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.

Can I Forgive Him? The Afterlife of Hippolytus, Pausanias, Desc. Graec. 2.27.4

Can I Forgive Him? The Rebirth of Virbius

Name:  Pausanias Date:        110 – 180 CE Region:    Lydia [modern Turkey] Citation:      Description of Greece 2.27.4

[There are columns within the temple that are inscribed with the names of people healed]. Separate from these is an old column with an inscription stating that Hippolytus dedicated twenty horses to the god [Asclepius]. The Aricians say something similar to the story posted on this column. They say that after Hippolytus was killed by Theseus, Asclepius brought him back from the dead. As soon as Hippolytus was revived, he was unable to forgive his father, and rejected his apologies. Instead he went to Italy, where he ruled among the Aricians and dedicated a temple to Artemis.

χωρὶς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων [στῆλων] ἐστὶν ἀρχαία στήλη: ἵππους δὲ Ἱππόλυτον ἀναθεῖναι τῷ θεῷ φησιν εἴκοσι. ταύτης τῆς στήλης τῷ ἐπιγράμματι ὁμολογοῦντα λέγουσιν Ἀρικιεῖς, ὡς τεθνεῶτα Ἱππόλυτον ἐκ τῶν Θησέως ἀρῶν ἀνέστησεν Ἀσκληπιός: ὁ δὲ ὡς αὖθις ἐβίω, οὐκ ἠξίου νέμειν τῷ πατρὶ συγγνώμην, ἀλλὰ ὑπεριδὼν τὰς δεήσεις ἐς Ἰταλίαν ἔρχεται παρὰ τοὺς Ἀρικιεῖς, καὶ ἐβασίλευσέ τε αὐτόθι καὶ ἀνῆκε τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι τέμενος.

Seorsum est ab aliis antiqua pila. In ea incisum, dicasse Aesculapio Hippolytum equos XX.  Huius pilae inscriptioni consentanea Aricini dicunt, discerptum ob Thesei imprecationes Hippolytum, in vitam ab Aesculapio revocatum: neque postea patri unquam ignoscere voluisse [1]; verum omni eius deprecatione spreta, in Italiam venisse, ibique dicato Aricinae Dianae templo regnasse. Translated into Latin by Romulus Amaseus

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[1] According to myth, Theseus had his son Hippolytus condemned to death after believing the false rumor that he had attacked his stepmother Phaedra.

Pausanias [110 -180 CE, modern Turkey] was a Greek writer from Lydia who lived during the era of the “Five Good Emperors.” His work, the Description of Greece, is an important source for geographical, historical, archaeological, and cultural information about ancient Greece.

The Terrible Fate of Intersex Children in Ancient Rome: Pliny, Nat. Hist. 7.3.34

Name: Pliny the Elder Date: 23 – 79 CE Region:  Como [modern Italy]; Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  Natural History, 7.3.34

We call those born with characteristics of both sexes "intersex," [formerly called "androgynes"]. They were once considered bad omens, but now are used for entertainment.

Giguntur et utriusque sexu quos hermaphroditos vocamus, olim androgynos vocatos et in prodigiis habitos, nunc vero in deliciis*.

* the phrase 'in deliciis' is often used to denote exploitation or enslavement

Pliny the Elder [Gaius Plinius Secundus; 23 – 79 CE, modern Italy] was an Italian-born Roman statesman and author who lived during the reigns of the early Roman emperors. He spent most of his life in service of his country; he ultimately gave his life in arranging the evacuation of the regions devastated by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. His work, the Natural History, is a 37-volume collection of art, history, and science of the ancient world.