Pythagoras and the Delphic mysteriesSchuré, Edouard
Religion
Pythagoras and the Delphic mysteries
Schuré, Edouard
Mysteries, Religious; Pythagoras and Pythagorean school
1. _Second sight of Apollonius of Tyana._--“Whilst
these things (the assassination of the Emperor
Domitian) were taking place at Rome, Apollonius saw
them at Ephesus. Domitian was assailed by Clement
about noon; on the very same day, at that moment,
Apollonius was discoursing in the gardens close to
the Xystes. Suddenly he lowered his voice as though
smitten with sudden terror. He continued his speech,
but his language was of a different character, as
is the case often with those who are speaking or
thinking of something else. Then, he stopped, as
though he had lost the thread of his argument, gave
a terrified look on the ground, took three or four
steps forward and exclaimed: ‘Strike the tyrant!’
One would have said that he saw, not the image of
the deed in a mirror, but the deed itself in all its
reality. The Ephesians (for the whole of Ephesus was
present at the speech of Apollonius) were struck
with wonder. Apollonius stopped like a man waiting
to see the result of some doubtful event. Finally
he exclaimed: ‘Be of good courage, Ephesians, the
tyrant has been killed to-day. To-day? Yes, by
Minerva! He was being assassinated the very moment
I interrupted my speech.’ The Ephesians thought that
Apollonius had lost his senses; it was their keen
desire that he should have said what was true,
but they were afraid that some danger might come
to them as the result of this speech.... Soon,
however, messengers came bringing the good news and
testifying in favour of the knowledge of Apollonius,
for every detail: the murder of the tyrant, the
day of its consummation, the hour of noon, the
instigator of the murder whom Apollonius had
encouraged, were found to be in perfect conformity
with those the Gods had shown him on the day of his
discourse to the Ephesians.”--_Life of Apollonius_,
by Philostratus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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