Apollonius of Tyana (Public Domain Image)

The Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Philostratus tr. F.C Conybeare [1912]

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Contents Start Reading Page Index

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Philostratus |  Epistles of Apollonius |  Eusebius

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...[O]n the next day he went into the temple and said to the priest: "Give me a thousand drachmas out of the treasury of Zeus, if you think he will not be too much annoyed." And the priest answered: "Not at that; what will annoy him will be if you do not take more."--VIII, xvii (Vol. II, p. 375)

As Conybeare quaintly notes in the introduction to his Loeb edition of Philostratus' (alas, probably largely fictional) biography of Apollonius, '...for there is in it much that is very good reading and it is lightly written.' Well, this is probably not summer beach reading material, but this is an archaic delight to read, like Mandeville.

We get to visit far-flung lands at the height of the Roman Empire, from India and Africa to Spain. The sage is on a quest for knowledge, with his faithful companion Damis. Reputedly, Apollonius was clairvoyant, sensing remote events at the very moment they happened, sometimes in a very visceral way. Surprising bits of lore pop up through this work, strange Zen-like anecdotes of Apollonius which ring true as crazy wisdom...

Apollonius was both an historical figure who is cross-referenced in contemporary documents, and a legendary 'Pagan Christ' with all the trimmings. The 3rd century Emperor Alexander Severus revered Apollonius of Tyana, Christ, Abraham, Orpheus, and Alexander the Great in his private shrine. Later Christian writers reviled him as a sorcerer, up until the Enlightenment.

There were two extra texts in the Loeb edition of Philostratus: The Epistles of Apollonius of Tyana, and Eusebius' critique of Philostratus.

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Volume I

Title Page
Contents
Introduction

Book I

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40

Book II

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-43

Book III

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-50
Chapters 51-58

Book IV

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-47

Book V

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-43

Volume II

Title Page
Contents

Book VI

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-43

Book VII

Chapters 1-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-30
Chapters 31-40
Chapters 41-42

Book VIII

Chapters 1-6
Chapter 7
Chapters 8-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-31