Apollonius of Tyana is believed to be similar to Jesus Christ. Both "lived" during the same period in time and both made similar miracles. Was Apollonios of Tyana a historical figure that was raised to divinity or is he completely mythological?
1 Answer
Several sources state that Apollonius of Tyana was indeed a real person. For example, the website Livius.org's page Apollonius of Tyana states that he was a charismatic teacher and miracle worker from the 1st century AD.
Crucially,
He received divine honors in the third century. Although the Athenian sophist (professional orator) Philostratus wrote a lengthy Life of Apollonius, hardly anything about the sage is certain.
The work from Philostratus was not a biography in the traditional sense, but rather from an orator, who wanted to make clear
that the divine Apollonius was above all a champion of the Greek culture and a wise philosopher
But makes special note that it was Apollonius' "superior knowledge", not "wizardry" that allowed him to perform his work.
However, in the 8th Book of Philostratus' account about his "ascension":
The writer culls various versions of the end of Apollonius' earthly existence from other sources, devoting the most attention to Apollonius' ascension from the Dictynna temple on Crete (8.30). The sage of Tyana appears posthumously to a young man in a dream to confirm the immortality of the soul (8.31).