The Writings of Apollonius
But
besides these letters Apollonius also wrote a number of treatises, of
which , however,only one or two fragments have been preserved.These
treatises are as follows: a. The Mystic Rites or Concerning Sacrifices.
[The full title is given by Eudocia, Ionia; ed. Villoison (Venet 1781) p
57] This treatise is mentioned by Philostratus (iii 41; iv 19), who
tells us that it set down the proper method of sacrifice to every God,
the proper hours of prayer and offering. It was in wide circulation, and
Philostratus had come across copies of it in many temples and cities,
and in the libraries of philosophers. Several fragments of it have been
preserved, [See Zeller, Phil d Griech, v 127] the most important of
which is to be found in Eusebius, [Præparat. Evangel., iv 12-13; ed
Dindorf (Leipzig 1867), i 176, 177] and is to this effect: “ ‘Tis best
to make no sacrifice to God at all, no lighting of a fire, no calling
Him by any name that men employ for things to sense. For God is over
all, the first; and only after Him do come the other Gods. For He doth
stand in need of naught e’en from the Gods, much less from us small men -
naught that the earth brings forth, nor any life she nurseth, or even
any thing the stainless air contains. The only fitting sacrifice to God
is man’s best reason, and not the word [A play on the meanings of λoγος,
which signifies both reason and word.] that comes from out his
mouth.“We men should ask the best of beings through the best thing in
us, for what is good - mean
by means of mind, for mind needs no
material things to make its prayer. So then, to God, the mighty One,
who’s over all, no sacrifice should ever be lit up.”Noack [Psyche, I
ii.5.] tells us that scholarship is convinced of the genuineness of this
fragment. This book, as we have seen, was widely circulated and held in
the highest respect, and it said that its rules were engraved on brazen
pillars at Byzantium. [Noack, ibid.]b. The Oracles or Concerning
Divination, 4 books. Philostratus (iii 41) seems to think that the full
title was Divination of the Stars, and says that it was based on what
Apollonius had learned in India; but the kind of divination Apollonius
wrote about was not the ordinary astrology, but something which
Philostratus considers superior to ordinary human art in such matters.
He had, however, never heard of anyone possessing a copy of this rare
work. c. The Life of Pythagoras. Porphyry refers to this work, 8 [See
Noack, Porphr. Vit. Pythag., p 15] and Iamblichus quotes a long passage
from it. [Ed. Amstelod., 1707, cc 254-264]d. The Will of Apollonius, to
which reference has already been made, in treating of the sources of
Philostratus (i 3). This was written in the Ionic dialect, and contained
a summary of his doctrines.A Hymn to Memory is also ascribed to him,
and Eudocia speaks of many other( και αλλα πολλα) works.We have now
indicated for the reader all the information which exists concerning our
philosopher. Was Apollonius,
then, a rogue, a trickster, a charlatan, a fanatic, a misguided
enthusiast, or a philosopher, a reformer, a conscious worker, a true
initiate, one of the earth’s great ones? This each must decide for
himself, according to his knowledge or his ignorance.
I for my part bless his memory, and would gladly learn from him, as now he is.
Apollonius of Tyana
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- Apollonius Of Tyana Introduction
- The Religious Associations and Communities of the ...
- India and Greece
- The Apollonius of Early Opinion
- Texts, Translations, and Literature
- The Biographer of Apollonius
- Apollonius of Tyana Early Life
- The Travels of Apollonius
- In the Shrines of the Temples and the Retreats of ...
- The Gymnosophists of Upper Egypt
- Apollonius and the Rulers of the Empire
- Apollonius The Prophet and Wonder-Worker
- Apollonius of Tyana Mode of Life
- Himself and His Circle
- Apollonius Of Tyana Sayings and Sermons
- From His Letters
- The Writings of Apollonius
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