ABSTRACT
In the Life of Apollonius we expect to find a sophist’s view of someone he regards as a philosopher. It is perhaps wise to prepare ourselves by noting what a contemporary with predominantly rhetorical sympathies thought of one of Apollonius’ associates, the Stoic Euphrates:
Not even now do I fully appreciate (his virtues), for just as it takes an actual artist to be a judge of a painter, sculptor, or craftsman, so it takes an actual philosopher fully to understand another. But as far as I am able to make out, Euphrates has many eminent and outstanding qualities which engage and influence even people with only a modest education: he has a subtle and profound mode of argument which he expresses elegantly, so that he often seems to attain to something of the renowned sublimity and breadth of Plato himself. He can speak at length on a variety of subjects, and has a particular charm capable of enticing and winning over those who resist. Besides he is tall and distinguished-looking, with a long sweep of hair and a great white beard; and although people may consider these matters merely incidental, they win him the highest respect. (Pliny, Letters I.x.4–6)
