PART II
The End of the Library of Alexandria and the Martyrdom of Hypatia
Konstantinos Konstantinidis – Amphiktyon
The Destruction of the Library of Alexandria
During the siege of Alexandria in 48 BC, Julius Caesar ordered that the ships in the harbor be set on fire. However, the Library was not destroyed at that time, as it continued to operate for a considerable period afterward.
During the third century AD, civil conflicts broke out in Roman Alexandria, causing extensive damage to the city and probably to the Library as well. Nevertheless, the Library continued to function.
It is historically documented that in AD 391 Emperor Theodosius I issued decrees against the pagan temples, the Olympic Games, the Greek philosophical schools, and, according to the author’s view, against the repositories of the ancient pagan tradition. In implementation of the imperial decree, Theophilus of Alexandria destroyed the Serapeum, where an annex of the Library was housed.
In AD 415 came the horrific murder, following brutal torture, of the Greek philosopher and teacher of astronomy Hypatia.
The Martyrdom of Hypatia
According to the historian Socrates Scholasticus, a mob of fanatical Christians, led by the reader Peter,
- seized Hypatia as she was returning home,
- dragged her to the Caesareum,
- murdered her with extreme brutality,
- dismembered her body,
- and finally burned her remains.
Socrates Scholasticus, himself a Christian historian, explicitly condemned this atrocity and wrote that it brought great disgrace upon Cyril and upon the Church.
Cyril as the Moral Instigator of Hypatia’s Murder
“Cyril bears the political and moral responsibility for the murder of Hypatia. Although no direct evidence has survived that he issued a written order for her execution, the fanatical mobs that acted under his influence carried out his wishes. The atmosphere of hostility and hysteria directed against Hypatia, which he had fostered, contributed decisively to the philosopher’s tragic death.”
Who Was Bishop Cyril of Alexandria?
Cyril succeeded his uncle, Theophilus of Alexandria, as Bishop of Alexandria in AD 412. He played a leading role in the Christological controversies of his time and presided over the Third Ecumenical Council, held at Ephesus in AD 431. He was later proclaimed a Saint and Doctor of the Church by both the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.
The Significance of the Event
The murder of Hypatia has acquired profound symbolic significance and is frequently regarded as:
- the end of an era in the Greek philosophical tradition of Alexandria;
- a dramatic confrontation between political power and religious fanaticism;
- a symbol of the suppression of free thought.
According to the author’s interpretation, from that period onward religious authority came to dominate much of the Arab world, albeit in different forms from one country to another. He argues that this achieved its intended purpose: the suppression of free intellectual inquiry for many centuries.
Even today, no one has officially asked forgiveness for one of humanity’s greatest cultural catastrophes.
Amphiktyon
Major General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Writers
Amphiktyon Blog: http://www.amphiktyon.blogspot.com
Amphiktyon Official Site: http://www.amphiktyon.org
During the siege of Alexandria in 48 BC, Julius Caesar ordered that the ships in the harbor be set on fire. However, the Library was not destroyed at that time, as it continued to operate for a considerable period afterward.
During the third century AD, civil conflicts broke out in Roman Alexandria, causing extensive damage to the city and probably to the Library as well. Nevertheless, the Library continued to function.
It is historically documented that in AD 391 Emperor Theodosius I issued decrees against the pagan temples, the Olympic Games, the Greek philosophical schools, and, according to the author’s view, against the repositories of the ancient pagan tradition. In implementation of the imperial decree, Theophilus of Alexandria destroyed the Serapeum, where an annex of the Library was housed.
In AD 415 came the horrific murder, following brutal torture, of the Greek philosopher and teacher of astronomy Hypatia.
The Martyrdom of Hypatia
According to the historian Socrates Scholasticus, a mob of fanatical Christians, led by the reader Peter,
- seized Hypatia as she was returning home,
- dragged her to the Caesareum,
- murdered her with extreme brutality,
- dismembered her body,
- and finally burned her remains.
Socrates Scholasticus, himself a Christian historian, explicitly condemned this atrocity and wrote