Hypatia - Follower of Plato

Hypatia

I write of my daughter, Hypatia with great love. Her mother and I, Theon, were blessed with her arrival in 351. From her first sounds, I was touched by the wisdom I perceived in her. As a teacher of mathematics and astronomy, I was determined she would be well educated. Her rare beauty was evident when she was still a mere child. Her mother and I admired her beauty and took great pride in her skill at learning.

I cautioned her to refrain from the common belief that a woman should be less than a man. My admonishment to her was to continually utilize her power to think and be able to contrive through her own mentality that which was right for her.

As she grew in wisdom and beauty, she desired to travel and learn from great teachers. Her capacity to ask questions outdistanced my simple education, thus I allowed her and gave her the means to go. First, she went to Athens, then to Rome. Her letters were filled with the news of the day. She was entertained in the homes of the leading citizens in each city.

In Alexandria, she taught Neo-Platonism. I was not in agreement with this new philosophical thought and I wished for her to be with me as I aged. How blessed it might have been for both of us. Unrest in Alexandria between the church and state brought about her eventual demise. This came long after I had passed on. My grief that she was so far distant went with me to my grave.

Hypatia's mind was set against formal religion. She taught freedom of spirit and freedom of thought. This did not sit well with the ruling church. She was accused of trying to start her own religion. In spite of threats, Hypatia stood her ground and taught her philosophy as her followers grew in great numbers. People came from vast distances to hear her speak. They were captivated by her beauty, her eloquence, and her thought-provoking rhetoric.

She believed, as did Plato, that the soul of all of mankind is united. She believed in the oneness of all and the universal force of life existing in all that is. She made no individual god or gods, no graven images. Her thought was that all should think with a divine mind, allowing the truth of what is within their nature to be the truth in their lives.

To know oneself, and to trust his or her intuition was the main facet of her teachings. For this, my daughter suffered great threats and ridicule. In the end, people were told that Hypatia had gone to Athens. Rumors were rampant. The prevalent story was that she had been set upon by a frenzied mob, murdered, and her remains set on fire to hide the evidence.

I have no desire to change what has been said. That my daughter lived, learned, and taught is of most importance to me, not how she died. Suffice to say, Hypatia did that which she was born to do. Her beauty and intellect and her philosophy helped others in far- reaching ways.

Edited - Original - ©2001

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