Apollonius of Tyana

He was the awe and wonder of his time - Apollonius of Tyana -the true Christ of the first century AD. Apollonius was born of wealthy parents in the Greek town of Tyana, Greece, and his birth was miraculously announced to his mother by an archangel. He was an attractive and precocious child and was sent to reside at the temple of Aesculapius in Tarsus at age twelve, where he was initiated by the priests and where he excelled in religious and philosophical learning and debate, and even...
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He was the awe and wonder of his time - Apollonius of Tyana -the true Christ of the first century AD. Apollonius was born of wealthy parents in the Greek town of Tyana, Greece, and his birth was miraculously announced to his mother by an archangel. He was an attractive and precocious child and was sent to reside at the temple of Aesculapius in Tarsus at age twelve, where he was initiated by the priests and where he excelled in religious and philosophical learning and debate, and even performing healing miracles. At the age of sixteen he adopted the pythagorean philosophy and lifestyle of abstaining from animal food, wine, and women, living only on fruits and herbs, maintaining five years of silence, praying to the sun three times a day, dressing only in white linen(non-animal fabric), going barefoot, and never cutting his hair or beard.He believed in the immortality of the soul, in metempsychosis, and in a supreme deity ruling lesser deities. He also wrote books on astrology. Before starting his public mission he gave away his riches to his relatives with the aim of seeking only knowledge and wisdom.His mission began by going to Antioch where he taught certain disciples, as well as learning the mysteries of that city's temple, Apollo Daphne. He also traveled to India and Egypt, bringing back with him the doctrines of Krishna and Buddha, which then became the foundations of the Christian religion. As a Roman citizen, he traveled freely within the Roman empire acquiring the reputation of a social and political reformer. He was fearless and spoke out against the tyranny of Nero and Domitian for which he was jailed but later released. His most recounted incident was at the court before emperor Domitian, where he disappeared into thin air before they could lay any kind of charge on him.Wherever he went he attracted large crowds and held them spellbound by his words and deeds. Kings, rulers, and common folk constantly sought him for advice and he gave freely. He traveled the world and always stood his ground and was regarded by many as a god in the flesh. He compiled the epistles, and retired to the isle of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Little is known about his death, but it is thought he lived past the the age of 100, and shortly thereafter ascended to the inner earth paradise.Temples and statues were built in his honor, and for the first three centuries AD he was regarded as a demi-god and saint. The popularity of Apollonius' teachings became a threat to the decaying Roman Empire, so in 325 AD, At the Council of Nicea, Emperor Constantine and his bishops devised the New Christianity which would turn attention away from Apollonius, to a Judean carpenter by the name of Jesus. All records of Apollonius and his Essene Christianity were destroyed and this meant burning the libraries, including the most famous one at Alexandria. The mobs who enforced the new changes met stiff resistance from the people, and many were eventually killed or martyred in the process.Important changes in the biblical texts occurred ever since then, such as the removal of the doctrines of reincarnation, astrology, and vegetarianism; to be replaced by their opposites -a mortal soul, a hellfire for diviners, and permission for meat-eating and wine drinking.