Apollonius of Tyana the Nazarene
by Dr. R. W. Bernard (1964)
Web Publication by Mountain Man Graphics, Australia

Part 9: he Trials of Apollonius by Nero and Domitan

During the reign of Nero, the philosophic cloak was proceeded against in the law-courts as the guise of diviners. Not to mention other cases, Musonius, a man second only to Apollonius, was imprisoned on account of his philosophy and came near to losing his life. Before Apollonius and his company reached the gates of Rome, a certain Philolaus of Citium tried to deter them from proceeding. To Apollonius this seemed a divinely ordained test to separate the stronger disciples from the weaker (whom, however, he did not blame); so that, out of thirty-four, only eight remained with him, the rest making various excuses for their flight at once from Nero and from philosophy.

Entering Rome, Apollonius publicly denounced the reigning tyranny, as one so grievous that under it men were not permitted to be wise. His discourses being all public, no accusations were made against him for a time. He spoke to men of standing in the same manner as to the common people. A public protest against luxury, delivered on a feast-day in a gymnasium which the Emperor was opening in person, led to his expulsion from Rome by Nero's minister Tegellinus, who henceforth kept a close watch on Apollonius.

His opportunity came at last when there was an epidemic of colds and the temples were full of people making supplicants for the Emperor, because he had a sore throat and the "divine voice" was hoarse. Apollonius, bursting with indignation at the folly of the multitudes remained quiet, but tried to calm a disciple by telling him to pardon the gods if they delight in buffoons."

This saying reported to Tigellinius, he had him arrested. Bringing him to trial, however, he found himself baffled, and in fear of his superhuman powers, let him go. Philostratus tells us that at his trial, "an informer, well instructed, came forward, who had been the ruin of many. He held in his hand a scroll wherein was written the accusation, which he flourished about him like a sword before the eyes of Apollonius, boasting that he had given it a sharp edge, and that now his hour had come. Upon this Tegellinus enfolded the scroll, when, lo, and behold, neither letter nor character was to be seen...All these things appeared, in the eyes of Tigellinus, divine, and above human power, and to show he did not wish to contend with a god, he bid him go where he pleased as he was too strong to be subject to authority."

When Domitian ascended the throne and began to show the same morbid vanity and cruelty which had characterized Nero, we find Apollonius traveling up and down the Empire, spreading seeds of discontent and rebellion against the crowned monster. To Domitian, he fearlessly said, "I am Apollo's subject not thine."*

(* How much different from the more compromising Christian messiah, who proved much more acceptable to Constantine's and his court, preaching as he did to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," doctrine which was the opposite of that preached by the revolutionary Apollonius, an enemy to tyranny. This makes it clear why the Romans refused to accept Christianity so long as Apollonius was its head, and why immediately after his replacement by Jesus (at the Council of Nicea in the year 335 A.D.), a previously persecuted `communist' cult of the poor and oppressed was elevated to become the imperial religion of the Roman emperors.)

Apollonius did not try to start a revolution (against tyranny) only in one place, but throughout the Empire. Wherever he went, revolutions arose. He went into Gaul, and there with Vindex, he raised the standard of revolt.*
(*There can be no doubt that Apollonius was behind Vindex's revolt in Gaul, in concert with the governor of Baetica. After his expulsion from Rome, Apollonius went to Spain to aid in the forthcoming revolt against Nero. This is conjectured by Damis from the three days' secret interview that Apollonius had with the Governor of the Province of Baetica, who came to Cadiz especially to see him, and whose last words to Apollonius were, "Farewell, and remember Vindex.")

In Chios and Rhodes he succeeded in bringing about political reforms. Later with Domitian, a second Nero, no less cruel than his predecessor, and even exceeding him, if that were possible, we find the ever active and fearless Apollonius going up and down from one end of the Roman Empire to the other, sowing everywhere the seeds of discontent and rebellion against the tyrant of Rome. Still later we find him fostering a conspiracy against Domitian in favor of the virtuous Nerva.

Discovering the plot against him, Domitian ordered Apollonius to be arrested, but even this did not deter him. When Vespasian was emperor, Apollonius supported and counselled him so long as he worthily tried to follow out his instructions, but when he deprived th&127 Greek cities of their privileges, he immediately rebuked the Emperor to his face. "You have enslaved Greece," he wrote him. "You have reduced a free people to slavery."

When under Domitian, Apollonius became an object of suspicion to the Emperor for criticizing his acts as he did the follies of Nero, instead of keeping away from Rome, he determined to brave the tyrant to his face. Crossing from Egypt to Greece and taking ship at Corinth, he sailed by way of Sicily to Puteoli and thence to the Tiber mouth, and so to Rome where he was tried and acquitted.

Apollonius always considered wisdom his sovereign mistress and defended liberty even under Domitian. He entertained no fears of his own life, for, although many philosophers were going into involuntary exile during Domitian's reign, Apollonius determined to remain and take up arms for the good of Rome against Domitian, as he had done against Nero, although well knowing that Domitian would condemn him to destruction. To the pleading of hid disciple, Demetrius, not to enter Rome at the risk of his life after Domitian threatened to imprison and put to death any philosopher that remained in the city or attempted to enter it, Apollonius replied:

"I have raised the standard of liberty, and at the moment she is on trial -- shall I desert her? If so, of what friendship am I worthy after having thus betrayed my friends into the hands of the executioner?...My life is not necessary; to go to Rome my conscience tells me is. I shall therefore be true to myself and shall face the tyrant...I go to Rome! For, as Phrasea Paetus used to say, I had rather be killed today than go into voluntary exile tomorrow."

Some of the sayings of Apollonius against Domitian, the successor of Nero to the throne of Rome, who surpassed even his predecessor in cruelty, having been recorded; we are told that he fell under suspicion through his correspondence with Nerva and his associates Ofitus and Rufus. When proceedings against them were begun, Apollonius addressed the following words to the statue of Domitian: "Fool! How little you know of the Fates [Law of Karma] and Necessity! He who is destined to reign after you, should you kill him, will come to life again."

This was brought to Domitian's ears by means of Euphrates. Foreknowing that the Emperor had decided on his arrest, Apollonius anticipated the summons by setting out with Damis for Italy. At Puteoli, he met Demetrius, who told him that he has been accused of "sacrificing a boy to get divinations for the conspirators;" and that the further charges against him were his strange dress and the worship that was said to have been paid him by certain people. Demetrius tried to dissuade his master from staying to brave the anger of a tyrant unmoved by the most just defense, but Apollonius replied that he intended to remain and answer the charges against him, for to flee from a legal trial would, he believed, have the appearance of self-condemnation. And whither could he flee? It must be beyond the limits of the Roman Empire. Should he then seek refuge with men who knew him already, to whom he would have to acknowledge that he has left his friends to be destroyed by an accusation which he has not dared to face himself?

Before the tribunal, Aelian, Domitian's prefect, accused Apollonius of being worshipped by men and thinking himself worthy of equal honors with the gods. Apollonius was thrown into prison, where he spent his time exhorting the prisoners to courage and raising their spirits. Brought before Domitian, he bravely defended Nerva, Rufus and Orfitus, whom Domitian, had imprisoned as conspirators. Domitian insisted that he should defend himself alone from the charges, and not the others who were condemned. Apollonius, rather than defend himself, declared them innocent and protested against the injustice of assuming their guilt before the trial.

Domitian replied, telling him that as regards his own defense, he could take what course he liked; and thereupon he ordered his beard and hair cut, and put him into fetters such as are reserved for the worst criminals. (A letter attributed to Apollonius in which he supplicatingly entreats the Emperor to release him from his bonds, Philostratus pronounced as spurious.)

Being uneasy about his master's fate in Domitian's prison, Damis was reassured by Apollonius who said, "There is no one who will put us to death."

"But when, sir," asked Damis, "will you be set at liberty."

"Tomorrow," answered he, "if it depended on the judge, and this instant if it depended on myself."

And without a word more, he drew his leg out of the fetters, and said to Damis, "You will see the liberty I enjoy, and therefore I request you will keep up your spirit." He then put his leg back into the fetters.

While in prison, Domitian sent a Saracusan, who was his "eye and tongue," to Apollonius, telling him that he could gain his release if he gave information about the supposed conspiracy against the Emperor, but he had to leave without result. Apollonius then sent Damis to Puteoli, to expect with.Demetrius his appearance there, after he had made his defense.

Among the charges that Domitian made against Apollonius were the following:

Charge lst: With wearing garments which differ from those of other men, thereby attracting crowds of boisterous people to the detriment of the good order of the city. Of wearing the hair long and of living not in accord with good society.

Charge 2nd: With allowing and encouraging men to call him a god.

Brought before the tribunal, Apollonius disregarded the monarch, and did not even glance at him. The accuser therefore cried out to him to look towards the god of all men," whereupon Apollonius raised his eyes to the ceiling, thus indicating, according to Philostratus, that he was looking to Zeus.

After his triumphant defense, which he made spontaneously, since he was not permitted to read the long defense he had previously prepared, Domitian acquitted him, asking him, however, to remain so that he could converse with him in private. Apollonius thanked him, but added the stern reproof:

"Through the wretches who surround you, cities and islands are filled with exiles, the continent with groans, the armies with cowardice, and the senate with suspicion." Then he suddenly disappeared from among them; and in the afternoon of the same day, he appeared to Damis and Demetrius at Puteoli, as he had promised, at a time when they despaired to ever see him again. [i.e., He disappeared from in front of the Emperor Domitian at Rome, and rematerialized 150 miles away in Puteoli.]

After he had slept, to rest from the recent strenuous events in Rome, Apollonius told his disciples that he was leaving for Greece. Demetrius was afraid that he would not be sufficiently hidden there, but Apollonius replied that if all the earth belonged to the tyrant, they that die in the open day had a better part than they that live in concealment. To those in Greece who asked him how he escaped, he merely said that his defense had been successful. Hence, when many coming from Italy related what had really happened, he was almost worshipped, being regarded as divine, especially because he had in no way boasted of the marvelous mode of his escape.

CONTENTS | PREV | Apollonian Resources | Mountain Man Graphics