The life of Hypatia

In Ronchey’s biography of Hypatia in the book Roman Women she tells us that Hypatia was the daughter of another famous philosopher named Theon from Alexandria known for his mathematical work. Unlike her father however she did not limit herself to just one subject; “being more naturally gifted than her father, did not limit herself to the technical-mathematical teachings of her father, but dedicated herself to real and true philosophy” (161 Ronchey). Soon Hypatia excelled so much that she began to take on male philosophers; “she had derived a self-control and a directness in her speech that helped her to “directly confront the powerful and to attend men’s meetings without fear” (Ronchey 162). Because Ronchey takes from many different sources on Hypatia’s life we see a few different versions on different parts of her life including her death. Some versions of her death tell us that she was a pagan and was murdered by Christians, others that she was actually a Christian martyr that died defending her Christian faith. Even though many aspects of her life are disputed one thing that is common throughout Ronchey’s writing is that she was a gifted teacher with great beauty; “such an experienced teacher, was so just and wise, but also so beautiful and attractive” (161 Ronchey).