Summary:
Hypatia of Alexandria, Egypt, daughter of the mathematician and philosopher Theon of Alexandria, was a mathematician, astronomer, teacher, and head of the Platonist school at Alexandria at about AD 400. She was murdered in 415, as a result of the false rumors that were spread about her during a religious/political struggle that began in the early 390s and that reached its height during 414-415.
Hypatia of Alexandria, Egypt, daughter of the mathematician and philosopher Theon of Alexandria, was a mathematician, astronomer, teacher, and head of the Platonist school at Alexandria at about AD 400. She taught mathematics and natural philosophy; she invented several tools, such as an astrolabe and an instrument to measure the specific gravity of water; she was also an author of three major works on geometry and algebra as well as one on astronomy. She possessed an extraordinary amount of knowledge for her time. Her date of birth is uncertain: some historians believe that she was born in year 355 AD, whereas others argue that she was born in the year 370 AD1. She was murdered in 415, as a result of the false rumors that were spread about her during a religious/political struggle that began in the early 390s and that reached its height during 414-415.
In early 390s, Christianity began to dominate over other religions. Conflicts were happening frequently between various leaders, namely the new inexperienced patriarch Cyril and the prefect Orestes. Cyril wanted civil power, and he tried achieving it by aggressive means. Hypatia attempted mediation in this conflict; however, Cyril and his churchmen perceived her as a supporter of Orestes; they did not accept her as a mediator. Hypatia preferred discourse over violence, tolerance over bigotry and secular authority over religious authority2; therefore she chose to help Orestes after Cyril rejected her as a mediator. As a consequence, Cyril had to face the prefect backed by an experienced and learned woman; he felt that he had but a little chance in winning the power in her presence. He tried attacking Orestes a few times, but was never successful and always had to back off at the end. At one point, the church decided to help Cyril: a group of monks have assaulted and badly injured Orestes, who in his turn had the monks’ leader tortured to death. Once, Cyril even tried making piece with Orestes, but after taking into considerations the past attacks, the prefect refused to accept the offer. Cyril’s supporters have blamed Hypatia on the prefect’s refusal; they have, therefore, skillfully spread false rumors that Hypatia was a witch and that she cast a magic spell on the prefect.
The majority of Christians in the end of 3rd century Alexandria were generally uneducated and therefore superstitious. These uneducated Christians were probably the ones among whom the churchmen have spread the rumors. In addition, early Christians have associated learning and science with paganism3, and since Hypatia knew so much more than an average person of that time, they have deemed her one of the pagans. They have, therefore, easily believed in the rumors. They have organized a mob that grabbed Hypatia and peeled her to death with oyster shells after which it burned pieces of her body outside of the city walls.
Therefore, the reason for Hypatia’s death was, originally, her attempt to help Orestes prevent Cyril from taking over the civil power. That was aided by the absence of education and the superstitiousness of those, among whom Cyril’s fellow admirers have spread the false rumors about Hypatia being a witch and about her having cast a magic spell on the prefect. Those people have organized a mob and, led by churchmen, they have murdered Hypatia.
