H Y P A T I A

The unique personality of Hypatia and her tragic end.
Hypatia was born, taught and died in Alexandria, Egypt in 415 AD.
She was a Greek Neoplatonic philosopher, mathematician and astronomer, who is considered one of the most important, if not the most important, philosophers of her time.
Most likely, she was born in 355 AD, and she met a martyr’s death at the age of 60 by a mob of fanatical Christians, who hacked her to pieces with broken vases or sharp shells and then burned her scattered and bloodied limbs.
Hypatia came from a prominent family, as she was the daughter of the famous mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Theon, the last director of the Library of Alexandria and the “Museum” (corresponding University), until their closure in 391 AD.
Theon, among other things, maintained his own philosophical school in Alexandria, which in the future became the place of Hypatia’s activity.
Initiated and trained by her father in mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, from a very early age she acquired knowledge disproportionately greater than that of women of her social class.
Her zeal for learning was so great that her interests developed immediately and to such an extent that she very quickly surpassed her father, at all levels. Soon, Hypatia, from a student, became her father’s scientific collaborator, while it is a fact that Theon very early on (almost 55 years old) handed over the keys to his school to her, maintaining the position of emeritus teacher.
Thus, Hypatia, already at the age of thirty, had managed to establish herself as a powerful force in the intellectual sphere in Alexandria.
All sources agree that Hypatia possessed great intellectual virtues, was a model of moral courage, justice, honesty, devotion to the state and spiritual boldness.
The virtue for which she was particularly appreciated was her sobriety, which was manifested both through her behavior and through sexual abstinence,
modest clothing, restraint and a dignified attitude towards students and the powerful of her time.
As Nikephoros Gregoras, a 14th-century Byzantine historian, reports, her name eventually became synonymous with a wise and prudent woman.
Alexandria, where Hypatia grew up, was perhaps the most important intellectual center of Greek civilization. It was a true multicultural metropolis, a religious center of Christians, pagans, and Jews, and a magnet for the most advanced philosophical and “scientific” views of that period.
The Museum, the Library, the temples of the Greek Gods, the churches, the circles of theologians, philosophers, and rhetoricians, the schools of mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, a catechism school, and a rabbinical synagogue composed the intellectual framework within which Hypatia developed her activity.
In this city, Hypatia had freedom of movement, she moved around wearing the characteristic philosophical cloak, the tribune, she met powerful officials, visited public and scientific institutions.
An important personality as a teacher, a beautiful woman, she inspired respect, although in certain circles she caused contradictions that reached the point of becoming the object of anger, attacks and insults.
During the mature period of her life, her teaching and philosophical activities in Alexandria had attracted a significant number of young people, who, impressed by her spiritual and intellectual gifts, had accepted her as their teacher.
Thus, she created a spiritual circle of students, who went to study with her, some for many years.
Her students came from Alexandria as well as from other parts of Egypt, from Syria, Cyrene and Constantinople, and belonged mainly to wealthy and powerful families.
Among her students were Synesius of Cyrene, later Metropolitan of Pentapolis, his brothers Eutropius and Alexander, the Alexandrian sophist Athanasius, Herculianus, a close friend of Synesius, Olympius, a wealthy landowner from Seleucia, Hesychius, governor of Upper Libya, and Theodosius, a grammarian who wrote rules for verbs and nouns.
Among Hypatia’s students, both Christians and Gentiles coexisted and conversed.
The school’s curriculum was broad and included a combination of mathematics and higher philosophy.
Hypatia was able to guide both students who desired a basic education in mathematics and those who sought a deeper, more comprehensive mathematical and philosophical education.
Unlike students at other schools, such as Proclus, who had to be taught mathematics by Heron but Aristotelian philosophy by Olympiodorus, a student at Hypatia’s school could be taught mathematics, astronomy, Aristotelian logic, and Platonic theology.

This enabled him to appreciate to a greater extent the deeper connection between mathematics and philosophy.
In her school, in addition to classical texts, all the new philosophical trends and their interpretations were taught.
Among other things, her students were familiar with Pythagorean philosophy and its concepts, a fact not so surprising, if one considers that Hypatia’s interests involved mathematics with philosophy.
The philosophical framework of Hypatia’s teaching was based on the work of the Neoplatonic philosophers Porphyry and Plotinus, but not on the Platonism of Iamblichus, which turned towards mystical practices, was pagan and tried to confront Christianity.
Thus, Hypatia’s philosophical approach suited the needs of her Alexandrian students very well, since Alexandria was a predominantly Christian city at that time.
At this point, the real power of Hypatia’s teaching becomes clear.
Christians continued to be keenly interested in philosophy, while at the same time they did not need to seek higher education from teachers influenced by Iamblichus, as there was a better alternative.
Thus, the tradition of Plotinus and Porphyry dominated Hypatia’s school, as opposed to the ritualistic elements of Iamblichus’ philosophy.
In this way, Hypatia managed to become the leading thinker of Alexandria for about 35 years.
Hypatia exerted enormous influence on the most important rulers of Alexandria and the Mediterranean.
Among them was the prefect Orestes, who maintained a very close relationship with her and consulted her on political matters.

Hypatia did not simply participate in the political events of Alexandria, but in fact she was the one who greatly influenced the political developments in the Hellenized city.
Hypatia’s involvement in politics greatly disturbed politicians of all nationalities, such as Christians and Jews.
Political-religious factors, such as Patriarch Cyril and the rabbis, did not accept being overshadowed by the Greek philosopher.
Despite protests and many recommendations, Hypatia continued to participate in the councils and never accepted to withdraw from active politics.
Around 414-415, the political-religious conflicts between different groups in Alexandria reached alarming proportions.
In this particularly turbulent period, the great rivalry between the patriarch Cyril and the prefect Orestes was exacerbated to a maximum extent.
Orestes stubbornly reacted to the attempts of Patriarch Cyril to usurp powers of public administration and remained faithful to his positions even when the Patriarch tried to reconcile with him.
Thus, suspicions arose among the followers of Cyril that Hypatia was the one who incited and supported his reaction.
At a gathering against Orestes, a group of fanatical monks attacked Orestes, with one of them hitting him on the head with a stone.
Orestes reacted harshly and ordered the monk’s arrest, torture, and execution.
Cyril’s supporters, unable to attack Hypatia on the pretext that she was a pagan, invented and spread rumors that she had used witchcraft and satanic invocations against the prefect, “the people of God,” and the entire city.
The dispute between the Patriarch and the prefect over the claim to political power and the influence of the church in secular matters ended with the brutal murder of Hypatia.
Hypatia’s tragic demise was a political murder caused by the long-standing disputes over the distribution of power in Alexandria.
Hypatia stands at the threshold of the philosophical-religious developments of the 5th century.
The intellectual circle he created guided the philosophers of Alexandrian Neoplatonism for the next century.

The influential Alexandrian Platonic philosophers of the 5th and 6th centuries, such as Hierocles, Ammonius, John Philoponus and Olympiodorus, who followed in Hypatia’s footsteps, combined astronomical observations, the teaching of mathematics and the study and commentary of Platonic and Aristotelian texts.
In conclusion, we should appreciate Hypatia not only for the high level of intellect she achieved, but mainly for her intense personality, strong character and ethos.
She was a brilliant and determined woman, who did not hesitate to make hard sacrifices and clash with the establishment of her time in order to follow the path she had set out.
Hypatia’s achievements were real and significant.
Although her end was tragic, it would be unfair to allow it to overshadow her life.
We can only be faithful to her memory if we recognize the life she lived and the martyrdom she suffered. She was martyred at the age of 60 by a mob of fanatical Christians, who hacked her to pieces with broken potsherds or sharp shells and then burned her scattered and bloodied limbs.

Even today, historians do not agree on whether the reasons for her murder were religious or political, with the latter tending to be the most prevalent, while according to another, more recent view, the religious motive for the murder actually concealed the reaction of the Egyptians against the Greek domination, economic, political and cultural, which prevailed in Egypt after the Ptolemies.