"The first task of the tyrant will constantly involve citizens in some kind of war, so that the people need a leader. And if he suspects someone of free thoughts and of denying his rule, then he will destroy such people under the pretext that they betrayed the enemy" . (Plato, ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle.)
According to historical data, in Passion Week 2015, exactly forty forty (1600 years) have passed since the martyrdom of Hypatia of Alexandria, who suffered terribly at the hands of Christians, and is known to us under the name of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine. If you carefully study the materials containing descriptions of Hypatia and Catherine, it becomes quite obvious that they are one and the same person.
Hypatia (the name means - excellent) of Alexandria (370-415), was the daughter of the keeper of the Alexandrian library, who was engaged in its education. At the age of 30, Hypatia was already the head of the philosophical department at the famous Alexandrian school. She was an outstanding scientist, the successor of the work of Plato and Aristotle, the fame of wisdom, morality, disinterestedness, modesty, and the beauty of which thundered throughout the empire during her lifetime, and after her death, rolled like an echo for centuries. According to contemporaries, she was "the body of Aphrodite with the mind of Plato." In addition to philosophy, to everyone, she also taught mathematics and astronomy, and was the author of many scientific papers. Hypatia, being an unsurpassed connoisseur of all by that time known works of the great thinkers of antiquity, the Holy Scriptures of Christians, state and religious law, and medicine, was also a musician and artist. Being by nature a graceful beauty, she deliberately chose the image of a chaste life in order to freely engage in science, philosophy and God-seeking. According to contemporaries, most of all she was attracted by the very mystery of being. In other words, it is direct knowledge of God Himself. The philosophy of Neoplatonism, whose school in Alexandria was headed by Hypatia, and to which students from all over the empire came, precisely deduces as its main goal direct personal communication with the one Deity, through the transition from mental efforts and asceticism to mystical-intuitive cognition of the Highest.
She was at least 45 years old when she suffered innocently from people who considered themselves Christians. A true righteous person always suffers for compassion for those who kill him. She was subtly killed right in the central Christian church (!!!) of Alexandria, naked, in a monstrous way - she was kneaded for a long time with sharp ceramic shards and seashells, cutting off pieces of flesh from her alive. It was an ancient Egyptian (pagan) ritual-execution of the lifetime destruction of the body, the purpose of which was to deprive a person of a peaceful afterlife with the loss of the body and the possibility of a future life. Such a method and place of her murder well illustrates all the ugliness of the religious consciousness of the then Christians of Alexandria. And this was done by monks and parabolans, led by the personal secretary of Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria, the very one who organized the trial and actually killed St. John Chrysostom, who was deliberately led on foot, with his head uncovered and shaved under the scorching sun, from which he died in torment on the way to your second link. And after Cyril in every possible way opposed his glorification, and succumbed only under the irresistible pressure of the popular veneration of John, as usual referring to the "wonderful vision" that visited him.
With the formation of Christianity as the state ideology, a tragic era of confusion and substitution of the spiritual for the earthly began in the Church, with the sacralization of this murderous substitution. Patriarch Kirill was a "worthy" successor to his uncle Theophilus, whose direct efforts completely destroyed the Alexandrian library. Theophilus preferred fist law in religious discussions, and the people simply called him "pharaoh." Cyril, on the other hand, surpassed his ancestor, doing even greater abominations for the "good of the church." Being pathologically obsessed with the lust for power, he strengthened his position by any means. To do this, he spawned hordes of illiterate and rabid fanatics - monks in the Nitrian desert, and a whole army of "guardsmen" - parabolans (Orthodox activists), who unquestioningly obeyed only him. The main slogan of these "evangelizers" was - "Let's die for Christ!" (Orthodoxy or death!), instead of striving for "LIFE IN CHRIST", who Himself died so that we might have life. True, like the current "Orthodox activists," the Alexandrian zealots always preferred the shedding of blood that was not their own. And Christ tells us - "Lay down your soul for your friends", with whom He teaches to see ALL people, and not only those who are mistaken or who want to live according to their tradition, but even those who openly and treacherously betray, - after all, He says to the traitor: "FRIEND why have you come?", and about His crucifiers (at all times) He prays: "Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing!"
As a result, Cyril got what he wanted - different ways he destroyed his competitors, and built a "fence of the church", more like a prison wall, at the cost of total destruction of the tradition of ancient wisdom, which still managed to lay the foundation for Christian philosophy. Cyril disgraced himself not only by the pogroms with the expulsion of the Jews of Alexandria, and his fellow Christians of a different kind, and by the slaughter of the great Hypatia by Cain, but also by the establishment of an almost fascist regime in the shell of Christian ideology. And all this is due to constant violence, through political and ideological pressure. It is quite obvious that he had serious spiritual "vision problems" when he opened the Gospel, in which Christ says that such a statement of the truth is not at all in His Spirit, that "the lamp of the Church is not put under a protective cap," which does not allow illumination of the Christian the love of EVERYONE, including your persecutors and haters, for whom you need to pray and even sacrifice yourself. Christ says that those who, in their God-seeking, do not blaspheme the Spirit of Truth, and to whom the Lord is also revealed in the light accessible to them, “they are not against you, but with you,” and that they must be attracted to the Church by love, but do not stigmatize and persecute, indiscriminately calling all non-Christians servants of evil spirits. And most importantly, “May you be ONE, and whoever wants to be the first (i.e., closer to Christ), be a servant to everyone,” and not despots (lords) or tyrants (dictators), who “own and rule, but under this is also called benefactors. But you are not like that: but whoever is greater among you, be like the lesser, and the one in charge like the one who serves."
Hypatia had great authority with the ruler of Alexandria, with whom the power-hungry Cyril was in a political conflict. The religiously and scientifically enlightened Hypatia was a compassionate person, and she did not at all approve of that obscurant enslavement and stupefaction of unfortunate people, on whom, instead of the joy of spiritual liberation, an oppressive system of superstitions is imposed. She, with her usual modesty, dared to publicly criticize the actions of Cyril, his errors in the interpretation of the works of ancient philosophers, Holy Scripture, the works of the holy fathers, and the decisions of church councils. Moreover, with her astronomical research, she undermined the authority of the calendar of the Alexandrian Church, leading a fierce ideological enmity against other local churches for influence.
The torn remains of Hypatia were dragged out by these "Christian evangelists" from their temple and burned on a fire prepared in advance. The left hand somehow did not fall into the fire, and the charred skull was also able to be pulled from the ashes by one of her students or admirers, among whom were many ordinary Christians and clergymen. For about 120 years, her remains, preserved incorruptible, were kept and hidden, and when the spiritual illness of the Alexandrian church weakened, those who were the successors of their guardians reported their whereabouts to the monks of a Sinai monastery, who found them in the indicated place. Even after several generations, people could not forget the great righteous woman, worthy of every admiration and example. She was called "Hypatia Immaculate" (more precisely, "always pure"), because she embodied all possible virtues. Streams of miracles poured from the newly acquired relics, and the popular glorification of the holy martyr of Christ was already unstoppable. Church administrators had to give orders to compose a church service and write a life. On her behalf, only the epithet was left - "always pure", which means the name Catherine. The date of her birth was moved so as to shift the blame for her suffering to a pagan ruler, but it was impossible to wipe out her great wisdom and morality, which only got into life, only turning from pagan to Christian.
It is quite obvious that the great witness of the Truth of Christ, the fertile fruit of whose spiritual path is obvious to everyone in her veneration and reciprocal help, has chosen the path of deliberately rejecting the external forms of Christian religiosity out of solidarity with her oppressed pagan brethren. She went to the Truth and brought Light to people, not wrapping herself in the shell of that external form, which was so at odds with its content under Patriarch Kirill and his predecessor. It is impossible to say for sure whether Hypatia was a secret Christian, but in her spiritual essence she dwelt in the Church, as in the spiritual Body of Christ, because she did not agree to any of His substitutions, and aspired precisely to Love and Truth Itself. After all, Christ says that only He is "the only Shepherd of His one flock", and "He knows His sheep, which know the voice of their Shepherd", i.e. hear His true word. And the accursed despots, who call themselves "fathers, teachers and mentors" in His Church, like their spiritual ancestor Cain, pave the wide paths to THEIR "sacred" goals with the innocent blood and bones of the righteous, capitalizing on the "offensiveness of religious feelings" among the drugged and angry masses. But Christ clearly says of those who, on His behalf, do HIS "sacred" deeds, that He "does not know them, and where they come from." These are very terrible words, because what the All-Knowing does not want to know has no participation in eternal life, for the inspirer of their religious activity is HELL! Christ speaks to us about that Truth, about which the accursed "blind guides who sat on the seat of Moses" only "empty ring" in the Church - so that we "do everything and keep it, but do not participate in their affairs."
The Cyril system worked so hard that not a single text from the many works of Hypatia, which are mentioned by the authors of that time, has come down to us. Only two of her phrases are preserved in their texts: "Keep your right to think - thinking wrong is better than not thinking at all" and "Teaching people to believe in superstition is the most monstrous and criminal thing." They clearly show the main reason for her polemic with the accursed Cyril, who later, unfortunately, was canonized as a saint of the Church of Christ, as the winner in battles for the purity of church doctrine. But one does not exclude the other, because Cain in the Church always disguises his atrocities under Her protection. But with this tragic mistake, the image of "an irreconcilable and active administrator and defender of the church fence" crept into the Church and was legitimized, but in fact a jailer and inquisitor. The assertions that all the works attributable to the authorship of Cyril of Alexandria belong to him personally are just as absurd as to believe that all the "Easter epistles" are written by the patriarch himself.
In the historical description of Hypatia, the life of Cyril of Alexandria, and the life of Catherine, one can clearly see the unity of the personality of the ancient righteous woman, reflected in these texts. Naturally, in the life of Cyril, Hypatia was turned into a Christian, and she suffered from some "rebels who hate the world", and not at all from the evil fanatics - Cyril's henchmen, who supposedly mourned her so bitterly that they even accidentally made an attempt on the ruler himself Alexandria. (It would be funny if it weren't so sickening from this "sanctified" lie!) In general, the life of Cyril deserves a separate consideration on the subject of a spirit that is completely contrary to the Spirit of Christ. For example, the Jews of Alexandria are referred to there only as "visible demons", and pagans and Christians of a different kind are "servants of Satan", who do not deserve anything more than destruction or exile. And the methods of "creating and protecting the church" are more reminiscent of the ruthless colonization of America, with the construction of the Tower of Babel. One could simply spit on all this ancient abomination, but its fetid spirit still chokes the breath of our Church.
It is also remarkable how the compilers of the life of Catherine managed to please both their customers, who tried to whitewash the "great system engineer" Cyril, and at the same time not to sin before the holy martyr herself - they used the principles of a symbolic biblical language, from which the life seems to be filled with some strange details . For example: The virgin righteous woman, who became engaged to Christ himself in a miraculous vision, wore a ring given by Him, by which her relics were later identified. This is quite consistent with reality, because. virgin and religious Hypatia really wore a unique status ring with her name, as a distinctive sign of the head of the philosophical school, and belonging to a famous family, because at that time the rings were like an identity card (by the way, after finding her relics, this original ring immediately went somewhere got lost). As for the part of her life where Catherine won in the competition with the "combined team" of pagan sages, it is quite clear that we are talking about a meeting of Christian theologians who defended the anti-Christian principles of the "systematic" church, and whom Hypatia completely overturned, based on her excellent knowledge of philosophy and the Holy Scripture, which is supported by historical evidence.
And then a completely amazing, detailed story begins - about a "certain nobleman" who inspired the impious emperor to make a mechanism to intimidate the saint, consisting of four wheels rotating in different directions, with points fixed on them for shredding flesh. This is not only an indication of the real cause of the death of the righteous, but also a fairly accurate symbol of what an inhuman meat-grinding mechanism the one Ecumenical Church becomes, divided and at enmity in itself. The hagiography even indicates the unprecedented name of this "inspiring nobleman" - Khursaden, which in reverse reading (Nedasruh) and translated from Aramaic literally means "spirit of superiority" ("ruach" - spirit, "nade" - superiority, hence the popular Syrian name Nadas - excellent). This is the same EVIL SPIRIT OF POWER, under the suggestion of which all the "sacred" abominations (and not only in the church) occur, committed by those who do not have love in themselves - they are deceived by the devil himself, and believe in some imaginary "qualitative SUPERIORITY" " giving them the "right" to shed the blood of their brother "according to their conscience." Not without reason in the life of Catherine it is said that it was the Archangel Michael, who descended from Heaven, who crushed this "torture structure", the flying pieces of which struck all those who set it in motion - this is also quite accurate in its symbolism. True, in the life of the martyr, this did not make any impression on the emperor, and he ordered the saint to be beheaded. By the way, she is referred to in the Church precisely as the GREAT Martyr, which indicates her long and difficult suffering, and those who were beheaded with a sword are simply called "martyrs" - this is another significant detail.
On the icons, the Holy Great Martyr of Christ Catherine Hypatia is depicted with a sword in her hand, as a symbol of reasoning and steadfastness in spiritual warfare; a palm branch - as a symbol of moral purity and victory; and against the background of the crushed torture wheels, as a symbol of the destruction of satanic efforts to make a soulless systemic mechanism out of the living Body of the Church.
Today, this TYPICAL EXAMPLE of how Cain can uphold the Truth in the Church, infecting many others with his leaven of the Pharisees (legalists), Sadducees (nationalists) and Herods (authoritative-political) is especially relevant today. And he does this ALWAYS at the cost of the blood of his brother, who is sacrificed to his "sacred service." "Service" is recognized by its fruits, as a WEREWOLF SATANIC CULT, and the Truth always remains the Truth, no matter who speaks it, - after all, the demons confessed Christ (but only as their tormentor). Such a "pronouncer", in the words of the apostle, is just a cursed "windbag" who does not have love, and does not know in his heart this Truth, which he defends so fiercely. Therefore, Christ says to such: "I do not know you, and where are you from!". And He knew and glorified His righteous one, even though we honor her under the name of Catherine.
In 2009, under the name "Agora", a rather nauseating film based on these events was released. This ideological excrement deserves no attention either in terms of historical accuracy or good acting. In this film, not a single normal, at least somewhat sane person (especially from among Christians) is depicted at all, which is why it looks very difficult. The role of Hypatia was played by a very mediocre actress, who has neither beauty, nor grace, nor even the ability to portray an intelligent expression. And the most ridiculous thing is that the head of the Neoplatonic (philosophical-religious) school in the film was made into a scientific atheist, whose main achievement was the discovery of the elliptical trajectory of the movement of cosmic bodies. But such is the whole spiritual essence of Cain - first to spoil, and then to resent himself, demanding from others repentance for what was a punishment for them.
Hypatia (Hypatia) of Alexandria (ancient Greek Ὑπᾰτία ἡ Ἀλεξάνδρεῖα; 370-415), female scientist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, sholarch of the Alexandrian School of Neoplatonism
Hypatia (Hypatia of Alexandria) (370-415, Alexandria, Egypt) the first among the great female scientists, astronomer, mathematician, neoplatonist philosopher, daughter of the famous astronomer and mechanic professor of mathematics Theon (Theon) the Younger (Alexandria)
Chapter almost verbatim reproduction of the book "Hypatia, daughter of Theon" by A. Steckli http://www.biografia.ru/cgi-bin/sear...n=show&id=1681)
Hypatia, daughter of Theon
Since childhood, she has been surrounded by books. Papyrus scrolls and parchment codices were everywhere: on the shelves and on my father's work table. And most importantly, they lived on the territory of Museyon, a scientific center and a higher school, which Egypt was proud of.
Next to their rooms was the largest book depository in the world - the Library of Alexandria. Founded and assembled by the heirs of Alexander the Great, it suffered irreparable damage during the time of Caesar, when the city was sacked. According to ancient writers, seven hundred thousand volumes burned down. But the glory of the library was restored .... .
Antony, in order to please Cleopatra, ordered the book treasures of Pergamum to be delivered to Alexandria. Under Emperor Aurelian, the library again suffered greatly. The bloody civil strife, accompanied by fires, destroyed almost the entire quarter where she was located.
When peace reigned again, the scholars of Museion with the rest of the books were moved to the acropolis, to the premises belonging to the Serapeum.
Alexandria was famous for its temples, but the Serapeum was considered the most famous. He was so beautiful that even the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, famous for his eloquence, assured that he was powerless to describe him.
(reference from me: These are the ruins of the Serapeum of Alexandria. The 27-meter "Pompey column" with a Corinthian capital is one of the few details of the ancient Serapeum, destroyed by order of Theodosius 1.)
Numerous courtyards surrounded by a colonnade, shady alleys, statues breathing life, reliefs, and frescoes were especially beautiful. “All this adorns the Serapeum to such an extent,” remarked Ammianus Marcellinus, “that after the Capitol, with which glorious Rome perpetuates itself, the universe knows nothing more magnificent.”
Theon, the father of Hypatia, was a prominent astronomer and mechanical expert. He was proud that he continued the work of great scientists and belonged to the Mouseion, a scientific society, within whose walls Euclid, Apollonius of Perga and Claudius Ptolemy had previously worked.
Hypatia showed early interest in her father's activities. She fell in love with geometry and covered many tablets, learning to prove theorems. She liked to watch the sky on starry nights. Her brother, under the guidance of his father, also successfully comprehended mathematics, but lagged behind Hypatia. The girl was remarkable for her amazing quick wits and, which was especially rare, she showed extraordinary abilities in mechanics. She watched the artisans work for a long time. Imitating Theon, she made simple tools needed for astronomical observations.
Museion was famous not only for mathematicians. It was worth showing an unknown doctor in any country the documents certifying that he studied in Alexandria, as he was immediately imbued with confidence. Under the roof of Museyon, many eminent scholars taught wisdom in their time. And here, as in Athens and Rome, the philosophical school of the Neoplatonists flourished.
Hypatia spent many years behind the books of ancient philosophers. Breadth of interests, amazing capacity for work, sharpness of mind, deep understanding of Plato and Aristotle earned her the respect of professors Museyon. She was still very young when she had her first students. Instead of the usual clothes of a young girl, she began to wear a dark philosopher's cloak. The rumor about her extraordinary knowledge spread more and more widely. Alexandria, the pearl of Egypt, has long been famous for its scientists. Now Hypatia was becoming her new pride.
A huge library, a society of refined and knowledgeable people, excellent audiences, enthusiastic students - everything seemed to contribute to the serene pursuit of science. But there was no true peace even under the plane trees of Museion. Years passed, filled with anxiety and expectation of misfortune. The Roman Empire was crumbling. Internal strife torn apart the state, bled dry exorbitant requisitions, endless wars, arbitrariness of the rulers. Confusion reigned not only in the border regions, where hordes of barbarians ruled, confusion reigned in the minds and souls. For seventy years now, Christianity has become the dominant religion under Constantine, but no miracle has happened. Life was still full of injustice and oppression. All the same misfortunes ruined the Roman world, the emperors still challenged each other's power, as before, masses of Goths, Huns and Scythians devastated the flowering lands. People faithful to the old gods attributed all the troubles to the new religion, and in the Christian church the voices of those who demanded the final crushing of paganism were heard louder and louder.
Bishop of Alexandria Theophilus was among the most impatient. He persistently sought from the emperor a decree on the destruction of all pagan temples in Egypt without exception. The ban on worshiping idols and making sacrifices was not enough for him. He longed for the demolition of pagan shrines. Theophilus was not embarrassed that his zeal entailed bloody riots and death of people. The inhabitants of Alexandria and its environs often resisted the fanatics who tried to destroy the temples, striking in their harmony and beauty. But Theophilus could not calm down while the Serapeum remained intact. Not knowing he was tired, he petitioned at court for permission to destroy him.
This day remained in the memory of Hypatia for the rest of her life as a nightmare, the reality of which is hard to believe,
In the morning, a huge crowd, led by monks, rushed to the Serapeum. The watchmen managed to raise the alarm and close the gate. It only delayed the denouement. The attack was well prepared. It was led by Theophilus himself. And although many citizens rushed to the aid of the defenders of the Serapeum, outraged by Theophilus' encroachment on the beauty and pride of Alexandria, the fate of the temple was decided.
When the daredevils defending the temple made several desperate sorties and pressed the people of Theophilus, he turned to the commander of the troops. In pursuance of the imperial decree, soldiers must be sent immediately! They arrived with siege weapons, as if to take an enemy fortress. Military ladders helped the besiegers overcome the walls. A powerful ram broke the gate. A crowd poured into the territory of the Serapeum.
The slabs that covered the square were stained with blood. Fanatics, overwhelmed by the spirit of destruction, destroyed everything that came to hand: they broke statues, broke down doors, and spoiled frescoes. Those who wanted to profit from rich booty rushed to the treasury. But trusted people of the bishop were already in charge there. Under reliable protection, countless temple treasures were sent to Theophilus's palace.
There were angry voices in the crowd. Then one of the monks shouted that all the pagan evil spirits - the books of idolaters - should be immediately destroyed. The crowd rushed to the library. The madness had to be stopped at all costs! A handful of scientists with weapons in their hands defended the approaches to the book depository. Some of them showed miracles of courage. Elladius, for example, alone slew nine. But all in vain. The forces were too unequal. People, maddened by the murders, burst into the library premises. Priceless book wealth, preserved and increased by the efforts of many generations of scientists, turned out to be the prey of dark, full of hatred people. The monks encouraged them with might and main. Pagan contagion must be eradicated forever! Books were thrown off the shelves, torn, trampled underfoot. Manuscripts, for which at one time they gave away fortunes, were thrown into the yard. There they collected them in heaps and laid out fires. The interior of the Serapeum, like the book depository, was smashed for a long time and thoroughly.
In vain Hypatia screamed and rushed to where her friends fought and died. By order of Theon, she was securely held by the strong hands of slaves.
The Temple of Serapis was destroyed. Myseion no longer existed. The Library of Alexandria was almost completely destroyed. This happened in 391, in the sixth year of the reign of Bishop Theophilus.
The adherents of the Christian faith were still knocking down the last reliefs from the pediments with crowbars, and along the alleys of the Serapeum the wind drove shreds of precious manuscripts, when Theon rented a small house in a quiet quarter. On a flat roof, he installed the instruments needed to observe the stars. Soon Theon announced that he was opening a private school and would teach mechanics and astronomy to everyone.
Hypatia did not remove the mourning for her dead friends, did not appear in public, did not go out to the table. Theon, haggard and somehow aged at once, did not utter words of consolation. But one day he said, "Tomorrow, daughter, we resume classes, In the morning, students will come to you."
Barbarism was advancing from all sides. Germans with red-dyed hair, thirsting for fertile land for settlements, or swift nomads, immigrants from Asia, now and then crossed the borders. And inside the empire, another barbarism was raising its head higher and higher - the militant fanaticism of the victorious Christians, their frenzied devotion to their faith and the desire to suppress all other hated religions by force. Virtue began to be considered disregard for cultural values, hostility to science. The Serapeum and hundreds of other temples were destroyed not by foreign barbarians dressed in skins, but by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Syrians themselves. The sons of peoples famous for their ancient culture, having converted to Christianity, destroyed buildings of rare beauty, burned libraries, and smashed statues. All this was declared unnecessary and harmful. It is necessary, thinking about God, to prepare for the future eternal life in the next world.
Christian preachers extolled ignorance in every way. A believing ignoramus, pure in heart, was opposed to a crafty pagan scientist. The views of most of the princes of the church were narrow. Science was good only if it immediately benefited them. What is the use of an astronomer if, having delved into calculations, he is trying to comprehend the mysteries of the universe? Everything you need to know about it is in the bible! Another thing is if he skillfully calculates the onset of Easter. True, it happens that the works of Greek rhetors are useful, helping to improve in church eloquence.
What had to be saved was not this or that precious scroll, bas-relief or fresco, it was necessary to save the very idea of cultural values, the continuity of cultures, the importance of science, the purpose of art.
After the defeat of the Serapeum, many leading scientists left Alexandria forever. But Theon and his daughter remained. Referring to the proverb "Homeland is where it is good" is permissible for a money changer, and not for a scientist. A real scientist will not leave his homeland in a time of trials.
Theon and Hypatia's school continued to operate. All her free time, Hypatia sat over books or studied the starry sky. She has mastered the difficult art of observing the stars. Hypatia not only developed the ideas of the great astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy.
(Reference: Ptolemy (II century AD) is one of the founders of astronomy and astrology. It hardly makes sense to list all his numerous merits to astronomy - you can read about them in many reference publications. And at the same time, Ptolemy is the author The Tetrabiblos, the first complete manual of astrology The Tetrabiblos attempts to explain astrological principles exhaustively from the point of view of the science of that era.)
Gradually, Hypatia moved from teaching mathematics to lecturing on philosophy. She expounded to the listeners the teachings of Plato and Aristotle. Hypatia was surprising. It seemed that the wisdom of the past was embodied in this girl. Her interpretations of the Greek philosophers pleased with their thoroughness and depth. Enthusiastic voices were heard more and more often: no one knows philosophy better than Hypatia!
Over the years, the fame of her school has spread widely. Being a student of Hypatia was considered a great honor. Young men went to Alexandria different countries.
The crushing of paganism did not at all lead to the fact that the people who set the tone in the Christian church renounced militancy and were imbued with peacefulness. There was a fierce and unprincipled struggle for power among the bishops. Those theological doctrines were declared correct, the adherents of which at the moment were gaining the upper hand.
Bishop Theophilus recognized only fist law.
(Reference: Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, successfully ruled his Church from 380 to 412. He did a lot to spread Christianity in Alexandria, causing paganism especially swipe destruction of the idol and temple of Serapis. His memory is overshadowed by his fierce struggle with John Chrysostom, in whose area he invaded to judge him. Here, to a large extent, jealousy for the growing influence of the see of Constantinople had an effect.)
(I couldn't find any pictures on the internet)
When several ecclesiastics, nicknamed the Long Brothers for their tall stature, indignant at his orders, wished to return to the desert, he was inflamed with a thirst for revenge. He stated that the Long Brothers held false theological views. In fact, Theophilus had recently shared these views, but now, in order to annoy the haters, he began to defend the opposite opinion. In the Nitrian mountains, a desert area not far from Alexandria, there were numerous sketes. The monks who lived there, mostly illiterate people, were famous for their warlike spirit and inexorability. Theophilus set them on the Long Brothers, and they narrowly escaped death.
Theophilus's success inspired his adherents and served as an inspiring example for all zealots of the true faith, who believed that it should be planted with a strong hand. Theological disputes, it turns out, can be perfectly resolved with the help of brute physical force!
The events that took place in Alexandria and its environs aroused Hypatia's concern. It's not that here on the episcopal throne sat a tough and dark man, unscrupulous in his means. Something else was worse. People who believed that Christianity, having become the state religion and finally overthrowing paganism, would turn to the path of peace and tolerance, were mistaken. The victorious Christianity did not show any respect for the ancient pagan culture, nor for art, nor for the scientific heritage. Discouraging news came from everywhere: the shepherds-scientists were increasingly out of work. Their place was taken by narrow-minded and power-hungry ambitious people. The princes of the church irresistibly rushed to worldly power and wanted to subjugate everything. Words and deeds were in blatant contradiction. Spiritual mentors have become prudent politicians. They knew how to use the deliberate solemnity of divine services, and soul-stirring sermons, and private conversations, and charity.
Christian shepherds learned how to skillfully play on the base instincts of the crowd, sowed hatred for the Gentiles, nurtured superstition. With references to "God's will" passions were inflamed, and with a bowl of cheap stew they won, if not the hearts, then the stomachs of the poor, in order to set the eternally hungry people on those who were not pleasing to the church.
Good undertakings and good deeds, which until recently served the most noble goals, turned into their opposite. During epidemics, there was no one to go after the sick and clean up the corpses. A deadly infection put people to flight and not a cowardly dozen. It required special courage and dedication to take on the difficult and dangerous duties necessary for the common good of one's own free will. This began to be seen as a religious feat. The daredevils, who decided on this, united in a special organization. That's what they were called - "parabalans", that is, "brave", "exposing themselves to mortal danger." They enjoyed respect and a number of privileges. They were exempt from taxes.
Theophilus drew attention to the parabalan. He, even according to the recognition of church historians, was the first who laid the foundation for the autocracy of bishops. No wonder Theophilus was called the "Christian pharaoh." His claims to unlimited domination met with resistance from the secular authorities. Frequent conflicts made Theophilus think. Dealing with enemies, he sometimes resorted to the help of Nitrian monks. But they were outside the city, the Alexandrian mob remained disunited, and it took time to raise them. And he needed people who were ready at any moment to throw themselves into fire and water for him. He had no right to keep soldiers. The troops in Alexandria were commanded by a military leader. Then Theophilus remembered the parabalans. The great plague does not happen very often, and, at worst, slaves can also be forced to carry corpses! He now needs decisive, well-trained, reliable fighters.
They put things in order among the parabalans. Contemplatives and pilgrims, dreaming of saving their souls by caring for the dying, were sent to work in almshouses. They recruited new people, muscular, desperate. Preference was given to former soldiers and gladiators. When the prefect, the ruler of Egypt, caught himself and protested, Theophilus, chuckling, referred to old institutions: the bishop usually disposed of the parabalans. And who will clean up the corpses if another attack befalls Alexandria?
Hypatia was striking in its versatility. She was widely celebrated for her teaching of philosophy and mathematics. However, she read about Homer or the Greek tragedians with no less brilliance. By all accounts, Hypatia surpassed all contemporary philosophers. No wonder the students flocked to her from everywhere. She belonged to the philosophical school of the Neoplatonists, but her strict world of numbers and geometric figures, a world subject to the laws of mechanics, was far from the dreams and mystical insights of other philosophers of this school.
Hypatia knew perfectly well the books of Christian writers. One of her favorite students, Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemais, hesitated to publish his theological work without the approval of Hypatia.
(Reference: Synesios (Synesios) - Neoplatonist philosopher, orator and poet, born in Cyrene in 379 A.D., studied philosophy in Alexandria from the famous Hypatia (see); c. 401 converted to Christianity, in 410 became bishop of Ptolemaid (in North Africa), died in 412 (according to other sources, less reliable - in 431).
She owned an extensive commentary on the writings of Diophantus on geometry.
(Reference: Diophantus is one of the greatest mathematicians of antiquity, deservedly considered the "father of algebra." His main work is "Arithmetic" in 13 books. The Diophantus crater on the Moon is named after Diophantus.)
Following Apollonius of Perga. she devoted special work to conic sections.
(Reference: Apollonius of Perga (ancient Greek. Latin Apollonius; 262 BC - 190 BC), along with Euclid and Archimedes, is traditionally one of the three "great geometers of antiquity" who lived in the 3rd century BC e.)
People from different countries studied at Hypatia's school. Next to the Christians sat the pagans. Her former students could be met both at the episcopal chair and at the court in Constantinople. Hypatia was a delight to listen to. Often a lot of people came to her lectures. It became fashionable to visit Hypatia's house. All the color of learned Alexandria gathered around her. The prefect himself was often her guest.
Hypatia's knowledge, prudence and modesty inspired respect. She always carried herself with dignity. Even before the rulers she appeared in her dark cloak of a philosopher. The magistrates eagerly listened to her. She never used her influence for evil. Hypatia was considered the embodiment of wisdom and her voice was listened to not only when it came to scientific issues
And the time was not at all conducive to the pursuit of science. The math was suspicious. At that time in the churches often prayed to the Lord to bring down their wrath on the heads of "mathematicians, sorcerers and other villains." Astronomy was part of mathematics, and the difference between an astronomer studying celestial phenomena and an astrologer predicting fate from the stars was usually not made. Even in official documents, astrologers were simply called mathematicians. In 409, the emperors Honorius and Theodosius II issued a special law. Mathematicians were charged with the duty to appear before the bishop, renounce ungodly views, burn the clerics of their errors and swear to uphold the Christian faith. Those who refused to renounce were ordered to be expelled from Rome and all other cities. Mathematicians who dared to violate this institution, who arbitrarily remained in the cities or, under the cover of a false oath, continued secretly to practice their profession, were to be punished without any mercy.
Hypatia did not suffer from this decree. The officials of Alexandria, fortunately, had the sense not to rank her among those mathematicians who, in the name of the triumph of faith and state tranquility, had to be caught and punished. Even Theophilus tolerated Hypatia. He was flattered that there was a school in his city that had no equal either in Rome or in Constantinople. Alexandrian scientists were not averse to boasting: what, they say, Athens compared to their hometown? The glory of Athens has sunk, now they can only be proud of fragrant Attic honey, while Hypatia shines in Alexandria! All Egypt feeds on her crops when the abomination of desolation reigns in Athens.
People have become accustomed to the fact that from time to time terrible news shook the Roman Empire. The onslaught of the barbarians intensified. It's good when they managed to buy off gold or land for settlements. But they, feeling their power, became more assertive. In 378, Emperor Valens suffered a severe defeat near Adrianople and was killed. Whole Balkan Peninsula lay unprotected before the troops of the formidable Goths. The fate of Constantinople itself hung in the balance.
True, Theodosius, the commander who later became emperor, managed to improve the situation, but not for long. In the leader of the Visigoths, Alaric, the empire found a new enemy, terrible for its gluttony. He, too, almost took Constantinople and devastated the Balkans to the very southern regions of Greece. A few years later, a vast army of Goths fell upon Italy. The besieged Rome was paid off twice, but the third time Alaric captured the city by attack and gave it to the flood and plunder. The Romans were in terrible trouble. Stories about the triumph of the barbarians and their atrocities spread to all ends of the once united, great and strong empire. This time, the unthinkable happened. In August 410, the Eternal City fell, the personification of power, the symbol of invincibility. Fallen under the blows of the barbarians Rome!
His nephew, Cyril, Theophilus openly predicted himself as his successor. Elections are elections, but he will do everything possible so that after his death the episcopal throne goes to his sister's son, and not to some stranger!
From here“I look and listen, bowing before you;
And then I ascend to the starry temple of the Virgin:
After all, like heaven, your deeds are pure,
Hypatia, and you are the sophistication of words
Mind and knowledge is a shining star.
Hypatia of Alexandria. Fayum portrait, Egypt
Since ancient times, feelings have been considered the prerogative of a woman. Well, in feelings, one of the main places is, of course, passion. But who would have thought that a woman's passion could be evoked by such a complex industry as science?
Meanwhile, history knows examples when scientific passion took a woman entirely. And Hypatia (Hypatia) of Alexandria is considered the first woman scientist by right (moreover, tragically) - a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, philosopher, mechanic and teacher.
Shown is a scene from the last pages of Hypatia by Charles Kingsley, published in 1853.
This list alone is enough to understand the greatness of this woman. But, alas, history treated the “first” cruelly: not a single work, letter or book of Hypatia remained. And not much is known about her life.
Cover of Agora video film about the life of Hypatia starring Rachel Weisz
She was born around 370 in Alexandria, hence her nickname, the Virgin of Alexandria. At that time, the hometown of our heroine, which stood in the Nile Delta in Egypt, was considered Hellenistic in culture, for it was founded by Alexander the Great himself (332 BC).
The historian Socrates Scholastic characterizes Hypatia as follows:
She acquired such learning that she surpassed her contemporary philosophers; was the successor of the Platonic school, descended from Plato, and taught all the philosophical sciences to those who wished. Therefore, those who wanted to study philosophy flocked to it from all sides. By her education, having self-confidence worthy of respect, she appeared with modesty even in the face of the rulers; and in that she did not put any shame that she appeared among men, for for her extraordinary modesty everyone respected her and marveled at her
Since then, Alexandria has become an international trade, cultural and scientific center of the East. It itself consisted of miracles of technology and scientific thought: the legendary Pharos lighthouse was built there, in Museyon, that is, the place of the muses, there was a scientific and teaching institution, which we would now call the Academy of Sciences.
Frame of the film "Agora"
Museion scientists were engaged in research in the field of astronomy, mathematics, botany, zoology, and composed philosophical treatises. There was also the most legendary library in the world - Alexandria.
However, by the 4th century A.D. e. the city began to lose its former glory, to lose its splendor and power. In addition, Christianity entered the historical stage, irreconcilably declaring its rights both to life and to the soul of people. So Alexandria remained the last stronghold of the ancient sciences.
Rachel Weisz as Hypatia in Agora
It was in this difficult time that Hypatia was destined to be born. Her father, Theon (Theon) of Alexandria, was the most famous mathematician, astronomer and philosopher of his time. According to legend, Julian himself, the nephew of Emperor Constantine I, gave her the name.
The Church dubbed Julian the Apostate, for he revered the old ancient gods and dreamed of restoring the Roman Empire to its former borders.
Hypatia., A. Seifert.
According to legend, Julian named his "goddaughter" in honor of the god Zeus Hypat (the Most High). However, this is clearly a later invention. Julian the Apostate died in the war against the Persians in 363, that is, even before the birth of Hypatia. However, this statement is true if the date of birth of the first female scientist is correct.
But is there anything known for sure about her? Only that her father taught her the sciences. And it is worth noting that for teaching the sciences at that time it was necessary to have a lot of courage.
Julia Margaret Cameron as Hypatia
For in Alexandria, where Christianity has long ruled in the person of the city episcopate, scientific experiments conducted in Museion, the stronghold of "paganism", were not very favored. At about the age of 20, Hypatia witnessed a terrible event.
In 391, food shortages began in the city, and the hysterical crowd found the culprits - scientists from the temple of Serapis in Museion.
Charles William Mitchell "Hypatia"
Prayers were not offered in this temple for a long time, but the books of the Library of Alexandria were kept, but it was dedicated to a pagan deity (Serapis is a synthesis of the ancient Greek Apollo and the ancient Egyptian Apis), the cult of which was proclaimed in Alexandria by its founder Alexander the Great. So the temple of the pagans was well worth plundering!
The ministers tried to save the books. But how? A bunch of half-starved librarians against an angry mob of outcasts?.. How much blood has been shed for upholding "divine interests"! It is good that the gods do not live on earth - they would choke in it.
Frontispiece and title page, John Toland's anti-Catholic tract Hypatia:
The blood of the torn librarians is in the same vein. But having dealt with the scientists, the crowd did not find any drink or bread in the temple. There were only books. And what to do with them?
Burn...
But there were so many books that the crowd did not have time to destroy them. The city guard arrived in time to disperse the raging people. The manuscripts that could be saved were collected. The library is up and running again.
And at the head of it was the father of Hypatia - Theon of Alexandria. True, he, struck by the riot of the crowd and the looting of the library, was now often ill. To whom could he transfer the work of his life - the education of young scientists? Of course, his daughter.
Maria Anderson as Hypatia
Somewhere in the year 400, Hypatia became a teacher, and then a scholargist, that is, the head of the school of the Alexandrian Neoplatonists. She taught young students mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy.
In addition, she helped her father in work on his compositions. A number of researchers believe that Euclid's Elements and Ptolemy's Almagest, published in Theon's edition, were actually corrected by his daughter.
“Hypatia ... acquired such scholarship that she surpassed her contemporary philosophers,” Socrates Scholasticus wrote in the History of the Church, “she was the successor to the Platonic school that originated from Plato, and taught all philosophical sciences to those who wished.
Hypatia at the Haymarket Theatre.
Therefore, those who wanted to study philosophy flocked to it from all sides. By her education, having self-confidence worthy of respect, she modestly appeared even before the rulers, and even in that she did not put any shame that she was among men, for everyone respected her and marveled at her for her extraordinary modesty.
Alas, Socrates does not mention the main thing: maybe the men marveled at the modesty of Hypatia, but they were still not ready to accept her as an equally worthy interlocutor. At that time, a woman had to manage the household and appease the “ruler”, and not teach at the department, while having her own opinion.
True, Hypatia once tried to lead a purely female life. Gossip circulated in Alexandria that at the age of 15, the father gave the same intractable girl in marriage to one of his students, and the shrew ran away straight from the marriage bed, horrified by her husband's caresses.
Illustration for the novel by Charles Kingsley "Hypatia". Artist Byam Shaw
She rushed to her father and from the threshold declared that if there was a passion in her heart, then only for the pure science of mathematics, and not for the dirty embrace of a man. The father would then have given the rebellious beating, and he took the prodigal daughter back. And here is the result - a virgin girl, not knowing what to do with her unspent feelings, is engaged either in science or in urban politics.
Elbert Hubbard, "Hypatia"
Is it really a thing for a woman to appear at a colloquium, that is, a wise conversation that Governor Orestes and Patriarch Kirill are having among themselves?!
And Hypatia really appeared at the negotiations between the city authorities and the church. The true daughter of freedom-loving Alexandria, she did not want Christians to fight with the pagans.
Frame of the film "Agora"
She dreamed of an Alexandria prosperous in love and science. But the townspeople considered that Hypatia was inciting the “pagan” governor Orestes against the Christian pastor Cyril. And here again is a quote from Socrates: “Since she (Hypatia) very often talked with Orestes, her treatment of him gave rise to slander, as if she did not allow Orestes to enter into friendship with Cyril.
Illustration for the novel by Charles Kingsley "Hypatia". Artist Lee Woodwart Ziegler
Therefore, people with hot heads under the command of a certain Peter once conspired and ambushed this woman. When she was returning from somewhere home, they dragged her off a stretcher and drew her to a church called Caesarion, then, having uncovered her, they killed her with potsherds, and they carried her body to a place called Kinaron, and burned it there.
"Hypatia", Julius Kronberg
What a terrible picture! Dozens of fanatics attacked a 45-year-old (already elderly at that time) woman, stripped her naked and tore her to pieces, cutting her with sharp shards (according to other evidence - fragments of large shells). What kind of Christian mercy was shown to the world in March 415?!
William Mortensen - The Death of Hypatia
Historians are still arguing: did Cyril push the angry fanatics to reprisal Hypatia or not? Here again is the opinion of Socrates Scholast: “This [murder] caused much grief both to Cyril and the Alexandrian Church, for murders, strife, and all the like are completely alien to those who think in the spirit of Christ.”
And here is another quote: “Some people still attribute this atrocity to St. Cyril, although we have no evidence of his guilt in this.”
There really is no evidence. But simple logic suggests that the unrest in the city was not beneficial to Bishop Cyril, because he arrived in Alexandria only four years ago and had not yet had time to acquire supporters.
Frame of the film "Agora"
The Hellenistic world, of course, leaned towards Christianity, but one should not think that all the inhabitants of Alexandria aspired to the banner of Christ. There were much more supporters of the ancient gods in the city, and the massacre of Hypatia could have pushed them to the fact that they would generally drive Bishop Cyril out of the city.
So it is unlikely that the shepherd is to blame for the death of Hypatia. It was just such a time - a time of change, when one era replaced another, and people turned out to be tightly divided. In a word, the French poet Leconte de Lisle is right when he described Hypatia as "a real symbol of the inevitably perishing Hellenic era."
Raphael Santi. Alexandrian school, 1509. Vatican
But if it was not the church authorities who incited a crowd of fanatics against Hypatia, then why did such a brutal murder happen? There is an answer, it was suggested by history itself: most likely, ignorant fanatics considered scientists to be sorcerers, and their leader Hypatia - a witch. It has been known since ancient times: life gets worse - the witch is to blame. So it was the massacre of ignorance with the emerging science.
Rafael Santi.Alexandrian school.Fragment.Hypatia
In former times, Hypatia was presented as a pagan martyr, who was torn to pieces by the crowd for religious intolerance. Today, many believe that Hypatia, on the contrary, was loyal to other religions.
Hypatia recognized the primacy of reason over religious beliefs. She approached Porfiry on the issue of the lack of subordination in the interpretation of the three main hypostases of Neoplatonism, and diverged from other Neoplatonists in a high assessment of civic virtues
.
Hypatia did not participate in the Julian restoration of ancient paganism; Among her students she had clerics from Christians. After the death of Hypatia, the Alexandrian School of Neoplatonism became a kind of Christian theological institution that lasted until the 7th century. Synesius called Hypatia "a brilliant philosophical teacher."
Hypatia is believed to have invented or improved several scientific instruments: the distiller (a device for producing distilled water), the hydrometer (a device for measuring the density of a liquid), the astrolabe (an instrument for astronomical measurements, improving on Claudius Ptolemy's astrolabon) and the planisphere (a flat moving map of the sky).
Astrolabe
Many of the works attributed to Hypatia are believed to have been written in collaboration with her father Theon. The most famous works:
Commentary on the 13th book of "Arithmetic" by Diophantus;
. edition of the third book of Theon's commentaries to Ptolemy's Almagest;
. edition of Theon's commentaries to Euclid's Elements;
. comments on the "Koniki" by Apollonius of Perga;
. "Astronomical Canon".
Memories of Hypatia
Hypatia's name is entered on the map of the moon.
. The asteroid (238) Hypatia is named after Hypatia. opened in 1884.
. In 1720, the English philosopher John Toland dedicated one of the essays in his Tetradym to Hypatia, describing his heroine as “... a most virtuous, learned and worthy lady, torn to pieces by the Alexandrian clergy to satisfy the pride, envy and cruelty of her archbishop, usually, but undeservedly called Saint Cyril. Toland's essay was sharply opposed by Clive Lewis, who called Hypatia "the most shameless school teacher in Alexandria."
Voltaire wrote about Hypatia. In order to more clearly present the image of Hypatia to the reader, he transfers the Alexandrian tragedy to contemporary Paris, where the Carmelite monks allegedly tore to pieces a certain Parisian beauty because she preferred Homer to the Carmelite poem dedicated to Magdalene.
The 19th-century French writer Leconte de Lisle depicts Hypatia as a true symbol of the perishing Hellenic culture, the last incarnation of "the spirit of Plato and the body of Aphrodite."
. The famous English writer Charles Kingsley dedicated a novel to her.
. Aldous Huxley uses a comparison to Hypatia in Counterpoint: "Very nice, but far from Hypatia."
. . Hypatia (Hypatia) is one of the main characters in the story of the Ukrainian writer Oles Berdnik "Prometheus" (1970-1971).
. Astrophysicist and popularizer of science Carl Sagan in the book "Cosmos" dwells in detail on the story of the death of Hypatia, which he associates with the destruction of the Library of Alexandria.
Frame of the film "Agora"
Umberto Eco's novel "Baudolino" describes the mysterious Hypatia tribe, they are followers of Hypatia. The tribe consists of some women who are distinguished by their incredible beauty and intelligence. They claim to be the descendants of Hypatia's students who fled Alexandria after her death.
. In 2009, director Alejandro Amenabar directed the big-budget film Agora, which tells the story of Hypatia. Hypatia is played by Rachel Weisz.
Literature
Eremeeva A. I. Hypatia - daughter of Theon: Earth and the Universe, 1970, No. 1.
. Kingsley Ch., Mautner F. Hypatia // Introduction. Art. P. F. Preobrazhensky.
. Losev A.F. History of ancient aesthetics, vol. VII. - M., 1988.
. Polysphenes. Under the stars of Alexandria. - Kyiv: Commonwealth "Heart", 1990. - 40
. Solovyov V. S. Hypatia: Dictionary in philosophy.
. Sorokina I. Athena in mind, Hera in posture, Aphrodite in beauty.
. Fili K. Hypatia: a victim of the conflict between the old and the new world: / Issues of the history of natural science and technology, 2002, No. 2.
. Steckli A. Hypatia, Theon's daughter. - M., 1971.
Sites: wikimedia-illustrations
It often happened that in the name of Christ church people shed blood, acted cruelly and inhumanly.
It would be criminal to hide such facts (which, by the way, none of the church historians have ever hidden them).
It would be just as criminal to justify evil, that is, in essence, to proceed from the principle "the end justifies the means."
But it is important to understand that the sin of church people is not a sin of the Church, but a sin against the Church.
It is necessary to know the past in order not to reproduce the old evil in a new way.
What is a church?
...for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)
And where the Lord is, there is the Church.
"Do not give holy things to dogs, and do not cast your beads (pearls) before swine, lest they trample it under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces" (Mat. 7:6...)
“Not everyone who says to me: “Lord! Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mat. 7:21)
Many will say to Me in that day: Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and did they not cast out demons in your name? and did not many miracles work in your name? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. (Matt. 22:23)
In 415 AD, a distraught mob of fanatics dragged Hypatia, a professor at the Alexandrian Academy, into the church and tore her to pieces with sharp oyster shells. This kind of sacrifice turned the life of Hypatia into a legend.
The poverty of historical information about it provided a wide scope for the imagination of writers and publicists. The not entirely intelligible and not entirely reliable story of the church historian Socrates and fragmentary, albeit curious fragments of Hesichius and Damascus - that's all that is known about the beautiful daughter of the Alexandrian scholar Theon, who taught philosophy, mathematics and astronomy.
The Christian Church felt some embarrassment for the massacre of Hypatia. It was necessary to carefully protect Cyril of Alexandria in order to remove the stigma of a pogromist from this authority of the church, but this was almost a hopeless affair. By a strange irony of fate, Cyril, a zealous fighter for the dignity of the Christian Mother of God, turned out to be the ideological inspirer of the vile tearing apart of a girl, however, a “pagan”.
Compiled around the 5th century AD, the life of the mythical Catherine of Alexandria almost exactly repeats the life of Hypatia. Both heroines, "pagan" and Christian, are engaged in philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, shine with beauty, purity, eloquence, and both die a painful death in the hands of an angry mob. So the victim of Christian fanaticism and fanaticism turned into a Christian saint.
In the fight against paganism, religious fanatics did not spare anyone or anything.
In 391, an angry mob led by the Bishop of Alexandria Theophilus, popularly called the "Christian Pharaoh", broke into Museion.
Barbarians of all times and peoples first of all destroyed the sources of knowledge.
Not only the most valuable documents and books perished, but Hypatia's fiancé and her associates perished. The survivors left Alexandria.
Hypatia, for reasons unknown to us, was left with a miraculously surviving father.
Bishop Theophilus, who ruined the Alexandrian library and took away its valuables, this was not enough.
A law was passed ordering all mathematicians, who were considered astrologers, to renounce ungodly views and repent.
This did not affect Hypatia, perhaps for only one reason - the bishop was flattered that the Alexandrian philosophical school was considered the best in the world.
However, it is difficult to guess what the conceited "shepherd" was guided by.
It couldn't go on like this for long.
Theophilus's worthy successor, his nephew Cyril, even more ambitious than his uncle, could not stand such competition. It was from Hypatia, and not from him, the spiritual ruler, that statesmen and mere mortals sought the truth.
In May 415, on the day of Lent, an angry mob beat a defenseless woman to death on the church steps.
Since then, for thousands of years, mathematics has not known women's names. However, given that mathematics in those days was not shared with philosophy, astronomy and astrology, then there are no such women scientists now.
The Christian religion, which destroyed Hypatia, then made her a Saint under the name of Catherine.
It is Catherine who is credited with knowledge in various fields of knowledge that Hypatia possessed, and she is considered the patroness of education and scientists.
But! In 1969, the Holy Great Martyr Catherine was almost expelled from the Catholic church calendar due to "the obscurity of the historical circumstances of her life."
Indeed, the ways of the Lord are inscrutable!
It's hard to separate fiction from truth. Be that as it may, we know for sure that Hypatia lived a short, but bright and worthy of memory and reverence life, for she was always faithful to the Truth and remained a Human.
Hypatia (Hypatia) of Alexandria (370, Horse), female scientist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, scholar of the Alexandrian School of Neoplatonism.
She was educated under the guidance of her father, Theon of Alexandria, who was one of the scientists of the Alexandrian school. Around 400, she was invited to lecture at the Alexandrian school. She took one of the leading departments - the Department of Philosophy. Hypatia taught mathematics, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, was engaged in the calculation of astronomical tables, wrote comments on the works of Apollonius of Perga and Diophantus of Alexandria, which have not reached us.
She took part in Alexandrian city politics, having influence on the head of the city, the prefect Orestes. This circumstance caused constant friction with Bishop Cyril (later canonized), and the Christian community considered Hypatia guilty of the resulting turmoil. In 415, a group of supporters of Bishop Cyril, led by a certain reader Peter, attacked Hypatia and killed her. (This is an example that the participation of female logicians with strong-willed paraphernalia in politics is extremely destructive for everyone, and even more so for them. Maximalism, idealism and no diplomacy.)
One version of the death of Hypatia is offered by the Christian historian Socrates Scholastic:
“There was a woman in Alexandria named Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon. She acquired such learning that she surpassed her contemporary philosophers; was the successor of the Platonic school, descended from Plato, and taught all the philosophical sciences to those who wished. Therefore, those who wanted to study philosophy flocked to it from all sides. By her education, having self-confidence worthy of respect, she appeared with modesty even in the face of the rulers; and in that she did not put any shame that she appeared among men, for for her extraordinary modesty everyone respected her and marveled at her. Envy then armed itself against this woman. Since she very often talked with Orestes, her treatment of him gave rise to slander, as if she did not allow Orestes to enter into friendship with Cyril. Therefore, people with hotheads, under the command of a certain Peter, once conspired and ambushed this woman. When she was returning home from somewhere, they dragged her off a stretcher and drew her to a church called Caesarion, then, having uncovered her, they killed her with potsherds, and they carried her body to a place called Kinaron, and burned it there. This caused a lot of grief to both Cyril and the Alexandrian church, for murders, strife, and all the like are completely alien to those who think in the spirit of Christ. The mentioned event took place in the fourth year of the bishopric of Cyril, in the tenth year of the consulate of Honorius and the sixth of Theodosius, in the month of March, during fasting.
According to another version, Cyril of Alexandria (Father of the Church, canonized saint) is to blame for the death of Hypatia. In the collection The Reformers of the Church, published in 1970, along with the mention of Cyril as one of the greatest saints, it is noted: “He is at least morally responsible for the vile murder of the noble pagan Hypatia.” Tinnefeld writes: "one can be sure that a noble and highly educated woman was the fanatical bishop's most celebrated victim." The same version is given for example. encyclopedia "Religion", "Big soviet encyclopedia”, Atheistic Dictionary and other sources.
Hypatia recognized the primacy of reason over religious beliefs.
She approached Porfiry on the issue of the lack of subordination in the interpretation of the three main hypostases of Neoplatonism, and diverged from other Neoplatonists in her high assessment of civic virtues. Among her students she had clerics from Christians. After the death of Hypatia, the Alexandrian School of Neoplatonism became a kind of Christian theological institution that lasted until the 7th century. Synesius called Hypatia "a brilliant philosophical teacher."
Scientific works
It is believed that she invented the hydrometer, made a map of the celestial bodies known at that time.
Many of the works attributed to Hypatia are believed to have been written in collaboration with her father Theon. The most famous works
Photo: Drawn by Jules Maurice Gaspard (1862–1919) - Elbert Hubbard, "Hypatia"
“Teaching people to believe in superstitions is the most monstrous thing.” (Hypatia of Alexandria).Born in Museyon - "Temple and Sanctuary of the Muses", which in those days was the scientific center of Egypt and not only. It was in Mouseion that the Library of Alexandria was located, founded and assembled by the associates of Alexander the Great. Euclid, Apollonius of Perga and Claudius Ptolemy once worked within the walls of this building.
Hypatia's father was Theon of Alexandria, a prominent scientist belonging to the Alexandrian school, a well-known astronomer, mechanic and mathematician. He wrote explanations for the astronomical work of Ptolemy and for the geometric "Beginnings" of Euclid. Unfortunately, the girl's mother died in childbirth.
Hypatia received the basic knowledge of astronomy and mechanics under the guidance of her father. Hypatia was an inquisitive, inquisitive child, she showed an early interest in her father's scientific pursuits.
Her older brother also successfully studied mathematics and other sciences with her sister, but was inferior to her in abilities.
The father was proud of the extraordinary abilities of his daughter.
According to excerpts from the memoirs of contemporaries that have come down to us, she especially loved geometry and, learning to prove theorems, covered a large number of tablets.
On starry nights, Hypatia watched the sky with rapt attention.
From childhood, she carefully looked at how craftsmen work and herself made simple tools necessary for astronomical observations.
Long-term observations of the stars allowed Hypatia to later make a number of amendments to the works of the famous astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy, whom she thoughtfully studied.
Hypatia compiled more accurate astronomical tables for geometry and astronomy.
Hypatia brought her skill in making instruments for astronomical observations to the perfection possible at that time. It is known that Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemy, asked Hypatia for help in constructing an astrolabe and a gyroscope. And Hypatia designed them to such a high standard that they continued to be used on ships until the 17th century.
Astronomy Hypatia considered "the pinnacle of knowledge."
The inventions of Hypatia were used by Copernicus when calculating the time of sunrise and sunset of the luminaries.
It is Hypatia of Alexandria that science owes such concepts as hyperbola, parabola, ellipse.
Hypatia wrote extensive commentaries on the theory of conic sections of Apollonius of Perga and on the algebraic writings of Diophantus of Alexandria.
Hypatia was also interested in philosophy, knew the works of Aristotle perfectly, and read a lot.
Pretty soon, she surpassed her father as well.
Contemporaries wrote that Hypatia was by nature "more talented and refined than her father" and soon - the glory of Hypatia eclipsed the glory of Theon, which the father only rejoiced at.
Hypatia's deep knowledge, her sharp and quick mind, and her amazing capacity for work brought the girl almost universal respect.
Around the year 400, Hypatia, who was only 20 years old, was invited to lecture at the famous Alexandrian school, and she took one of the leading departments of the school - the department of philosophy. Possessing a seemingly limitless outlook, Hypatia lectured not only on mathematics, geometry, astronomy, but also on art.
She understood music and sculpture, could endlessly talk about Homer and read his works to her students.
The rumor about the beautiful and wise Hypatia spread throughout the world and students from many countries flocked to her. She was called the pride of Alexandria and was compared simultaneously with three goddesses - with Athena in mind, with Aphrodite in beauty and with Hera in posture.
Hypatia was sure that "Teaching people to believe in superstitions is the most monstrous and criminal thing." Her motto was: "Keep your right to think - thinking wrong is better than not thinking at all."
But the fact that she easily defeated all the preachers of Christian doctrines in disputes and disputes did not bring her anything good, rather the opposite. After all, the Christian emperors Honorius and Theodosius II issued a law prohibiting mathematics and astronomy.
There were also romantic relationships in the life of Hypatia. The best of her students, the Athenian Polysthenes, became the chosen one. Truth all began with a commonality of views and a desire to serve science and truth.
At first, Polysthenes helped Hypatia in her scientific experiments, but gradually the relationship went beyond the boundaries of science, astrology and philosophy, although, naturally, the lovers did not stop giving them most of their time.
Meanwhile, the trouble was getting closer and closer. Christianity struggled with paganism, and at the same time with all the scientific and cultural values of the ancient world.
In 391, a crowd distraught with anger, led by the Bishop of Alexandria Theophilus, who was called the "Christian Pharaoh", broke into the Museion and began, frantically destroying priceless books.
Was plundered and destroyed of extraordinary beauty - Serapetum. They say that he was so beautiful that even the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, known for his eloquence, admitted that he could not convey in words the grandeur and beauty of this temple.
The Library of Alexandria, located not far from the temple, was also plundered.
Knowing his daughter perfectly, Theon locked her in the house so that she would not rush to protect the values she served.
Hypatia, shocked by the barbarism that had happened, could not recover for a long time, she put on mourning and completely immersed herself in science.
Soon the father fell ill and, before his death, begged and conjured his daughter not to interfere in religious and political confrontations.
Bishop Theophilus, who ruined and appropriated many of its values, achieved the adoption of a law that ordered all scientists to renounce ungodly views and repent. However, under Theophilus, Hypatia was not touched.
But now the former bishop was replaced by Cyril of Alexandria, who ruled Alexandria like a king. Hypatia he hated for many reasons - she was a genius, a woman and a pagan.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Cyril did not shine with his mind, but he had cruelty and anger over the edge.
First of all, he sent people to the house of Hypatia, who completely defeated him. Hypatia was forced to move to friends, where she continued her scientific studies, remaining faithful to the old gods.
The last straw that pushed Cyril to physically punish Hypatia was her statement during a public lecture that Cyril was falsely interpreting Plato.
They say that, having learned about this, the bishop, covering the black deed with the gospel words, said: “The fig tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Companions of Cyril dragged Hypatia to a Christian church. In the church, they tore her clothes to shreds, beat the great woman with stones and skinned her alive with shells and tiles.
And when the pride of Alexandria stopped breathing, they cut her body into pieces and burned it at the stake.
Hypatia of Alexandria was barbarously martyred during Lent in 415. And Bishop Kirill was canonized.
After the death of Hypatia, many of her students were also killed. Only a few managed to leave Alexandria, which turned into nothing from an educational and scientific center.
As Van der Waerden wrote in Awakening Science, “After these last outbreaks, the flame of Greek mathematics went out like a burnt out candle.”
But Cyril and this was not enough! He destroyed the works of Hypatia all his life and succeeded in this.
She is called twice killed, and the works of Cyril of Alexandria are still being published. But he failed to eradicate the memory of Hypatia from history.
Later, according to the memoirs of her contemporaries, scientists managed to restore the biography of the wisest woman of Alexandria.
The shocked Polysthenes continued to carry the ideas of Hypatia to people, but a year later he was killed by a dagger from one of the murderers of Hypatia.
Shortly before his death, he managed to write the book "Under the Stars of Alexandria", which he dedicated to his beloved woman.
“In the dark blue of the parted clouds, I saw a diamond cluster of the Pleiades, which was decorated with the brightest star in the sky. Her ray suddenly touched my heart, and with trepidation I felt that great power, which, not dying for centuries, will shed wonderful gifts of beauty, learning and heroism on earthlings.
Much later, scientists named a crater on the Moon after Hypatia.