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| Of Hypatia the Female Philosopher.
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Chapter XV.—Of Hypatia
the Female Philosopher.
There was a woman at Alexandria
named Hypatia,945
| 945The following incident has been popularized by
Charles Kingsley in his well-known novel of Hypatia, which has,
however, the accessory aim of antagonizing the over-estimation of early
Christianity by Dr. Pusey and his followers. The original sources for
the history of Hypatia, besides the present chapter, are the letters of
her pupil Synesius, and Philostorgius, VIII. 9. Cf. also Wernsdoff,
de Hypatia, philosopha Alex. diss. 4, Viteb. 1748.
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daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in
literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her
own time. Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she
explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom
came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the
self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in
consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently
appeared in public in presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel
abashed in coming to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her
extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more. Yet even she
fell a victim to the political jealousy which at that time prevailed.
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. 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 Cæsareum,
where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her with tiles.946
| 946ὀστράκοις, lit.
‘oystershells,’ but the word was also applied to brick
tiles used on the roofs of houses.
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After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled limbs to a
place called Cinaron, and there burnt them. This affair brought not the
least opprobrium, not only upon Cyril,947
| 947The responsibility of Cyril in this affair has been
variously estimated by different historians. Walch, Gibbon, and Milman
incline to hold him guilty. J. C. Robertson ascribes him indirect
responsibility, asserting that the perpetrators of the crime
‘were mostly officers of his church, and had unquestionably drawn
encouragement from his earlier proceedings.’ Hist. of the
Christ. Ch. Vol. I. p. 401. W. Bright says, ‘Cyril was no
party to this hideous deed, but it was the work of men whose passions
he had originally called out. Had there been no onslaught on the
synagogues, there would doubtless have been no murder of
Hypatia.’ Hist. of the Church from 313 to 451, pp.
274, 275. See also Schaff, Hist. of the Christ. Ch. Vol. III. p.
943.
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but also upon the whole Alexandrian church. And surely nothing can be
farther from the spirit of Christianity than the allowance of
massacres, fights, and transactions of that sort. This happened in the
month of March during Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril’s
episcopate, under the tenth consulate of Honorius, and the sixth of
Theodosius.948
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