Well after much to-ing and fro-ing I finally worked out how to set the default text colour to the colour I wanted, so that I wouldn't have to remember to select the colour each time.
Also found a picture for my profile - it's a sketch of Hypatia of Alexandria from a wall sized icon currently being painted on a church wall somewhere. Why Hypatia? Well Hypatia was a 4th century Greek philospher. What a female philosopher? Impossible? No siree. Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, philosopher and last director of the Library of Alexandria.
Here's what Socrates Scholasticus (a contemporary) had to say about her: ...Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time. Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently appeared in public in presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel abashed in going to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more.
So why haven't we heard of her? Well unfortunately Hypatia was murdered by a Christian mob. She was a pagan and a good friend of the Governor of Alexandria, Orestes, who had fallen out with the bishop of Alexandria, Cyril. Somehow the idea got about that it was Hypatia (who was about 60) that was stopping a rapprochement, so a mob led by a lector pulled her from her carrying chair, took her to a church, stripped her naked and cut her flesh off with tiles. They then took her remains to Cinaron and burnt them. No one was ever held responsible for what happened to her. Later Christian writers of course then suggested that she was a witch and that her hold over Orestes and in fact the rift itself, had been caused by black magic, because that must be the only way that a woman could have any sway over a man.
I coloured the sketch in Paint and it doesn't look so great in the sidebar (it's fine it you click on it to enlarge it). So I might replace it with another image. But it'll do for now.
Also found a picture for my profile - it's a sketch of Hypatia of Alexandria from a wall sized icon currently being painted on a church wall somewhere. Why Hypatia? Well Hypatia was a 4th century Greek philospher. What a female philosopher? Impossible? No siree. Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, philosopher and last director of the Library of Alexandria.
Here's what Socrates Scholasticus (a contemporary) had to say about her: ...Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time. Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently appeared in public in presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel abashed in going to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more.
So why haven't we heard of her? Well unfortunately Hypatia was murdered by a Christian mob. She was a pagan and a good friend of the Governor of Alexandria, Orestes, who had fallen out with the bishop of Alexandria, Cyril. Somehow the idea got about that it was Hypatia (who was about 60) that was stopping a rapprochement, so a mob led by a lector pulled her from her carrying chair, took her to a church, stripped her naked and cut her flesh off with tiles. They then took her remains to Cinaron and burnt them. No one was ever held responsible for what happened to her. Later Christian writers of course then suggested that she was a witch and that her hold over Orestes and in fact the rift itself, had been caused by black magic, because that must be the only way that a woman could have any sway over a man.
I coloured the sketch in Paint and it doesn't look so great in the sidebar (it's fine it you click on it to enlarge it). So I might replace it with another image. But it'll do for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment