There is a simple formula in order to be healed in the Asclepius cult. First, the person seeking to be healed must first go to the temple in Epidaurus earnestly looking to be healed. Once there, one is visited by Asclepius in a dream or vision. During this time, the requirements for the healing are told to the person and an offering is requested. Asclepius appears to show compassion to humans. The inscriptions from past miracles were mocked by several of the people looking to be healed, however, he still shows compassion and heals them. However, there is the one person who actually lies to him and ends up receiving additional brands rather than having his removed. Each healing requires an offering specified by Asclepius and it was also customary to record the details of the healing on a plaque which was available for everyone who went to the temple to see.
Both Apollonius and Asclepius are considered divine men who have healing powers. They both have a connection with dreams. Apollonius states “And yet divination by means of dreams, which seems to be the most divine faculty of which humans are capable” (The Life of Apollonius, 44). This is the exact way that Asclepius chose to reveal himself to the humans that were requesting to be healed, through a dream/vision. Both men are well regarded for their works of miracles and power that they appear to have. This makes their stories very popular and although there isn’t any real lineage that would link them to having divine powers, although Asclepius is said to have been the son of Apollo, people still considered them to be at least semi-divine.
White makes reference to the “storyteller’s artistry” by showing an outline of the narratives. This outline consists of a Description of the situation, the action by the miracle worker and them the response of the onlookers (White, 175). When reading The Life of Apollonius and the story associated with the exorcism you will find this same outline; he is lecturing on the subject of libations, there was a foppish youth present with a reputation for shamelessness, the youth greeted his remark with a loud laugh, Apollonius realized it was a demon controlling the boy, he tells the demon to prove he has left the boy and with the crowd watching the demon knocks over a statue as he departs the boy’s body, the people clapped in amazement. Although the story in Mark 1:21-26 is much shorter, it still has the same pattern seen that I just described.
I would have to say there are definite similarities in the pattern in which the stories are told, however, there are differences in the presentations. Philostratus does not allude to Apollonius actually casting out the demon as Jesus does in Mark 1:25. Although it is clear the demon knows that he has been made and seems to be afraid of Apollonius, there is no distinguished casting out of the demon, he is in essence willing to leave the body and show proof of doing so. Another interesting distinction between the two are how the demon speaks to Jesus, telling him he acknowledges he is the “Holy One of God”. The author may have put this in the story of Jesus because of the controversy over magic and miracles. Bohak writes about the issues that both Jewish and non-Jewish people had with Jesus and condemned him for performing miracles, including casting out demons. However, if he is truly the Son of Man, then he would be not be practicing magic, rather he would be truly performing miracles that were ordained by God and hence, the audience would realize that he had authority when reading the miracle stories in Mark.