Apollonius of Tyana


Apollonius of Tyana,

fl. 1st cent. A.D., Greek philosopher, b. Tyana, Cappadocia. A philosopher of the Neo-Pythagorean school, he traveled widely and became famous for his wisdom and reputed magical powers. He was accused of treason by both NeroNero
(Nero Claudius Caesar) , A.D. 37–A.D. 68, Roman emperor (A.D. 54–A.D. 68). He was originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and was the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul in A.D.
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 and DomitianDomitian
(Titus Flavius Domitianus) , A.D. 51–A.D. 96, Roman emperor (A.D. 81–A.D. 96), son of Vespasian. Although intended as the heir to his older brother, Titus, he was given no important posts.
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, but escaped by supposedly magical means. A record of his travels, based on the journal of his companion, Damis, and written (c.A.D. 216) by Flavius Philostratus, is a mixture of truth and romantic fiction. Some critics have denounced it for its similarity to the Christ story, but others, such as VoltaireVoltaire, François Marie Arouet de
, 1694–1778, French philosopher and author, whose original name was Arouet. One of the towering geniuses in literary and intellectual history, Voltaire personifies the Enlightenment.
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 and Charles Blount, have championed the doctrines of Apollonius. He died, supposedly at age 100, after setting up a school in Ephesus.