Apollonius of Tyana is arguably the figure responsible for the rise of the Neopythagorean movement. Apollonius was an ascetic sage, who traveled widely in the deserts of Egypt, and (some claim) as far as India. He considered himself a holy man and strongly embraced and propagated the idea of the “Pythagorean Life,” including:

     - Occult Wisdom
     - Purity Rights (sexual abstinence, vegetarianism, etc.)
     - Tolerance
     - Pythagoras as the ideal man

Apollonius actually thought himself to be the reincarnation of Pythagoras, and he possessed much knowledge of Pythagoras’s life. (Guthrie, 40) Apollonius was not really what one would call a philosopher, instead he was more of a miracle-worker, and holy man, even a pagan missionary. Some scholars even compare him to a pagan Jesus. Whatever the case, however, he was clearly an influential figure in the growth of the Neopythagorean tradition. Philostratus chronicled his life in a historical novel, the “Life of Apollonis” though the accuracy of the work has been strongly questioned. This work, in many volumes, chronicles the life of what appears to be an incredible human being. In the work Apollonius is given a status approaching that of Jesus. In fact some scholars have compared this work to the gospels of the Bible. Philostratus tells many tales in the life of Apollonius, and credits him with advising whole cities (such as Sparta) and running afoul of the Emperor Dominitian. Apollonius is presented as being both a wise man and somewhat of a superhero, and although as stated before, the accuracy of Philostratus’s warks has been strongly questioned, there is no question that Apollonius was a charismatic and important figure in the rise of Neopythagoreanism.

Although clearly, the figure of Apollonius is somewhat controversial, and the details of his life are contested hotly, he still is an important Neopythagorean figure. He was not a traditional philosopher, and clearly he was a not a traditional figure. However, despite these potential negatives, Apollonius was still a vitally important Neopythagorean figure. His methods were obviously not conventional, but at the same time, he was largely responsible for the renewed interest in Pythagorean thought and ideas. As such, he must be looked at as being crucial to the Neopythagorean movement.

                                                                     Iamblichus

Iamblichus is perhaps best known due to his work in Neoplatonism. He founded a Syrian School of Neoplatonism, and was responsible for a systematic interpretation of Plato. However, he is also an important figure to the Neopythagorean movement. Iamblicus wrote a “Life Of Pythagoras.” He was attempting to write a ten-volume encyclopedia of Pythagorean thought, with the “Life of Pythagoras” to be the first volume. In doing so, Iamblichus was one of the first thinkers to systematically examine the thought of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans and put it to paper. He is purported to have done extensive research on the life of Pythagoras and his teachings in preparing for his literary works. As such, the figure of Ianblichus is vitally important to the Neopythagorean movement. He was one of the first men to not only look back on the thought of the Pythagoreans, but also to analyze it, and  actually commit it to paper. His “Life of Pythagoras” is one of the most important ancient documents in determining the doctrine and teaching of Pythagoras. (Guthrie, 57) Ianblichus was clearly an important figure in the Neopythagorean movement, and was one of its more intellectual members.

Iamblichus thought of himself as a Pythagorean sage, and was strongly focused on the thought and doctrine of Pythagoras and his followers. He was strongly attached to the figure of Pythagoras, and viewed him as the father of Philosophy. Iamblichus saw the religious doctrines of Pythagoreanism as a road to spiritual purification, and a way to achieve the ultimate philosophical life. He strongly embraced the teachings of Pythagoreanism, and modeled his life upon the Pythagorean ideal. Iamblichus was clearly a strong supporter of Pythagorean thought and doctorine, and was largely responsible for the commitement to paper of that thought.

Iamblicus was also strongly influenced by the works and teachings of Plato. This led him to a tendency to view Pythagoreanism and Pythagorean ideas through the lens of Plato. Because of this it is difficult to determine to what extent Pythagoras did in fact influenced Iamblicus’s thought. He was an imporant figure in the Neoplatonic movement, and acually expanded upon the its fundamental doctorine of "the one." Thus his thought was profoundly influenced by that of Plato and the Platonists, however, at the same time he still sought to live his life according to the teachings of Pythagoras. Due to this dichotomy, it is very hard to determine to what extent the thought of Iamblichus was influenced by Pythagoreanism. It is almost impossible to separate his Pythagoreanism from his Neoplatonism. Despite this difficulty, however, it is clearly evident that Ianblichus was a figure vitally important to the rise of the Neopythagorean movement. 

                                                                     Moderatus

Moderatus of Gades is another important figure in the Neopythagorean movement. He lived around the same time as did Apollonius, and was an important written source of information on Pythagoras and his teachings. Moderatus was an aggressive follower of Pythagoras. He seems to have embraced the Pythagorean way of life in addition to the doctrines of Pythagoreanism. Moderatus, unlike Iamblichus, appears not to be involved in the Neoplatonist movement. In fact, it appears that he criticized Plato and his followers as only being descendants from Pythagorean thought. Moderatus seems to be a figure who was strongly tied to both the religious and philosophical aspects of Pythagoreanism, and sought to embody the ideals laid out by Pythagoras.

Almost nothing is known about the life of Moderatus. It seems that he taught in Rome for as least part of his career (Dillon, 354), and that he wrote several important works. Chief among those is his "Pythagorikai Scholai" (Lectures on Pythagoreanism). In this work, which seems to be one of the most comprehensive written examples of Pythagorean thought, Moderatus shows that many important philosophical ideas traditionally associated with other philosophers were in fact the creation of Pythagoras. Moderatus was adamant in his belief that Plato and his followers were merely followers of Pythagoras, a belief that has gained increasing acceptance as more becomes known about both figures.This work by Moderatus was, and remains a vitally important work for determining the thought of the Pythagoreans, and in separating it from the thought of other Greek philosophers. In putting to paper the ideas born from Pythagoras, and more importantly, in separating them from later philosophers and philosophic schools, Moderatus gives us important insight into the actual makeup of the original Pythagorean movement, in addition to helping to define that of the Neopythagorean.