Page:Apollonius of Tyana - the pagan Christ of the third century.pdf/55

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APOLLONIUS OF TYANA.

institution. However, it must be granted that a certain atmosphere of pure and true morality pervades the whole of this system of teaching. There is a well-established theory in it, that virtue is the only foundation of happiness and true piety. It is a growth which one scarcely expected to find flourishing so luxuriantly in a decidedly Pagan country. We must not forget that Apollonius is not only a philosopher, a moralist, like Epictetus or Zeno—he is at the same time a popular reformer, an initiator, a kind of universal priest; and the main idea in his biography is this, that a philosopher who is so holy is entitled to Divine honours, and, in point of fact, that he is a god in human form. But, on the other hand, even if we take for granted the statements which are made in the biography, and inquire how far we can share unreservedly in the admiration lavished upon the sage by his biographer, we shall soon find that his ideal and ours differ very widely. It is quite true that Apollonius is chaste and temperate—that he is actuated by the noble desire to know, and the still nobler desire to communicate