Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE GOSPEL OF PHILOSOPHIC HEATHENISM 229kindled it afresh and brought it back, neither I northe bystanders can tell." lAll this purports to have taken place just at thetime when Nero was persecuting the Christians, beforehis visit to Greece. But when he published anedict forbidding the philosophers to remain in Rome,Apollonius left it, and went, accompanied by his disciples,into Spain. iFrom Spain he went to Africa,Tuscany, and Sicily. And here at Catana he askedhis disciples, " Is mythology any real thing ?"Andanswering his own question he preferred to it thefables of ^Bsop as being more adapted to conveywisdom. For heroic fables, which make the matterpoetry, corrupt the hearers by introducing absurdours, incestuous marriages, blasphemies against theds, devouring children, unbecoming stratagems anddisputes. These being represented as realities, invitethe lover, the jealous man, the miser and the ambitious,to carry them out in life.2 From Sicily he passed overto Greece, and on the way having sailed prosperouslyin a certain vessel, he said, " Let us leave the ship, forit is not good to sail in her to Achaia." Only thosewho knew him took note of his words, and followedhim into another ship. The one he left presentlyafterwards foundered. He passed the winter in thetemples of Greece, visiting the several cities,and dispensing praise and blame as he saw themto be required. He pursued his journey into Egyptin the spring, where, says his biographer, as he disembarkedfrom the ship at Alexandria, the pelooked upon him as a god, and made wa for himthe narrow streets as is don for those wh1 Book iv. 45. All have been struck with the imitation here of theraising the widow of Nairn's son. 2 Book v. 14.