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aspiration for a renewal of nature.In the vast melting pot of Alexandria,Pythagorean mysticism split into two: Judeo-Alexandrian Pythagoreanism and RomanPythagoreanism. The latter is better known inour philosophical tradition than the other. Manyconcepts of Judeo-Alexandrian Pythagoreanismfound a strong echo in the religious and moralconcepts which gave rise to Christianity.Cicero (c. 106-43 BCE)Cicero andNigidiusThe precise date whenthe Pythagoreanmovement wastransplanted to Romecannot be given withcertainty but by themid-first centuryBCE, a cult-like groupflourished in Romeunder the leadershipof the Roman senator and Pythagorean, PubliusNigidius Figulus, (c.105 - 45 BCE) a contemporaryand friend of Cicero, who, in the Preface of histranslation of Plato’s Timaeus, stated that there wasnobody better than Nigidius to renew the ancientdiscipline of the Pythagoreans, who seemedby that time to be extinct. Nigidius, like everytrue Pythagorean, possessed an encyclopaedicknowledge. Cicero called him “a particularly acuteinvestigator of those matters which nature has madeobscure.” During his scientific investigations,the distinction between science and mysticismbecame blurred.The Latin author Cicero, mentioned above,was particularly interested in the Pythagoreanteachings. In his references to it, he analysed all itsaspects and, undoubtedly, it is thanks to him thatwe can reconstruct the essentials of Pythagoreanhistory and thought.VirgilWe can see the influence ofPythagoras in the works ofthe great Latin writer Virgil.There are many elementsof Pythagoreanism thataccording to the Frenchhistorian Jérôme Carcopinoare found in Virgil’s 4 th Eclogue;among these are:Virgil (70-19 BCE)• The theory of the Great Year, which forms thefundamental motive for the expected renewalof humanity.• The Virgin, a symbol of justice, whoseappearance heralds the end of the Iron Ageand the advent of the Golden Age.• The invocation to Apollo, of whom Pythagoraswas considered to a reincarnation.• Apollo, who will be the dominant god ofthis final century when the universe willtransform itself during the Golden Age.• The “young woman” who is destined to ruleover the Golden Age, when all animals willlive together in peace.As in the 4 th Eclogue, Book 4 of Virgil’s Aeneidreveals the intensity of Pythagorean mysticalthought.PlutarchPlutarch, the Greekwriter and philosopherwho lived around100 CE was anotherbeliever in Pythagoreanwisdom. He was oneof the most influentialof the small numberof philosophers whoformed the future Plutarch (c. 46-120)image of Pythagoras that has been handed downto us. In two short dialogues that he wrote, it ispossible to discern the existence of a first centuryCE Pythagorean circle where the teachings werestill given under the seal of secrecy. In his otherworks, De Genius Socratis, De Facie in Orbe Lunae,and De Isis et Osiris, we also find the fundamentalconcepts of the Pythagorean School.He states that the human soul [personality],with its imperfections and compelling needs, willcontinue to reincarnate until it achieves a purelife, having finally overcome its imperfect nature.Once all the dross has been eliminated, it will riseto the superior realms and direct contact with thegods and help other souls who have the desire forperfection.Diogenes LaertiusThe first author whose biography of Pythagorashas been preserved in full is Diogenes Laertius(c.200-250). In his work Lives and Opinions ofthe Eminent Philosophers he briefly describes theSchool and its Master:The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 200929