Dear Hypatia,
A Letter To Alexandria’s Last Scholar
I wish we knew more about you. None of your writings survived. Luck of the draw, I guess. Writers are fortunate if their work survives into the next decade, let alone the next millennium. Here is what we do know.
You were born in Alexandria, Egypt, under Roman Rule in the 4th century CE. Your father, Theon, was a scholar and member of one of the schools in Alexandria. His position allowed you to pursue an education despite your gender. You did not take the opportunity for granted. You surpassed your father, and in a patriarchal system, you became head of the Platonist school in Alexandria.
We know you must have been a good teacher, as most accounts of your life and achievements were preserved by your students. I don’t know if I would have taken your class, given your primary field of mathematics. I have little patience for math and science. Perhaps philosophy and astronomy could have been our point of shared interest.
We also know you lived during a tumultuous time. A time when scholarship and tolerance were being suppressed in favor of a new ideology. Christianity had arrived in Egypt, and it was not as loving as its savior. Mobs attacked Jews and Pagans. They rioted, vandalizing temples and synagogues. You were a target as you, yourself, were pagan. A Neoplatonist, to be specific, but still regarded as pagan (in this context, pagan referred to those who practiced older polytheistic religion, religions outside the recognized norm, or non-Christians). In your life, you faced incredible opposition, and I admire how you stood your ground against it.
As Christian zealots rioted, you did not stop teaching or speaking about your beliefs. You didn’t even stay within the safe walls of your school, but rather took to the public markets. You fought to preserve the cultural and scholarly heritage of Alexandria. You worked to make your school a sanctuary where anyone with a desire to learn could attend, regardless of their background or beliefs. Furthermore, you did not stoop to your opposition’s level. When the governor of Alexandria himself called for your advice rather than target those threatening you, you asked him to stay his hand and pursue peace.
I am only sorry it wasn’t enough.
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I am sorry the governor did not listen to you and tortured and killed one of the zealots in response to a riot. I am sorry that when the mob could not target the man responsible, a man of power and fellow Christian, they came after you. They defamed you, called you a witch, a seductress, evil, and a danger to Alexandria. I am sorry they pulled you from your chariot as you made your way through the city. They dragged you by your hair and stripped you of your clothes. They beat you, killed you, and defiled your corpse, tearing it to pieces and burning the remains.
Most of all, I am sorry your fight ended with you. Afraid of suffering the same fate, your students and colleagues fled the city. Your school closed its doors, and Alexandria’s legacy as a beacon of knowledge, learning, and culture faded into darkness.
However, I can tell you it was not all in vain. Those who knew you carried your story and lessons with them when they fled. They shared it until your legacy reached beyond the Mediterranean. Over a thousand years later, your life is still inspiring others. Inspiring them to learn and speak. Inspiring the hope that a more open and tolerant world is possible.
As a scholar myself whose home is facing its own threats of intolerance, unrest, and destruction of knowledge, I ask for your support. To be infused with the same strength you had even when fear grips my heart. In return, I promise to never forget your story and to continue sharing it with all those I meet. I promise not to take my education for granted and to never stop learning. I promise to never forget the lessons you strived to teach. I promise to keep speaking.
With Love,
The Student You Never Got To Meet
Thank you for reading.😊
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