Apollonius of Tyana was a neo-Pythagorean of Greece who, like his contemporary
Jesus of Nazareth, acquired a reputation for his magical powers. Widely known as not just a philosopher but a “philosopher-sage,” he traveled extensively throughout Italy, Greece, Spain, Africa, Asia Minor, Persia, and India, teaching wherever he went. He wrote numerous philosophical works, which were collected by the Emperor Hadrian and preserved in his palace at Antium. The Roman emperor-philosopher Marcus Aurelius admired Apollonius, saying “From Apollonius I have learned freedom of will and understanding, steadiness of purpose, and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason.”