterity. Apollonius helped hundreds of the suffering, giving all of himself to a good cause. He believed that our world is based on goodness and wisdom - we will not forget about it either.
Maxim Filaretov