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.

Christianizing the Myth of Achilles & Patroclus: Synesius to His Friend Troilus, Ep. 123

Name:   Synesius of Cyrene Date:   373 – 414 CE Region:   Cyrene [modern Libya] Citation:     Letter 123

 Roman men often had deep, loving and affectionate friendships with their peers. There was no shame or stigma in expressing love and support to one another.

Dear Troilus,

Even if death erases the memory of our souls,

I will still be able to remember you there, dear friend!

This is a quote of Homer, but I don’t know if they were written more for Achilles and Patroclus than for us, dear friend! May God above, Whom wisdom cherishes, bear witness that the image of your sacred and most precious spirit is fixed deep within my heart, and even now, the words of your wisdom-instilled voice still resonate in my ears. When I returned home from Egypt, I read the letters you’d written me for the past two years and I wept profusely. Your letters didn’t cause me happiness, but rather grief, for as I read them, I recalled from spending time with you in real life, and now it seems I’m mourning the loss of a friend, even a parent, with your absence—even through you are still alive! I’ll proudly do my duty and undertake serious challenges for my country, if only I can find an opportunity to leave it. When will I enjoy seeing your face again, dearest Father? When will I wrap my arms around your sacred neck? When will I spend time with you again? If this ever should happen, I would be like what they say about Aeson from Thessaly, and become young again.

Troilo.

Quod si Erebo vita functorum oblivia tangant, 

illic vel chari potero meminisse sodalis.

Sunt illi quidem ab Homero versus scripti; sed eorum sensus nescio an ab Achille potius de Patroclo quam a me de te amicissimo, ac benefico capite, usurpari merito possit. quam eloquidem, ut testis est mihi Deus, quem philosophia colit, sacri tui ac suavisissimi animi infixam imaginem medio in corde circumfero, et auribus etiamnum illa sapientissimorum tuorum sermonum vox insonat. Cum autem ex Aegypto in patriam rediissem, ac duorum annorum simul epistolas legissem, magnam equidem in litteras vim lacrimarum profudi. Non tam enim, quod te per litteras quodammodo fruerer, mihi voluptatem afferebat, quam illud dolore afficiebat, cum ex scriptis tuis litteris praesentem ac vivam in animam consuetudinem revocarem; cuiusmodi scilicet et amico simul, et vere parente vivo essem orbatus. Libenter igitur graviora pro patria certamina subeam, mihi ut iterum profectionis occasio praebeatur. Num quando conspectu tuo perfruar, Pater vere germanissime? num quando sacrum tuum caput amplectar? num concilii propter te beati particeps ero?  Si enim ea mihi obtinere contigerit, efficiam profecto, ut iam fabula non sit, quod de Aesone Thessalo dicitur praedicant, cum ex sene repente esset iuvenis factus.

Translated by J. P. Migne (1864)

Synesius of Cyrene [373 – 414 CE, modern Libya] was a Greek writer and statesman from Cyrene. He is known as one of Hypatia’s most famous students. His education took him to both Alexandria, Egypt and Athens, Greece; he spent many years in Constantinople advocating on behalf of his community. His letters are still extant, and provide us with unique insights into this time period.

Using Sappho's Words to Express His Love...for Books, Julian, Ep. 23

Name:  Julian Date:     331 – 363 CE Region: Constantinople [modern Istanbul, Turkey] Citation:  Letter 23.1

The Roman Emperor Julian quoted Sappho frequently in his works. In this letter, he uses the same priamel construction that Sappho used in Fragment 16 to showcase his love of books.

To Ecdicius, Prefect of Egypt, From Julian:

Some people love horses;

Others love birds;

Still others love animals.

But, from the time I was a child,

I have always burned for books.

 

ἄλλοι μὲν ἵππων, ἄλλοι δὲ ὀρνέων, ἄλλοι  θηρίων ἐρῶσιν, ἐμοὶ δὲ βιβλίων κλήσεως ἐκ παιδεαίς δεινὸς ἐντέτηκε πόθος.

Ecdicio Praefecto Aegypti Quidam equis, alii avibus, nonnulli feris delectantur: ego vero inde usque a pueritia librorum cupiditate arsi. Translated into Latin by Petrus Martinius

Julian [Flavius Claudius Julianus; 331 – 363 CE; modern Turkey]. Also known as “Julian the Apostate,” Emperor Julian ruled the Roman empire from 361 to 363 CE. During that time, he advocated for the return of Rome’s polytheistic state religion. Numerous works of his are extant, including letters, speeches, and satires. These provide unique insight into the perspectives of Roman nobility during that time period.

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter: Greco-Roman Portrayals of the Myth of Hermaphroditus

Although intersex people were not treated well throughout Roman history [cf. Pliny NH vii.iii.34], Greco-Roman authors were fascinated by the concept of a person who could transcend the rigid gender roles imposed by society. The following examples show several authors' attempts to play with grammatical gender in their poems about intersex individuals /myths.

1A grammar teacher’s daughter got pregnant

And had a kid that was masculine, feminine, and neuter.

) Grammatici filia genuit amore mixta

sobole masculam, feminam, neutram.

γραμματικοῦ θυγάτηρ ἔτεκεν φιλότητι μιγεῖσα

παιδίον ἀρσενικόν, θηλυκόν, οὐδέτερον.

 --Palladas, Greek Anthology IX.489; Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

 

 I am Hermes to men, and Aphrodite to women;

I wear the shape of both of my parents.

So it’s no wonder why they put me, the intersex Hermaphroditus,

In a bathhouse meant for all.

In Hermaphroditum in balneis stantem

Maribus Mercurius sum, feminis vero Cypris cernor:

utriusque autem fero in me signa parentis.

Ideo haud immerito me Hermaphroditum posuerunt in

communis-viris-et-feminis lavacro puerum ambiguum.

εἰς Ἑρμαφρόδιτον ἐν λουτρῷ ἱστάμενον

ἀνδράσιν Ἑρμῆς εἰμι, γυναιξὶ δὲ Κύπρις ὁρῶμαι

ἀμφοτέρων δὲ φέρω σύμβολά μοι τοκέων.

τοὔνεκεν οὐκ ἀλόγως με τὸν Ἑρμαφρόδιτον ἔθεντο

ἀνδρογύνοις λουτροῖς παῖδα τὸν ἀμφίβολον.

--Greek Anthology IX.783; Translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner

It is said that when my mother bore me in her womb,

the gods debated what she would give birth to.

Phoebus said, “It’s a boy!”

Mars said, “It’s a girl!”

Juno said, “It’s neither!”

And now that I’m born, I’m Hermaphroditus.

When she asked how I would die,

The goddess said, “Death by the sword!”

Mars said, “Death by the cross!”

Phoebus said, “Death by water!”

And fate figured out the rest.

There was a tree that gave shade to the water;

I climbed it;

My sword fell;

And I fell on top of it;

My foot got caught on a branch;

My head fell into the water;

And so there I was

A man

A woman

Neither

Dying by water

Weapon

And cross.

I don’t know what the final outcome of my gender will be,

But I’ll be happy

If I understand that I was both.

Cum mea me mater gravida gestaret in alvo,

quid pareret, fertur consuluisse deos.

Phoebus ait, "puer est," Mars "femina," Iuno "neutrum,":

Iam, quom sum natus, Hermaphroditus eram.

Quaerenti letum dea sic ait "occidet armis."

Mars "cruce" Phoebus "aquis;" sors rata quaeque fuit.

Arbor obumbrat aquas: ascendo; labitur ensis,

quem tuleram, casu: labor et ipse super;

pes haesit ramis, caput incidit amne, tulique

vir mulier neutram flumina tela crucem.

Nescio quem sexum mihi sors extrema reliquit,

felix, si sciero cur utriusque fui.

--Codex Salmasianus 127

  

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.

The Life of Delicate-Hearted Girls; Agathias, Greek Anthology 5.297

The Life of Tender-Hearted Girls

Name: Agathias Date:    536 – 582 CE Region:    Mysia [modern Turkey] Citation: Greek Anthology 5.297

In this poem, Agathias provides a sympathetic view of the life of women in his society.

 

It isn’t as hard to be a man as it is to be one of us delicate-hearted girls.

Men have buddies whom they can vent their stress to;

They have sports, and can see art whenever they want.

We can’t even go outside, but stay locked away indoors,

Locked in a dungeon of our own anxiety.

The Life of Tender-Hearted Girls

Ἠϊθέοις οὐκ ἔστι τόσος πόνος, ὁππόσος ἡμῖν ταῖς ἀταλοψύχοις ἔχραε θηλυτέραις. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ παρέασιν ὁμήλικες, οἷς τὰ μερίμνης ἄλγεα μυθεῦνται φθέγματι θαρσαλέῳ, παίγνιὰ τ᾽ ἀμφιέπουσι παρήγορα, καὶ κατ᾽ ἀγυιὰς πλάζονται γραφίδων χρώμασι ῥεμβόμενοι ἡμῖν δ᾽ οὐδὲ φάος λεύσσειν θέμις, ἀλλὰ μελάθροις κρυπτόμεθα, ζοφεραῖς φροντίσι τηκόμεναι.

Non tanti iuvenum divexant corda labores, Heu quanti miseras nos muliebre genus. Sunt illis aequaeva cohors, quorum audet in aures libera vox curas exonerare suas; sunt varii lusus: & nunc per compita cursant, nunc animos ad se picta tabella vocat. Nobis nec lucem fas cernere: condimur intra claustra domus, tabes non ubi caeca vorat. Translated into Latin by Hugo Grotius

Agathias [Agathias Scholasticus; 530 – 594 CE, modern Turkey] was a 6th century poet and scholar from Mysia [western coast of modern Turkey]. His most famous work, The Histories, records the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinian I.   Several of his poems are preserved in The Greek Anthology.