The Apostolic Fathers · AD 70–130 · External witness
Apollonius of Tyana
d. c. AD 100 (death unrecorded) · Neopythagorean sage · Pagan counter-Christ · Tyana, Cappadocia
External witness
Who Apollonius of Tyana was
The wandering Neopythagorean holy man of the first century whose Life, written by Philostratus, the governor and persecutor Hierocles brandished around 303 as a pagan miracle-worker to set against Christ. Eusebius of Caesarea answered him point for point in the Contra Hieroclem — which is the reason this sage of the temples enters a Christian archive at all.
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When did Apollonius die?
Apollonius of Tyana is dated d. c. AD 100 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Apollonius in the Apostolic Fathers (AD 70–130). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Apollonius?
Apollonius of Tyana is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Philostratus and Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Apollonius from?
The archive associates Apollonius of Tyana with Tyana, Cappadocia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Apollonius’ contemporaries?
The archive links Apollonius of Tyana to 3 other figures, including Emperor Domitian, Emperor Nerva and Sossianus Hierocles. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana I.2 (c. AD 220s; original Greek, working translation)
c. AD 220[The pagan Life later brandished against the Christians.] Akin to the wisdom of Pythagoras was that which Apollonius pursued — yet more divinely than Pythagoras did he woo wisdom, and rise above tyrants.Philostratus · source text
Eusebius of Caesarea, Against Hierocles 1–2 (c. AD 303; original Greek, working translation)
c. AD 325Hierocles alone, of all who have ever written against us, set Apollonius beside and above our Saviour. Let the man be granted a place among philosophers and sages, if you will — but nothing more; the comparison refutes itself.Eusebius of Caesarea · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
- AD 62 · James the Just stoned, AD 62
- AD 64 · The Great Fire and Nero’s persecution, AD 64
- AD 70 · The fall of Jerusalem, AD 70
- AD 95 · Domitian’s reprisals, AD 95
- AD 96 · Rome writes to Corinth: 1 Clement, AD 96
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Apollonius.
- 1Cappadociaprovince only