Hypatia of Alexandria was one of the first woman well known for her role in the transmission of the Tradition. It is rather remarkable that she was iniated to the Hermetic Mysteries, head of the Platonist school at Alexandria in about 400 AD, and teacher. She made a substantial contribution to the development of mathematics. This is a wonderful example of the first place of some women in Alexandria, place of birth of our Tradition. It was the same for the Priestesses.
Hypatia was the daughter of the mathematician and philosopher Theon of Alexandria and it is fairly certain that she studied mathematics under the guidance and instruction of her father. There she lectured on mathematics and philosophy, in particular teaching the philosophy of Neoplatonism. Hypatia based her teachings on those of Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism, and Iamblichus who was a developer of Neoplatonism around 300 AD.
Hypatia came to symbolise learning and science which the early Christians identified with paganism. However, among the pupils who she taught in Alexandria there were many prominent Christians. One of the most famous is Synesius of Cyrene who was later to become the Bishop of Ptolemais. Many of the letters that Synesius wrote to Hypatia have been preserved and we see someone who was filled with admiration and reverence for Hypatia's learning and scientific abilities.
In 412 Cyril (later St Cyril) became patriarch of Alexandria. However the Roman prefect of Alexandria was Orestes and Cyril and Orestes became bitter political rivals as church and state fought for control. Hypatia was a friend of Orestes and this, together with prejudice against her philosophical views which were seen by Christians to be pagan, led to Hypatia becoming the focal point of riots between Christians and non-Christians. Hypatia, Heath writes:
... by her eloquence and authority ... attained such influence that Christianity considered itself threatened ...
A few years later, Hypatia was brutally murdered by the Nitrian monks who were a fanatical sect of Christians who were supporters of Cyril. According to another account (by Socrates Scholasticus) she was killed by an Alexandrian mob under the leadership of the reader Peter. What certainly seems indisputable is that she was murdered by Christians who felt threatened by her scholarship, learning, and depth of scientific knowledge.
Agora is a wonderful movie which shaw this part of the Tradition and demonstrate the place and role of the women initiates in the beginning of our Hermetic Tradition
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