Hypatia

Hypatia, the heroine of Charles Kingsley's novel, was the daughter of Theon, an astronomer and mathematician of Alexandria, and head of the Neo-Platonic school.

She was born in the latter part of the third century, and was equally remarkable for her beauty, her wisdom, and her tragic fate.

She succeeded her father in the Chair of Philosophy at Alexandria, and the fame of her lectures drew around her students from all parts of the East.

Her teaching was Christian in spirit, though heathen in form and limitation.

The citizens of Alexandria were proud of her; and such reliance was placed upon her judgment, that the magistrates of the city used frequently to consult her upon important cases.

At this time Cyril was Bishop of Alexandria, a fierce hater of heathen and heretics.

He soon cast an evil eye on Hypatia, whom he regarded as a satanic enchantress. His hatred communicated itself to the lower clergy, and especially to certain savage monks from the Nitrian desert, who, headed by one Peter, a reader, attacked Hypatia in the street as she was returning from her lecture-room. The maiden was dragged from her chariot, and hurried to the Caesarean Church, where she was murdered with tiles, after which she was torn to pieces, and her limbs were carried to a place called Cindron, and there burned to ashes, A.D. 415.

With her the Alexandrian school perished, and Athens became the seat of learning.