The Church Fathers · c. 217–222
The Life of Apollonius of Tyana
Philostratus · c. 170 – c. 250
What it is
The life of a first-century wandering Pythagorean sage commissioned by the empress Julia Domna: miraculous birth, travels to India and Egypt, healings, an exorcism, a girl raised from her bier, a trial before Domitian, a disappearance, and an appearance afterwards to a doubting disciple.
Why it lasted
Whether or not it was written against the gospels, it was immediately used against them. Hierocles put the two lives side by side under Diocletian, and Eusebius had to write a book answering him.
Scripture it works from
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
Read next