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Apollonius of Tyana The Disciple Jesus (24 BC to 9 AD), who is now the Master Jesus, was born in Palestine as a third-degree initiate. When He went out of incarnation at the Crucifixion, Jesus was a fourth-degree initiate. In His next incarnation, as Apollonius of Tyana (16 AD to c.97 AD), He became a Master (fifth-degree initiate). He died in India.
"The whole earth is mine, and it is given me to travel through it."With these words, Apollonius of Tyana sounded a keynote of his life, for he was known as one of the greatest travelers of antiquity. He lived in the days when the Roman Empire covered thousands of square miles, and the Mediterranean allowed free access to its major population centers. He made full use of the great sea, and the span of his life recorded his presence on all its shores, from Egypt to Spain, from North Africa to the lands and islands surrounding his beloved Greece. He was the first of his countrymen to visit India, at that time a hazardous and unmapped land. Who was Apollonius, how did he live, and what was the purpose of his constant movement? Early life He was born of a wealthy family in Tyana, a city of Cappadocia (part of what is now Turkey). Legend says that great signs attended his birth, and that he was an incarnation of the Egyptian God Proteus. As a child he was remarkable for his powerful memory and great beauty. At 14 he was sent south to Tarsus to complete his studies, but grew unhappy in what he considered frivolous surroundings and moved to Aegae in Greece. Here he found the teachings of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras, whose code of conduct prescribed obedience to higher laws, silence, moderation in diet, and simplicity in dress and possessions. Pythagoras taught the doctrines of immortality and reincarnation, and advised the pursuit of self-knowledge. The proper use of philosophy, he said, was to study the inner nature of man -- one who knew himself could then know the universe. At 16 Apollonius submitted himself to the Pythagorean principles. He was to follow them for the rest of his life. Renouncing the use of animal flesh, he ate only those foods grown from the earth, clad himself in linen garments, and walked barefoot or in shoes made of tree bark. He abstained from wine and wore his hair long. For five years he took a vow of silence and spoke not a word, though often faced with ridicule and derision. In Aegae he lived at the temple of Aesculapius, the Greek God of Medicine. These 'hospitals' were scattered throughout the land. The doctors were the priests of the temple. The psychic and spiritual sciences were used to heal the patients who came to consult the Gods. In such surroundings Apollonius soon surpassed his teachers, who marveled at his pious life and brilliant mind. Here began his reputation as a miracle worker, for all the townspeople knew of the young ascetic's innate capacity for healing. At 20 he inherited a considerable fortune. He kept a pittance for himself and gave the rest away. From this time he never accepted money, though great sums were offered by many admirers. Freed from worldly attachments, he began his travels. Teachings and travels The Roman Empire was at the zenith of its power but a restlessness pervaded its lands. Assassination was common. Emperor followed Emperor in quick succession, for the power of the office also brought the riches of the kingdom and there were many who coveted both. The temples of the land were noted more for adornment than for devotion. Blood sacrifice was common, and the rituals of initiation had been corrupted to become empty rites of prestige. The spirit of Christianity was embryonic. So little was Christianity known that many historians of the period fail to mention it at all. Yet many sought a truth more profound than that offered by the dominant culture. Small groups of people -- the Therapeuts, the Gymnosophists, the Essenes -- began to establish religious communities in out-of-the-way places such as deserts and forests. There they lived simple lives that revolved around the love of truth. Ancient forms of worship were followed in their original purity. Temperance and mutual regard were the rule of conduct. To these groups Apollonius offered guidance and support. He joined in their ceremony and instructed the priests in the ways of initiation. In the large cities with their public temples, his intent was to purify the liturgy and reconsecrate the inner sanctuaries, returning the sacred sites to the spiritual discipline of their ancient traditions. Wherever he went, he held to a regular division of the day. Mornings were spent in religious exercises and in teaching the priests and initiates the Sacred Mysteries. In the afternoon he walked among the people, healing their illnesses and instructing them in ethics and practical life. Three times a day he meditated to the Sun or to the "Lord of the World". Damis, the disciple In the city of Nineveh he met Damis, who became his constant companion and loyal disciple. The core of our knowledge of Apollonius comes from the faithful notebooks Damis kept of their travels. Damis never seemed to comprehend the deeper mysteries that Apollonius taught and did not attend the secret councils of the initiates. He humbly accepted his place, for he loved Apollonius and saw in him a divine being, with powers marvelous to behold. By nature he was timid, ever fearful for himself and for his Master, yet was so attached that he followed when other disciples fled. So he became a trusted servant with the joyful words: "Let us go together. Thou shalt follow God, and I thee." These words were prophetic, for soon afterwards Apollonius determined to visit India. All of his disciples, save Damis, abandoned him, but he calmly held his intent, saying: "I must go whithersoever wisdom and my inner self may lead me. The Gods are my advisers and I can but rely on their counsels." In those days India was considered an exotic and mysterious land. Tales were told of its inhabitants protecting their cities by bolts of lightning rather than combat. Its snow-clad mountains contained species of plants and animals elsewhere unknown. Bands of thieves roamed its vast plains, but its rulers were often holy men and sages. Damis, Apollonius, and their well-chosen guides departed to find the men the Tyanean would later describe in these words: "I saw men dwelling on the earth and yet not on it, defended on all sides, yet without defense, possessing nothing, yet having everything." They visited the Magi, the Wise Men of Babylon, then traveled on to the priest-king Phraotes. This humble ruler who "loved peace above all things," greeted Apollonius with the words: "I look on you as superior in virtue, for of all gifts a prince can possess, I deem wisdom the brightest." Discussions of philosophy filled their days. When they parted, Phraotes gave him a troop of milk-white camels for the journey and a note to the King Iarchos. When the band arrived at the palace of Iarchos, the ruler already knew of the letter of Phraotes, and the details of Apollonius' life. He told the party that most mortals greet a newcomer by asking questions about his life, but the priests of India greet him instead by telling him about his life. The notebooks of Damis suggest the psychic and spiritual powers of the sages -- they could tell the past and future, see events at a distance, and read the past lives of men. Beyond this we know little of what they taught Apollonius, who was always silent in such matters. But a letter written to his hosts suggests the journey's effect: "I came to you by land and ye have given me the sea; nay, rather, by sharing with me your wisdom ye have given me power to travel through heaven. These things will I bring back to the mind of the Greeks, and I will hold converse with you as though ye were present." Miracles and wonders When he returned to his homeland, a new power pervaded his every deed. Word of his miracles, his brilliance, and his piety spread throughout the land. From town to town he taught from the steps of the temples. He urged the people to turn from dissipation and the cruel sports of the day, and spend their time instead in study and philosophy. He spoke of the community of goods, and the necessity of sharing with the needy. He decried the popular notion that ridiculed generosity toward the poor saying: "What else, then, have we to do, but shut ourselves up at home, like birds, to be fattened for use, and indulge our appetites in darkness till we burst with fat?" For the poor and needy, for the sad of heart and ill of body he always had a word of compassion. Many he healed with the touch of his hands. He could gaze into a troubled soul, see its past, and offer direction. In Rome he brought to life a young girl on her way to burial. He cast out demons and could see across time and space. At Ephesus he warned the citizens of a coming plague and later rid the area of the plague itself. He knew of the burning of a temple in Rome and the assassination of the Emperor Domitian at the moment they occurred, though he was in a distant place. Great crowds would gather to hear the words of this man who could speak to the soul in a time when such voices were few. Political activism Apollonius was equally at home in the streets of the cities and the palaces of its rulers. Before his ascent to the throne, the Emperor Vespasian received his advice in long discussions on the philosophy of ruling. The later rulers Titus and Nerva were his friends and confidants. About the despots of the time he was never silent, as he deemed it his duty to speak against oppression wherever he found it. In the reign of Nero he was charged with high treason, but when the charges were brought before him, they mysteriously disappeared from the parchment as it was unrolled. When Nero expelled the philosophers from Rome in 66 AD (the year of St Peter's martyrdom), Apollonius left and traveled to Spain. Damis implies that he conferred there with certain activists who later led the revolt against Nero. Under the reign of Domitian he bravely entered a hostile Rome to defend a friend charged with treason. There he was seized and imprisoned in fetters. When a distraught Damis visited him, the teacher told him not to worry and easily removed his legs from the chains. He spent his days in prison giving hope to his fellow captives, teaching the real meaning of freedom -- the inner freedom of God's kingdom. It had been 38 years since he visited India. His hair was gray, his face was lined, but his beauty and bearing was as attractive in age as it had been in youth. As he stood in court before all the great men of Rome, he mesmerized the crowd and calmly answered the charges against him. Domitian, who was both judge and jury, seemed entranced and confused. In a short time Apollonius was acquitted, and to the astonishment of all, disappeared from the tribunal. On the same day he was with Damis in Puteoli, a three-day journey from Rome. News of his freedom spread through the land. Few had thought that he could escape alive. The last years of his public life were spent traveling and teaching, with Damis by his side. When he finally departed from his friend, he did so obscurely, sending him to Rome with a message for the Emperor. Damis never forgot his parting words: "Damis, whenever you think on high matters in solitary meditation, you will see me."Rumors regarding Apollonius' death abounded, although his body was never found. History views Apollonius Throughout the Graeco-Roman world, Apollonius was accepted as the most brilliant philosopher of the 1st century. After his disappearance, temples were erected in his honor. The Emperor Adrian made a collection of his letters. The books he wrote -- on astrology, philosophy, the life of Pythagoras -- were preserved in the great libraries of the day. Early in the 3rd century Julia Domna, the wife of the Emperor Septimus Severus, procured the notebooks of Damis. She commissioned Philostratus, a philosopher of the time, to write a biography. This book is the only account of the teacher's life that has survived the destructions of time. It lovingly honors his place in history and describes the homage accorded him in the lands of his ministry. By the 4th century, however, the view of Apollonius as a worker of miracles became a matter of acrimonious debate. Christianity had become an established religion and the Church Fathers had begun to accord Jesus status as "the only Son of God". Neither reincarnation nor the miracles of Apollonius had any place in their philosophy. Hereafter theologians posited Apollonius against Jesus. They called him a charlatan, a black magician, and the anti-Christ, as if two holy ones could not walk the earth in the same era. In more recent times the dispute continues. Most modern translators of Philostratus take a cynical view, supplementing the text with abundant footnotes ridiculing the biographer's descriptions of miraculous events. Apollonius of Tyana by G.R.S. Mead (Helena Blavatsky's personal secretary) is the only recent work that is wholly favorable to the Tyanean. The legacy The lives of Jesus of Nazareth and Apollonius of Tyana demonstrate the eternal Laws of Rebirth and Perfection. When Jesus died, his life gave a promise to the world: "Verily, I say unto you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12). Apollonius demonstrated the possibilities of that promise, for in his lifetime he achieved perfection as a Master of Wisdom. He had lived his life disclaiming the possessions of the world. Despite his fame, he established no organization. Despite his many disciples, he trained no one to carry on his task. His last will and testament contained his legacy to humanity -- the principles of the philosophy he had loved. Although they left so little visible trace of their passage, the two lives of this one great Soul gave a blueprint to their brothers. In the darkness of the world, they were a beacon that sought the hearts and minds of men, a gentle touch that healed the soul. Theirs was a call that beckoned then, and still sounds today, leading humanity down the ancient Path of Initiation. By their lives they showed the Way to God -- a Way that is the promise, the hope, and the divine inheritance of all who walk the earth. Sources: Mead, G.R.S: Apollonius of Tyana; Berwick, Edward: The Life of Apollonius of Tyana; Priaulx, Osmond De Beauvoir: The Indian Travels of Apollonius of Tyana. More articles by Bette Stockbauer Who is Maitreya? Directory of articles by several authors Share International ShareAudio: Listen here! Be sure to visit: Share International, a non-profit, non-denominational organization documenting the emergence of Maitreya, the World Teacher.
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