The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1862

With the exception of highly educated, Apollonius of Tyana is almost only known by name. His name is not popular for a lack of widely available historical descriptions. There were only a few translations based on a Latin version of inadequate format. We must then thank the wise Hellenist that has just published a judicious translation of the original Greek text and the editors of that publication for having filled out such a regrettable blank.*

There is no accurate date about the life of Apollonius. According to some calculations he would have been born two or three years before Jesus Christ and died at the age of ninety-six years old. He was born in Tyana, a Greek city of the Cappadocia, Asia Minor. He soon demonstrated to have a great memory, remarkable intelligence and strong dedication to learning. From all philosophies that he studied he chose that of Pythagoras whose precepts he followed strictly until the time of his death.

His father was one of the richest men in Tyana, leaving him a considerable fortune that he shared with his relatives saying that a wise person must be content with little.

He traveled a lot to get educated. He visited Assyria, Scythia, India where he met the Brahmins, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Spain, and everywhere he taught wisdom. He was loved by all for his kind character and honorable virtues, recruiting a large number of disciples who followed his steps to hear his words, some even followed him in his travels. One of them, though, envious of his superiority and credit, became his detractor and mortal enemy, spreading endless calumnies against him with the intent of isolating him to only bring shame upon himself.

Apollonius remained unaffected always and far from keeping hard feelings he was always sorry for his weakness, paying back his evilness with good.

The young Assyrian by the name of Damis of Nineveh, on the contrary, got associated to him with an unbreakable dedication and happiness. He was his frequent companion on his journeys and as a faithful depositary of his Philosophy he was responsible for most of the information that we have.

The name Apollonius of Tyana confounds with every legendary character that human imagination has dressed up with marvelous attributes. Regardless of the exaggeration of events attributed to him it becomes evident that besides the fables there is a shadow of truth that could have been more or less altered.

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* Apollonius of Tyana, his life, travels and prodigies, by Philostratus. New translation of the Greek text by Mr. Chassang, master of ceremonies of the Normal School. In-12 volume, 500 pages, by 3.50 francs. Didier Co., Quai des Augustins, 35 - Paris


No one could with certainty pose any doubt about the existence of Apollonius of Tyana. It is equally certain that he must have done remarkable things otherwise nobody would speak of them.

To have the Empress Julia Domna, wife of Septimius Severus, asked Philostratus to write about his life was necessary that he had done amazing things for it is not likely that she would have requested such a romance about an imaginary or obscure man.

It is likely or even certain that Philostratus amplified the facts that were already amplified when sent to him, at least some of them that are out of question. However, what is not less certain is the fact that he collected the fundamental data from almost contemporary descriptions that must have had sufficient credibility to deserve the Empress’ attention. The difficulty sometimes lies in the distinction between fable and reality. In that case, there are people who prefer to simply deny everything.

Characters of such a kind are appreciated in very different ways. Each person judges them according to their own opinions, beliefs and even according to their interests. Apollonius of Tyana must have fed controversy more than anybody else given the time of his appearance and the nature of his skills. Among other things he was attributed with the gift of healing, foresight, premonition, the ability of mind reading, of expelling demons, of transporting himself instantly from place to place, etc.

Few philosophers have enjoyed as much popularity during their lives. His prestige was even augmented by his austerity, kindness, simplicity, selflessness, good character and the reputation of wisdom. Paganism was then breathing its final breaths, fighting against the recently born Christianity that wanted to transform him into a god. Mixing some Pagan and some Christian ideas some took him by a saint and the least fanatic only saw a Philosopher in him. That is the most reasonable opinion and the only title that he accepted since he did not see himself as the son of Jupiter as considered by some.

Although contemporary to Jesus it seems that he had not heard about him because he never made any reference to what was happening in Judea.

Among the Christians that later judged him, he was declared mad and imposter by some; others pretended that he was acting under the influence of the devil, since they could not deny the facts, not thinking that the condemnation was an acknowledgement of those very prodigies, turning Satan into the rival of God, given the difficulty to distinguish between divine and diabolic prodigies.

The author of the translation remained in a wise neutrality. He did not take any sides to allow each reader to appreciate them, indicating with strict zeal every source that could be consulted, giving each person the freedom to arrive at their own conclusion by comparing the pros and cons of the arguments, limiting himself to a faithful and judicious translation.

The magnetic and somnambulist Spiritist phenomena cast today a new light onto the facts that were attributed to that character, demonstrating the possibility of certain effect up until now relegated to the dominion of the fantastic and marvelous, thus allowing the separation between possible and impossible.

For starters, what is marvelous? Skepticism responds: It is everything beyond the natural laws, the impossible. Then adding: The fact the history abounds with reports of such a nature is due to the love of humanity by the marvelous. However, where does such a love come from? That is what skepticism does not answer and those we are going to try to explain. This will not be useless to our interests.

What is typically called marvelous by humanity is what transposes people in their thoughts beyond the limits of the known and it is the inner inspiration towards a better order of things that leads them to eagerly search for what can provide a connection to that, giving them an idea about that condition. That aspiration is derived from the intuition that such an order of things must exist. Since it cannot be found on Earth it is then sought in the domain of the unknown.

Wouldn’t that very aspiration, however, be a providential hint that there is something beyond the corporeal life? It is only given to humanity, for the animals do not expect anything hence cannot seek the marvelous, the wonderful. People intuitively understand that there is a power beyond the visible world, a force that is more or less understood according to each individual’s intellectual development and that force is naturally seen in every phenomenon that is not understood.

Then, a number of facts that were considered marvelous in the past are now perfectly explained and enter the domain of the natural laws. It resulted that those who were gifted or had superior knowledge were considered to have a portion of that invisible power or to be able to dominate that power. They are called magicians or witches.

The Church’s position made asserted the idea that such a power could only come from an evil spirit when occurring outside of its domains. During barbarian times and times of ignorance the Church burned these supposedly magicians and witches. The progress of science brought them back to humanity.

The nonbelievers ask: where are the majority of the wonderful stories found? Isn’t that in antiquity, among the savages, in the least enlightened classes? Isn’t that a proof that they are the consequence of superstition and ignorance?

As it relates to ignorance, this is incontestable for one simple reason. The peoples of antiquity that knew less than we do today were not less shocked by the phenomena. Since they knew about the true nature of causes, they sought supernatural causes for natural things. With the help of imagination and supported by fear on one side and animated by a poetic genius on the other, these people created fantastic stories that were amplified by the taste for allegories embedded in the culture of the Orient. As an example, Prometheus stole the fire of heavens that was supposed to burn him; he had super human powers and was punished for his actions and for the mockery against Jupiter. Franklin, the modern Prometheus, is just a wise man for us. Montgolfier would be considered an Icarus in mythological times. How about Mr. Poitevin on his rising horse?


Science significantly reduced the number of wonderful facts by bringing them to the natural order of things. But has science explained everything? Are all the laws that govern the globes already known? Isn’t there anything else to be learned? Such a proud pretension betrays us daily.

Since not all secrets of God have yet been unveiled, it stands to reason that many other facts of the past were not fully explained. By admitting what is possible only by what science can explains, it is then easier to call the others unexplainable phenomena as supernatural. Before science all of those who produced such phenomena were either myths or imposters and would face a sentence similar to Apollonius of Tyana.

It is here that the Church admits these works but as acts of Satan and scientists who only accept him as a skillful charlatan.

The law of universal gravitation opened up a new avenue to science and incorporated a number of phenomena where absurd theories were created. The law of molecular attraction allowed a new advancement. The discovery of the microscopic world opened up new horizons. Electricity, in turn, came to reveal an unsuspected power. Science saw difficulties being resolved one by one with each of these discoveries and, as with many problems, unsolved mysteries that were falsely interpreted.

However, how much more is still to be learned? Wouldn’t it be possible to admit the discovery of a new law, a new force that may come to shed light onto some still obscure points?

Well Spiritism comes to reveal a new force. This force is the action of the invisible upon the visible. By showing that action as a natural law, Spiritism moves even further the limits of the wonderful and super natural because it explains a number of things that seemed inexplicable, just like other areas that seemed inexplicable before the discovery of electricity.

Is Spiritism limited to the admission of the invisible world as a hypothesis and a means of explanation? No, because that would be the same as explaining the unknown by the unknown. Spiritism demonstrates that through positive, irrefutable facts, just like the microscope demonstrated the existence of the infinitely small.

Having demonstrated then that the invisible world exists and that it surrounds us formed by the souls of those who lived, it is easily conceivable that it may represent an active role in the visible world and that it may produce phenomena of a particular order. These same phenomena are the ones that are called fantastic, marvelous by science, as they cannot be explained by the known natural laws.

Since these phenomena are ones from the law of nature, they must have happened at all times. Now considering that they are based on the action of a force beyond humanity and, as all religions are bound to pay tribute to that force, it has served as the foundation of all religions. That is the way the old reports, as well as in every theology, there are plenty of allusions and allegories concerning the relationship between the visible and the invisible world. These areas are unintelligible if such relationships are not known. Any attempt to explain these phenomena without such an understanding is the same as to trying to understand the electric phenomena without electricity.


This particular law is the key that will open up the mysterious sanctuaries of antiquity. Once it is acknowledged, the historians, the archeologists and the philosophers will unfold a completely new horizon and the light will shine upon the most obscure points. If that law still finds opposition, it is in a common place to everything else that is new. In the first place, this is also due to the materialistic mind that dominates our times and, in second place, because people make up such false assumptions concerning the invisible world that disbelief is a consequence. Spiritism not only demonstrates its existence but it also presents it in such a logical way that there is no room for doubt to whoever takes the burden of seriously studying it.

We do not ask the scientists to believe but since Spiritism is a philosophy that occupies a large space in the world that even if it were a dream, it does deserve a serious examination at least to understand what it is about. We only ask one thing: study it, but study it in depth, so that it is not charged with something that it does not profess. Later on, believing or not, apply it as a simple hypothetical lever and try to solve the thousands of historical, archeological, anthropological, theological, sociological, moral, social etc. problems… before which have not been solved and the scientists will see the result. Expecting faith from these scientists would be too much.

Let us go back to Apollonius. Ancient peoples incontestably knew magnetism. We have proof of that from certain Egyptian paintings. They equally knew somnambulism and second sight or remote viewing since these are natural psychological phenomena; they knew about the various categories of Spirits, considered gods, as well as their relationship with humans. Healing, clairvoyant, speaking, hearing mediums must have existed then, as even today we can see several examples among the Arabs. With such data at hand and with the knowledge about the properties of the perispirit, the fluid corporeal envelope of the Spirits, we can understand perfectly well several facts attributed to Apollonius of Tyana without resourcing to sorcery, witchery or deception.

We mentioned “several facts” because there are some that Spiritism demonstrates to be impossible. That is why it is useful to distinguish between truth and mistake. Let those who have done a serious and complete study of this science the task of distinguishing between the possible and the impossible, something that will be easy for them to do.

Let us now look at Apollonius from another point of view. Besides being a medium, making him an almost supernatural being in those days, he was also a philosopher and a wise man. His philosophy reflected his habitual kindness, his character, and his simplicity in everything. He can be judged from some of his quotes.

Having been reproached by the degenerate and effeminate Spartans, who took advantage of his advice, he wrote to the Ephors: "Apollonius to the Ephors, greetings. Real men should not make mistakes; but it is only men of heart that acknowledge them when they do. "

The Spartans, who received a letter of criticism from the emperor, were undecided whether they should ward off anger or answer with pride; they consulted Apollonius about their response; he came to the meeting and said these words: "If Palamedes invented writing it is not only so that one could write, but so we knew when we should not write.”

The Roman Consul interrogated Apollonius asking:

At the same time: The wisest men are the ones with the shortest speeches. If the blabbers suffered what they make others suffer they would not talk so much.

Another to Critton: Pythagoras said that Medicine is the most divine of all arts. If Medicine is the most divine of all arts, it is necessary that the doctor look into the soul at the same time as the body. How can someone be healthy when the most important part is sick?


Another one to the Platonic: If Apollonius is offered money and it is apparently legitimate, he will have no problem in accepting, however, little he needs. But he will never accept payment for his teachings however much he needs.

Another to Valerio: Nobody dies but apparently as nobody is born. In fact what is called birth is the passage from the essence to the substance. Death, on the contrary, is the passage from substance to essence.

To the proffers of Olympia: The gods do not need sacrifices. What do we need to do to please them? If I am not mistaken one needs to acquire wisdom and as much as possible do good deeds to the ones who deserve them. That is what pleases the gods. The impious themselves can make sacrifices.

To Ephesus from the temple of Diana: You maintained all the rituals of sacrifices, the pageantry of royalty. You are unbeatable as joyful attendees and partygoers but how much can you be criticized as neighbors of the goddess night and day? Isn’t that from your group that the swindlers, the hooligans, the slave traders, and all the impious and unfair people come? The temple is a safe haven to thieves.

To those who believe themselves wise: You call yourselves my disciples? You then must add that you are always home and that you never go to the roman baths; that you do not kill animals; that you do not eat meat; that you are free from all passions: envy, malignity, hatred, calumny, bad feelings; that you finally are part of the freemen. Do not do like those who utilize false speeches to make believe that they live in a way when in reality they live in a completely opposite way.

To his brother Hestieu: People see me as divine everywhere; in some places they even consider me a god. In my homeland, on the contrary, up until now I am unknown. Any surprise? You yourselves my brothers are not convinced that I am a superior to many others through my word and habits. How can it be that my countrymen and my relatives are mistaken about me? Ah! That mistake is painful to me. I know that it is beautiful to consider the whole Earth as your homeland and everyone as brothers and friends since all descend from God and have the same nature; because all equally have the same passions; all are equally humans, Greek or barbarians. When in Catania, Sicily, he said to his disciples in a lecture about the Etna: Under this mountain there is a giant that hears you, Tithe or Enceladus, vomiting all this fire in his long agony. I agree that there have been giants for we have found skeletons in several places that lead us to believe showing people of extraordinary physical structure but I could not admit that they fought the gods. If that much they would have vandalized their temples and statues, is it not sensible to believe that they would have risen to heavens and expelled the gods. Another fable that seems more irreverent towards the gods and that we must not kid about is that Vulcan works at the foundry in the depth of Etna constantly ringing the anvil there. In several places around Earth there are volcanoes but nobody believes that there are other giants.”

Certain readers would rather have us citing and explaining the prodigies of Apollonius. Before anything else, however, we wanted to show the philosopher and wise man instead of the magician. One can always accept or reject the wonderful facts attributed to him but it seems difficult that a person that says such things and professes and lives according to such principles may be a juggler or a swindler or even someone dominated by the devil.


As for the prodigies we shall mention only one that gives enough proof of one of his gifts. After a thorough description of Dominican’s murder, Philostratus adds:

“Although these events took place in Rome, Apollonius saw them in Ephesus.




Domitian was attacked by Clement around noon. On the very same day and at the same time Apollonius described them in the gardens by the rocks. He suddenly lowered his voice as if horrified. He continued to speak but his voice had lost the strength compared to that of someone that speaks about a thought. He then went quiet as if lost in his thoughts, then he stared at the ground with a scared face, walked three or four steps away and said: ‘Hurt the tyrant, hurt him!’

– it was possible to say that he was not watching the image as if in a mirror but that he witnessed the fact itself.

Ephesus – since he heard the speech of Apollonius – was impressed. Apollonius stopped as if waiting to see the conclusion of a doubtful event. He finally said: ‘Courage Ephesus. The tyrant was killed today. What am I saying? Today? He has just been killed, right now when I stopped.’

Ephesus thought that Apollonius had lost his mind. They eagerly wanted to have him telling the truth but they were afraid that there could be something dangerous behind that speech. ‘I am not surprised, said Apollonius, that you still do not believe me. Rome itself does not know that yet. But that will come. The news is spreading and thousands of citizens do believe. That brings joy to them, to twice as many people, to four times as many as those people. The news will get here. You may put off the sacrifice that is due to the gods in such occasions. As for myself I will worship them for what I have seen.’

Ephesus was still in disbelief. Soon, however, messengers brought the good news and gave testimony of Apollonius’ foresight. The murder of the tyrant, the day and time, the author who was encouraged by Apollonius, every detail was perfectly in line with those described by Apollonius on the very day that the gods had revealed them to him in his speech to Ephesus.

In those days there would not be the need for anything else to make him a divine man. In our days the scientists would treat him as a visionary. For us he had the gift of a second vision whose explanation is provided by Spiritism (see the theory of somnambulism and second sight in The Spirits’ Book, #455).

His death was something as well. One afternoon he entered the temple of Dictynia, in Linde, Isle of Crete, and despite the ferocious dogs that guarded the gates, which were actually very friendly to him, he was arrested by the guards of the temple and put in chains for being a magician. At night he disappeared before the eyes of the guards without leaving a trace behind him and his body was never found. Some say that voices of young ladies were heard when singing, as if encouraging him to leave Earth and move on to superior regions: Leave Earth. Go to heavens! Go!

Here is how Philostratus finishes his description of Apollonius’ life:


“Even after his disappearance Apollonius sustained the immortality of the soul and taught that what is said about it is correct. In those days there was a certain number of youngsters who loved




Philosophy. Most of their discussions were about the soul. One of them could not accept the idea of an immortal soul, saying:

That is the clear oracle given by Apollonius about the destiny of the soul. Knowing our inner nature he wanted us to march joyfully to achieve the aim established by the Parcae.”

The apparition of Apollonius after his death is considered to be a hallucination by the majority of commentators, Christian and others who pretended that the young man had his imagination affected by his own desire of seeing him thus leading him to believe that he had seen. Church has, however, admitted such kind of apparition at all times. The Church cites several examples taken as authentic.

Spiritism comes to explain the phenomenon based on the properties of the perispirit, the fluid envelop of the spirit, that through some sort of condensation becomes visible and, as it is known, may become tangible. Without knowing the law about the constitution of the Spirits, the phenomenon is wonderful. Since the law is known the wonderful disappears giving place to a natural phenomenon (see The Mediums’ Book, theory of visual manifestations, Chapter VI).

Admitting that the youngster had been victimized by an illusion the detractors would still have to explain the words that he attributed to Apollonius, sublime words in opposition to the ideas that he sustained moments earlier.

What did Apollonius lack in order to be a Christian? Very little based on what we observe. It would not please God if we established a parallel between him and Jesus. What demonstrates the uncontestable superiority of the latter is the divine character of his mission, the worldwide revolution brought about by his doctrine, an obscure master with as obscure apostles, while Apollonius’ doctrine died with him.

It would be a transgression to present him as a rival of Christ! But if we pay attention to what he said about Paganism we will see that he condemns superstition fiercely attacking and replacing them by more healthy ideas.

Had he spoke like that over the time of Socrates he would have paid with his life as he did for what was considered wickedness.

However, in his time the Pagan ideas were already spread and he was heard. He prepared the Pagans around him to receive the Christian ideas with less difficulty through his moral teachings and serving as a transition. We believe we are right when we say that the served as a link between Paganism and Christianity. This might have been his mission. He was heard by the Pagans but not by the Jewish.