Of the four sources I’ve reviewed, the first three are the most useful and diverse. And thereafter a multitude of believers in God arose under the guidance of Peter the magistrate — now this Peter was a perfect believer in all respects in Jesus Christ — and they proceeded to seek for the pagan woman who had beguiled the people of the city and the prefect through her enchantments…and they dragged her along till they brought her to the great church, named Caesarion…And they tore off her clothing and dragged her [till they brought her] through the streets of the city till she died. The primary sources for Hypatia’s life and times (and the late Imperial period generally) are more difficult to find online. Hypatia of Alexandria: The Primary Sources - Faith L. Justice. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. We could have had a cure for cancer and cities on Mars by now. "On Hypatia of Alexandria," in Textual Studies in Ancient and Medieval Geometry, Birkhauser, 1989. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Originally the link went to a petition drive to establish “Hypatia Day” in Canada, but if he’s asking for money, I’ll removed his post. Cyril is revered among the Copts as one of their greatest saints and his relics greatly venerated. But now your silence has been added to the sum of my sorrows. She was the daughter of the mathematician Theon, the last Professor at the University of Alexandria, who tutored her in math, astronomy, and the philosophy of the day which, in modern times, would be considered science. I have long been reproaching you that I am not deemed worthy of a letter, but now I know that I am despised by all of you for no wrongdoing on my part, but because I am unfortunate in many things, in as many as a man can be. Some of them therefore, hurried away by a fierce and bigoted zeal, whose ringleader was a reader named Peter, waylaid her returning home, and dragging her from her carriage, they took her to the church called Caesarion, where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her with tiles. Yet even she fell a victim to the political jealousy which at that time prevailed. (There are theories that the reason we have so few resources on Hypatia is that the Church leaders were embarrassed by their role and had them destroyed. That work is now done and I’m moving into the next phase. What comes down to us is similar to the story given by Socrates Scholasticus—Hypatia is a learned woman, esteemed for her knowledge and behavior—but Damascius leaves out the political overtones leading up to her death. They evolved into the Coptic Church. For as she had frequent interviews with Orestes, it was calumniously reported among the Christian populace, that it was she who prevented Orestes from being reconciled to the bishop. As anyone who has studied Hypatia knows, there is little out there in the way of primary sources. Damascius’ work provides historians with some minor problems. After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled limbs to a place called Cinaron, and there burnt them. 87-103). Oh, and by the way: I think I have a new book on my wishlist…. What comes down to us is similar to the story given by Socrates Scholasticus—Hypatia is a learned woman, esteemed for her knowledge and behavior—but Damascius leaves out the political overtones leading up to her death. I hope this essay contributes some additional knowledge to those who, like me, are fascinated by the life and death of this remarkable woman. It was most likely written in Greek with some Coptic Egyptian inclusions, but the original did not survive. I just got the Kindle version of Selene of Alexandria. Did she want to shield her devoted student from her own troubles? Cyril is revered among the Copts as one of their greatest saints and his relics greatly venerated. Given the time elapsed after Hypatia’s murder, he has no access to eye witnesses, although written accounts might have been available. B. Deakin reviews the complete canon here and provides English translations in his book Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr (Prometheus Books, 2007). Writing 25 or more years after Hypatia’s murder, Socrates of Constantinople (b. As near as I can tell from the primary sources, Hypatia herself, unlike others in Alexandria, was non-violent. An Ethiopic manuscript, translated from Arabic came to light and, in 1916, this was translated into English. Change ). Check it out and let me know what you think! For organization’s sake, I’ll go chronologically, starting with one of my favorite characters from Hypatia’s story: Synesius of Cyrene. Thanks for getting Selene, I hope you enjoy it! She became a teacher and eventually the head of a Platonist school in Alexandria, known as the Museum of Alexandria, in 400. 370, d. 413) was the son of a wealthy family from the province of Cyrene (modern day Libya), who studied with Hypatia in the early 390’s. Synesius (b. His passage on Hypatia closely follows Socrates’ story, including the political turmoil around the Jews, and Cyril’s conflict with Orestes. That’s the main reason why I from time to time post about some of the great women that live or have lived (primarily scientists). Written by EGC. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He recommends his friends (possibly relatives) and asks her to see to their well-being. Print book and eBook now available in all digital formats. He tells us, in his preface, that his teachers were the pagan grammarians Helladius and Ammonius who came to Constantinople, fleeing the 391 destruction of the Serapeum in Alexandria.