Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
412-415 · 3 years · show in timeline

Alexandria 412 to 415: Bishop Cyril drove the Jews out of the city, and a Christian mob led by a reader of his church murdered the philosopher Hypatia

Cyril became Bishop of Alexandria in 412. He had the churches of the Novatians closed and their ecclesiastical property seized. After an attack by Jews on Christians, he went with a large crowd to the synagogues, took them away, drove the Jews out of the city and let their property be plundered. In March 415 a Christian mob led by the reader Peter murdered the philosopher Hypatia, a friend of the prefect, in a church and burned her dismembered body. Whether Cyril was complicit is disputed.

Deaths
Hypatia (counted, murdered in the Caesareum church in March 415)
Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent
„they took her to the church called Cæsareum , where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her with tiles“
Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7. Original
Period
412-415 (3 years)
Country
Egypt
Institutions
Cyril of Alexandria
Church of Alexandria
monks of Nitria
Category
Anti-Judaism, Expropriation, Murder, Persecution
Level of evidence
B two independent scholarly sources · what does this mean?
Persons
Cyril of Alexandria (Bishop (Patriarch) of Alexandria from 412, expelled the Jews)
Hypatia (philosopher and mathematician, murdered by Christians in 415)
Peter (reader of the Church of Alexandria, ringleader of Hypatia's murderers)

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. In the morning Cyril went with an immense crowd to the synagogues, took them away from the Jews, drove the Jews out of the city and permitted the multitude to plunder their goods. The Jews, who had lived in the city since Alexander the Great, lost everything and were dispersed. According to the Britannica, Cyril assailed the synagogues with an armed force and drove the Jews out in thousands.
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „Cyril, accompanied by an immense crowd of people, going to their synagogues“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „took them away from them, and drove the Jews out of the city, permitting the multitude to plunder their goods. Thus the Jews who had inhabited the city from the time of Alexander the Macedonian were expelled from it, stripped of all they possessed, and dispersed some in one direction and some in another.“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)
    „He assailed the Jewish synagogues with an armed force, drove the Jews in thousands from the city, and exposed their houses and property to pillage.“
    Cyril (bishop of Alexandria), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908), Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria
    „He also drove out of Alexandria the Jews , who had formed a flourishing community there since Alexander the Great.“
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria. Original · Archive copy
  2. Hypatia, daughter of the mathematician Theon, headed the Neoplatonic school of philosophy in Alexandria from around 400 and was a friend of the prefect Orestes. It was calumniously reported among the Christians that she was preventing the reconciliation between Orestes and the bishop.
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Hypatia
    „Hypatia ultimately became the recognized head of the Neoplatonic school there ( c. 400)“
    Hypatia, Artikel Hypatia. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15
    „For as she had frequent interviews with Orestes, it was calumniously reported among the Christian populace, that it was she who prevented Orestes from being reconciled to the bishop .“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15. Original · Archive copy

What happened to those affected?

  1. The prefect Orestes was indignant that the city had suddenly lost so large a portion of its population and reported it to the emperor. About five hundred monks from Nitria came into the city to fight for Cyril and abused Orestes as an idolater; the monk Ammonius struck him on the head with a stone. Orestes had Ammonius tortured to death, and Cyril had him venerated as a martyr.
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „was excessively grieved that a city of such magnitude should have been suddenly bereft of so large a portion of its population“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 14
    „About five hundred of them therefore quitting their monasteries , came into the city; and meeting the prefect in his chariot, they called him a pagan idolater“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 14. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908), Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria
    „The prefect had Ammonius tortured to death, and the young and fiery patriarch honoured his remains for a time as those of a martyr .“
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria. Original · Archive copy
  2. In March 415, during Lent, a group of Christians led by the reader Peter lay in wait for her, dragged her from her carriage and took her to the church called the Caesareum. There they stripped her completely and murdered her with tiles. They tore her body to pieces, took the limbs to a place called Cinaron and burned them there. The Britannica names the Nitrian monks and the fanatical Christian mob as the perpetrators.
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15
    „whose ringleader was a reader named Peter, waylaid her returning home, and dragging her from her carriage, they took her to the church called Cæsareum , where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her with tiles. After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled limbs to a place called Cinaron, and there burnt them.“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15
    „This happened in the month of March during Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril's episcopate“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Hypatia
    „Hypatia was barbarously murdered by the Nitrian monks and the fanatical Christian mob (March 415)“
    Hypatia, Artikel Hypatia. Original · Archive copy

Background

Course of events

  1. Cyril, nephew of Patriarch Theophilus, was consecrated Bishop of Alexandria on 18 October 412, after a riot between his supporters and those of his rival. One of his first acts was to close the churches of the Novatians (a separate Christian community) and to seize their ecclesiastical property.
    Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908), Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria
    „Theophilus died 15 Oct., 412, and on the 18th Cyril was consecrated his uncle's successor, but only after a riot between his supporters and those of his rival Timotheus.“
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)
    „He had hardly entered upon his office when he closed all the churches of the Novatians and seized their ecclesiastical effects.“
    Cyril (bishop of Alexandria), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria). Original · Archive copy
  2. The church historian Socrates describes the background as follows: the prefect Orestes had Hierax, an ardent follower of Cyril, publicly tortured in the theatre. Cyril thereupon threatened the leading Jews. Jews raised an outcry at night that the church of Alexander was on fire and slew the Christians who came running.
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „he therefore ordered Hierax to be seized, and publicly subjected him to the torture in the theatre“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „Cyril, on being informed of this, sent for the principal Jews , and threatened them with the utmost severities“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13
    „The Jews immediately fell upon and slew them; readily distinguishing each other by their rings.“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 13. Original · Archive copy

Response of the Church

  1. The sources judge Cyril's complicity differently. According to the Britannica (article Hypatia), there seems little reason to doubt his complicity; the Britannica article on Cyril notes that some hold the charge to be baseless, but that the perpetrators were undoubtedly officers of his church and drew encouragement from his violent proceedings. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Socrates does not suggest that Cyril himself was to blame. Socrates wrote that the deed brought the greatest opprobrium upon Cyril and the whole Alexandrian church.
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Hypatia
    „Most prominent among the actual perpetrators of the crime was one Peter, a reader; but there seems little reason to doubt Cyril’s complicity“
    Hypatia, Artikel Hypatia. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria)
    „Her murder has been attributed to the direct instigation of the patriarch himself; but this charge is held to be baseless by others, although there can be no doubt that “the perpetrators were officers of his church,” and undoubtedly drew encouragement from his own violent proceedings.“
    Cyril (bishop of Alexandria), Artikel Cyril (bishop of Alexandria). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908), Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria
    „Socrates does not suggest that Cyril himself was to blame“
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria. Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15
    „This affair brought not the least opprobrium, not only upon Cyril, but also upon the whole Alexandrian church.“
    Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, Kap. 15. Original · Archive copy
  2. Cyril is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church; his feast in the Western Church is on 28 January.
    Evidence: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908), Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria
    „St. Cyril has his feast in the Western Church on the 28th of January“
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, Artikel St. Cyril of Alexandria. Original · Archive copy

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Historical source (contemporary text)
    Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Bd. 2, übers. von A. C. Zenos (1890), Ausgabe New Advent: Sokrates Scholastikos, Kirchengeschichte, Buch 7, 1 January 1890. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)

Scholarly literature and reference works

  1. Reference work
    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Bd. 4 (1908): St. Cyril of Alexandria, 1 January 1908. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)
  2. Reference work
    Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911): Cyril (bishop of Alexandria), 1 January 1911. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)
  3. Reference work
    Encyclopædia Britannica, 11. Auflage (1911): Hypatia, 1 January 1911. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 23 Oct 2026)
Change log (1)

The change log is kept in German only.

  • : Aufgenommen

Last changed on 23 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.