davidl@tekig5.UUCP (David Levadie) (08/03/85)
------- While we're on the subject of religious mayhem, I seem to recall a story from someplace about a massive library in Alexandria, Egypt sometime which contained a LOT of books and WHO KNOWS what else, that was lost, because a mob of Xtians led by SAINT CYRIL [genuflect, please] of Alexandria, after dragging Hypatia, the librarian, out into the street and murdering her, sacked the library and burned it. Refutations, please?
steiny@scc.UUCP (Don Steiny) (08/04/85)
> -------
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The leader of the Christan party in Alexandria in 389 A.C was
Bishop Theophilus, who at the head of a mob of Christian
monks destroyed what was left of the great Library of
Alexander. [It had been destroyed by the Romans, but
had been rebuilt] On the death of Theophilus, he was
succeeded in the bishopric of Alexandria by is nephew,
St. Cyril, who was even worse than his uncle. In the
first part of the fifth century of the Christan era,
Hypatia, the daughter of Theron, the mathematician,
conducted an academy at Alexandria. This talented
lady gave lectures on the philosophies of Plato and
Aristotle, and instructed her students on the works
of Appolonius and other geometers. Bishop Cyril decided
that such knowledge must be suppressed, and he
decided to take the necessary actions to achieve
that objective.
Introduction to African Civilization
John G. Jackson
p. 298.
Each day before her [Hypatia's] acadamy stood a long train of
chariots; her lecture rooms were crowded with the wealth and
fashion of Alexandria. They came to listen to her discourses
on those questions which man in all ages has asked,
but which never yet have been answered: "What am I?
Where am I? What can I know?" Hypatia and Cyril!
Philosophy and bigotry. They cannot exist together.
So Cyril felt, and on that feeling he acted.
As Hypatia reparied to her academy, she was assulted
by Cyril's mob--a mob of many monks. Stripped naked
on the street, she was dragged into a church, and
there killed by the club of Peter the Reader.
The corpse was cut to pieces, the flesh was scraped
from the bones with shells, and the remnants cast into
a fire. For this frightful crime Cyril was never
called into account [apparently, he was made a Saint
for it!].
History of the Conflict between
Religion and Science
John William Draper
pp. 55-56
According to Draper, the reason that Cyril hated Hypatia
and philosopy was because philosophy can question anything,
including Christian faith.
--
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Don Steiny @ Don Steiny Software
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Santa Cruz, Calif. 95060