The miracle consists of triggering a mimetic contagion so powerful that it finally polarizes the entire population of the city against the unfortunate beggar. The initial refusal of the Ephesians is the sole ray of light in this dark text, but Apollonius does everything he can to extinguish it, and he succeeds in doing so. The Ephesians start stoning their victim with such rage that they finally see him as Apollonius demands, the source of all their misfortunes, the “plague demon” that must be expelled in order to heal the city.
