Throughout history, there have been many examples of a phenomenon known as "simultaneous invention,"
in which the same discovery is made by two separate people at just about the same time.
For example, in the 1770s, Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley both discovered oxygen,
while in 1869, Louis Ducos du Hauron and Charles Cros shared their new practical methods
for creating color photography on the exact same day. Such coincidences are certainly uncanny, but
nothing quite compares to the claim of what might be considered "simultaneous lives'' — especially
when one of those lives was arguably one of the most significant in human history.
Since the death of Jesus Christ, many theologians and thinkers have highlighted the numerous
similarities between his life and that of a figure called Apollonius of Tyana. A follower of
the works of Pythagoras, Apollonius is believed to have been alive at roughly the same time as Jesus.
In addition, both built their own large and devoted followings during their lifetimes.
Though Apollonius of Tyana was born in what is now Turkey,
the parallels between his life and that of Jesus Christ are startling. Apollonius was
a traveling teacher who attracted followers as a result of performing divine miracles,
such as healing, resurrection, and exorcism. Like Jesus, Apollonius was said to have supernaturally
appeared to his followers after his death, who then became the champions of his teachings.
The similarities in the lives of Jesus Christ and Apollonius of Tyana have even led to an
unorthodox theory: that the story of Jesus is based on the life of Apollonius. This, of course,
would mean the entire Christian Church was founded on the teachings of a pagan miracle worker.
This theory gained traction in the early 1890s, when Jonathan Manning Roberts published the tract
"Antiquity Unveiled," claiming Christianity was derived purely from Apollonius.
Another theory posits that, when the newly forming Christians had to decide which
seemingly above-average guru was the son of God, they simply chose Jesus over Apollonius.
But Jesus of Nazareth and Apollonius of Tyana had very different beliefs regarding human
relationships with God. Jesus taught that God answers prayers, but Apollonius told his
followers that prayers and sacrifices were not what God wanted. Rather, he said God was "pure
intellect" — and the way to communicate with him was via reason and meditation. In this sense,
Apollonius' teachings were more similar to that of Hindus than what we know as Christianity today.
Apollonius also spoke about reincarnation — the idea that the soul is continually reborn,
and that the way you behave in one life determines how you will be reborn in the next.
He also urged non-violence, as did Jesus — but in addition to not hurting others,
Apollonius encouraged his followers to avoid eating meat. According to him,
this kind of pacifism could give you a leg-up in your next life.
Apollonius and Jesus both believed in living lives of simplicity, denouncing
the wealthy and powerful. Yet Apollonius seems to have had stricter guidelines.
Rather than turning water into wine, Apollonius condemned the consumption of alcohol.
"If you hunger for righteousness, it will be filled. Through me."
Or, you know — Apollonius. In fact, Apollonius is also considered an
early scientist, and some argue that his "miracles" were more than just that.
Instead, it is thought that they were specific tricks he knew how to pull because of his early
scientific knowledge, which many people wouldn't have understood at the time.
Jesus' and Apollonius' deaths weren't entirely similar, either, in the sense that Jesus was put
to death, while Apollonius appears to have died of old age. But nobody's really sure. Philostratus,
who wrote down the story of Apollonius hundreds of years later, said of his passing:
"Concerning the manner of his death, if he did die, the accounts are various."
Indeed, the early biographers of Apollonius were vague about many of the details of his
life and death. This means that proponents of the theories in question have tended
to cherry-pick details so that his life more resembles that of Jesus.
Moreover, many scholars and historians have levied criticism at the authenticity of some
of the documents said to tell the story of his life, though we do at least have a handful of
sources written by the man himself. The same certainly can't be said for Jesus.
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