Apollonius of Tyana, an extraordinary figure of an initiate, magician, and prophet who lived in the first century AD, remains a great enigma in history, especially when we consider that his existence was parallel and analogous to that of another man who undoubtedly influenced the human affairs of the last two millennia: Jesus, called the Christ.
The birth of Apollonius, whose life is narrated to us by Flavius Philostratus, can most likely be placed in 4 BC in Tyana, Asia Minor. The event, as the sources tell us, was preceded by portents and miracles, and it is said that before Apollonius came into the world, a splendid apparition appeared before his mother, revealing that the son she was expecting would be an incarnation of the Titan God Prometheus, the savior of humanity.
Apollonius lacked the martyrdom of the cross, but everywhere, in the places he had passed through and preached, temples and statues were erected in his honor. His fame had reached every province of the Roman Empire, and his preachings, teachings, and miracles were spoken of everywhere. In fact, there were not a few who could testify to having seen him exorcise the possessed, heal the lame and the sick, and even bring the dead back to life.
In light of all this, it should not be surprising that Christianity attempted by all means to erase from history the memory and events of such an extraordinary figure, who was too similar to its Messiah.