The Life and Death of Hypatia: Socrates Scholasticus Historia Ecc. 7.15

There was a certain woman in Alexandria named Hypatia, who was the daughter of the philosopher Theon. She attained such wisdom that she completely surpassed every philosopher of her generation. She was trained in Neoplatonism [the ways of Plotinus], and taught her students all of the aspects of this type of philosophy; many of her students flocked to her classes from all over. Because of her poise and all of the knowledge and wisdom which she attained from her studies, she was often sought by local magistrates. Moreover, she was not bashful in their presence, or afraid to appear in the presence of a large crowd.

Because Hypatia was so highly regarded, everyone revered her and welcomed her, but this did put a target on her back (as happened frequently at that time). Since she spent so much time with Orestes, many Christians accused her of interfering with the reconciliation of his friendship with Cyril.

A group of religious zealots under the leadership of a lector named Peter plotted Hypatia’s death. While she was travelling back to her house, they pulled her out of her chariot and dragged her back to the church (the one called Caesareum). They stripped naked and killed her with tiles. Then they dismembered her and brought the pieces to a place called Cinaron, where they cremated them. This crime besmirched the reputation of not only Cyril, but also the entire Alexandrian Church system, for these murders, riots and other acts of violence of this kind are repugnant to the institution of Christianity.

Hypatia’s death occurred in the fourth year of Cyril’s episcopate, during the tenth year of Honorius’ consulship and the sixth consulship of Theodosius, in the month of March, during Lent.

Mulier quaedam fuit Alexandriae, nomine Hypatia, Theonis philosophi filia. Haec ad tantam eruditionem pervenerat, ut omnes sui temporis philosophos longo intervallo superaret et in Platonicam scholam a Plotino deductam succederet cunctasque philosophiae disciplinas auditoribus exponeret. Quocirca omnes philosophiae studiosi ad illam undique confluebant. Porro praeter fiduciam atque auctoritatem, quam sibi ex eruditione comparaverat, interdum quoque cum singulari modestia ad iudices accedebat. Neque vero pudor erat ipsi, in media hominum frequentia apparere.

Nam ob eximiam ipsius modestiam, omnes eam reverebantur simul, ac suscipiebant. Hanc igitur e tempore adortus est invidiae livor. Nam quoniam cum Oreste crebrius colloquebatur, hinc concinnata est adversus eam calumnia apud plebem Christianorum, quasi per ipsam staret, quominus inter Cyrillum, atque Orestem amicitia reconciliaretur. 

Quidam igitur viri ardentioribus animis praediti, quorum dux erat Petrus quidam Lector, conspiratione facta mulierem observant, domum nescio unde redeuntem. Eamque e sella detractam, ad Ecclesiam, quae Caesareum cognominatur, rapiunt & vestibus exutam, testis interemerunt. Cumque membratim eam discerpsissent, membra in locum quem Cinaronem vocant, comportata incendio consumpserunt. Ea res tum Cyrillo,tum Alexandrinorum Ecclesiae non mediocre attulit probrum. Etenim ab instituto Christianorum prorsus alienae sunt caedes & pugnae & quaecunque alia eiusmodi. Gesta sunt haec anno quarto Episcopatus Cyrilli, Honorio decimum &Theodosio sextum Consulibus, mense Martio, tempore ieiuniorum.

 --Socrates Scholasticus, Historia Eccles. 7.15; Translation into Latin by Henricus Valesius 1747 [Greek text forthcoming]

  Socrates Scholasticus was a historian from Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) who lived during the 4^th and early 5^th century CE. His Ecclesiastical History covers history of the Church from 305 to 439 CE.

Challenging Gender Roles: The Asexual Scholar Hypatia, Suda Y.166

The Suda’s Account of Hypatia

Name:    The Suda Date:      10th century CE      Region:    Unknown   Citation:     Y.166

About Hypatia the Philosopher [proof that Alexandrians are rebellious]: She was born, raised, and educated at Alexandria.  When she grew to be more talented than her father, she wasn’t satisfied with just teaching mathematics, she also devoted herself to the study of philosophy as well. Despite being a woman, she wore the ascetic philosopher’s cloak and went forth to the middle of the city,  and taught all who wished to learn the works of Plato, Aristotle, or other philosophers.  Not only was she a scholar, but she also achieved the pinnacle of virtue: she was upright and modest, and she remained a virgin throughout her life... 

This is the way Hypatia was, eloquent in speech and classy in her actions, and the whole city adored her—even worshipped her. The city’s political leaders often visited her in class—something that also happened in Athens. For even if it weren’t true anymore, the name “philosophy” [“love of wisdom”] still seems important and revered among those who serve the state.

It happened that her rival Cyril, the Bishop of the Christian religion, once was passing by Hypatia’s home, saw a crowd of people excitedly gathering outside of her front door, some coming, some going, some just standing around.   He asked whose house it was and what the crowd was doing there, and one of his lackeys told him that it was Hypatia’s house, and she was giving a lecture.  Insane with jealousy, Cyril plotted to kill her as soon as possible  and in the most unholy way possible. When she went out in public again (as she was accustomed to), a bunch of savage people, who feared neither gods nor men, savagely attacked the philosopher, perpetrating the greatest crime against their country. The Emperor would have been furious, if his friend Aedesius hadn’t been offered a bribe. He pardoned the perpetrators, but the fault fell on his own head and his offspring. His offspring paid the ultimate penalty for it.

αὕτη ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ ἐγεννήθη καὶ ἀνετράφη καὶ ἐπαιδεύθη. τὴν δὲ φύσιν γενναιοτέρα τοῦ πατρὸς οὖσα οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τοῖς διὰ τῶν μαθημάτων παιδεύμασιν ὑπὸ τῷ πατρί, ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἥψατο τῆς ἄλλης οὐκ ἀγεννῶς, περιβαλλομένη δὲ τρίβωνα ἡ γυνὴ καὶ διὰ μέσου τοῦ ἄστεος ποιουμένη τὰς προόδους ἐξηγεῖτο δημοσίᾳ τοῖς ἀκροᾶσθαι βουλομένοις ἢ τὸν Πλάτωνα ἢ τὸν Ἀριστοτέλην ἢ ἄλλου ὅτου δὴ τῶν φιλοσόφων. πρὸς δὲ τῷ διδασκαλικῷ καὶ ἐπ' ἄκρον ἀναβᾶσα τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς, δικαία τε καὶ σώφρων γεγονυῖα, διετέλει παρθένος, οὕτω σφόδρα καλή τε οὖσα καὶ εὐειδής, [1]  ... οὕτω δὲ ἔχουσαν τὴν Ὑπατίαν, ἔν τε τοῖς λόγοις οὖσαν ἐντρεχῆ καὶ διαλεκτικὴν ἔν τε τοῖς ἔργοις σώφρονά τε καὶ πολιτικήν, ἥ τε ἄλλη πόλις εἰκότως ἠσπάζετό τε καὶ προσεκύνει διαφερόντως, οἵ τε ἄρχοντες ἀεὶ προχειριζόμενοι τῆς πόλεως ἐφοίτων πρῶτοι πρὸς αὐτήν, ὡς καὶ Ἀθήνησι διετέλει γινόμενον. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀπόλωλεν, ἀλλὰ τό γε ὄνομα φιλοσοφίας ἔτι μεγαλοπρεπές τε καὶ ἀξιάγαστον εἶναι ἐδόκει τοῖς μεταχειριζομένοις τὰ πρῶτα τῆς πολιτείας. ἤδη γοῦν ποτε συνέβη τὸν ἐπισκοποῦντα τὴν ἀντικειμένην αἵρεσιν Κύριλλον, παριόντα διὰ τοῦ οἴκου τῆς Ὑπατίας, ἰδεῖν πολὺν ὠθισμὸν ὄντα πρὸς ταῖς θύραις, ἐπιμὶξ ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ ἵππων, τῶν μὲν προσιόντων, τῶν δὲ ἀπιόντων, τῶν δὲ καὶ προσισταμένων. ἐρωτήσαντα δὲ ὅ τι εἴη τὸ πλῆθος καὶ περὶ οὗ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ὁ θόρυβος, ἀκοῦσαι παρὰ τῶν ἑπομένων, ὅτι προσαγορεύοιτο νῦν ἡ φιλόσοφος Ὑπατία καὶ ἐκείνης εἶναι τὴν οἰκίαν. μαθόντα δὴ οὕτω δηχθῆναι τὴν ψυχήν, ὥστε φόνον αὐτῇ ταχέως ἐπιβουλεῦσαι, πάντων φόνων ἀνοσιώτατον. προελθούσῃ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ἐπιθέμενοι πολλοὶ ἀθρόοι θηριώδεις ἄνθρωποι, ὡς ἀληθῶς σχέτλιοι, οὔτε θεῶν ὄπιν εἰδότες οὔτ' ἀνθρώπων νέμεσιν ἀναιροῦσι τὴν φιλόσοφον, ἄγος τοῦτο μέγιστον καὶ ὄνειδος προστρεψάμενοι τῇ πατρίδι. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠγανάκτησεν ἐπὶ τούτῳ, εἰ μὴ Αἰδέσιος ἐδωροδοκήθη. καὶ τῶν μὲν σφαγέων ἀφείλετο τὴν ποινήν, ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ γένος τὸ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ταύτην ἐπεσπάσατο, καὶ ἐξέπλησε δίκην ὁ τούτου ἔκγονος.

Haec Alexandriae & nata & educata & erudita fuit. Cum autem esset ingenio generosiore, quam pater, non contenta fuit paterna in mathematicis disciplinis institutione, sed & relique philosophiae strenuam operam navavit. Mulier enim sumpto pallio, per mediam urbem progrediens, publice audire se volentibus vel Platonem vel Aristotelem vel cuiusvis alius Philosophi scripta enarrabat. Ceterum praeter peritiam docendi, ad summum etiam virtutis practicae fastigium pervenerat: eratque iusta & casta, & virgo semper permansit, ... Talis igitur cum esset Hypatia, tam prompta expeditaque dicendi facultate valeret, quam factis modestam & urbanam se praeberet, tum reliqua civitas eam merito amabat & insigniter colebat, tum rectores quoque urbis (Alexandriae) primum eam semper invisebant; quod Athenis etiam fieri consuevit. Nam etsi res ipsa perierit, nomen tamen philosophiae adhuc magnificum & venerabile videtur viris, principum locum in Repub. administranda obtinentibus. Quodam igitur tempore contigit, ut Cyrillus, Christianae religionis Episcopus, ante aedes Hypatiae transiens, maximam turbam pro foribus conspiceret hominum simul & equorum, quorum alii adveniebant; alii abibant; alii vero manebant. Cumque sciscitatus fuisset, quenam esset ea multitudo, & quorum tantus fieret tumultus, responsum est a sequentibus, Hypatiam philosopham tunc salutari, eiusque illa aedes esse. Quod cum didicisset Cyrullus, tantopere stimulatus est invidia, ut caedem ei protinus machinatus sit, eamque omnium sceleratissimam. Cum enim Hypatia more solito prodiret ex aedibus, multi ferini homines, nec Deorum vindictam, nec hominum ultionem reveriti, impetu facto eam trucidant; gravissimo piaculo & probro patriam suam obligantes. Et Imperator quidem eam rem gravissime tulit, ultusque essent nisi Aedesius amico Imperatoris corrupisset. Et intersectoribus quidem Imperator poenam remisit: sed in suum ipsius caput & stirpem suam ultionem attraxit. Eius enim nepos poenas exsolvit. Translated into Latin by Christianus Wolff

The Suda is a literary encyclopedia created in the 10th century CE by an anonymous Byzantine scholar.

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[1] The next anecdote, in which Hypatia weaponizes her menstruation in order to defend herself from a man’s unwanted affection, does not fit the scope of this blog and will not be published here.

Challenging Gender Roles: Hypatia, Greek Anthology, 9.400

All of Heaven is Your Classroom, Hypatia

Name:   Palladas Date:   4th century CE Region:    Alexandria [modern Egypt] Citation:     Greek Anthology 9.400

Holy Hypatia,

Immaculate star of education,

Whenever I see you

I bow down in worship,

Revering you and your wisdom,

As if I were gazing at the starry house of the Maiden,

For all of Heaven is your classroom.

ὅταν βλέπω σε, προσκυνῶ, καὶ τοὺς λόγους, τῆς παρθένου τὸν οἶκον ἀστρῷον βλέπων εἰς οὐρανὸν γάρ ἐστί σου τὰ πράγματα, Ὑπατία σεμνή, τῶν λόγων εὐμορφία, ἄχραντον ἄστρον τῆς σοφῆς παιδεύσεως.

Colat necesse est literas, te qui videt Et virginalem spectat astrigeram domum: Negotium namque omne cum coelo tibi, Hypatia prudens, dulce sermonis decus, Sapientis artis sidus integerrimum. Translated into Latin by  Hugo Grotius

Palladas [4th century CE, modern Egypt] was a 4th c. CE poet and scholar who lived in Alexandria. Little is known about his life, but several of his poems were preserved in The Greek Anthology.