What do you think?
Rate this book
Hypatia
Excerpt: "I am going to give a short Account, but as full as antient Books afford
us Materials, of the Life and Death of Hypatia; who will ever continue
the Glory of her own Sex, and the Disgrace of ours: For the Women have
no less Reason to value themselves, that there existed a Lady of such
rare Accomplishments, without the least Blemish, even as a Foil to her
numberless Perfections; than the Men to be ashamed, that any could be
found among them of so brutal and savage a Disposition, as, far from
being struck with Admiration at so much Beauty, Innocence, and
Knowledge, to stain their barbarous Hands with her Blood, and their
impious Souls with the indelible Character of sacrilegious Murderers. A
Bishop, a Patriarch, nay, a Saint, was the Contriver of so horrid a
Deed, and his Clergy the Executioners of his implacable Fury. The
Authors out of whom I collect my Account (and I omit none that has come
to my Knowledge) were either her Contemporaries, or lived near that Age.
One of them was her School-fellow, another her Scholar. But they who
relate the most odious and flagitious Circumstances, are Ecclesiastical
Historians; counted orthodox in their own Time, as well as eminently so
by most in ours. Nor ought we to forget that several of them were
Priests. To every one of them we shall do the Justice that their
Sincerity or Prevarication deserves, though little remains to do in this
respect; all being agreed about the principal Facts, and some differing
only in Points of no great Importance. They are such Things, as, taken
either Way, neither serve much to alleviate a very bad Cause, nor to
aggravate what cannot be possibly made worse."
us Materials, of the Life and Death of Hypatia; who will ever continue
the Glory of her own Sex, and the Disgrace of ours: For the Women have
no less Reason to value themselves, that there existed a Lady of such
rare Accomplishments, without the least Blemish, even as a Foil to her
numberless Perfections; than the Men to be ashamed, that any could be
found among them of so brutal and savage a Disposition, as, far from
being struck with Admiration at so much Beauty, Innocence, and
Knowledge, to stain their barbarous Hands with her Blood, and their
impious Souls with the indelible Character of sacrilegious Murderers. A
Bishop, a Patriarch, nay, a Saint, was the Contriver of so horrid a
Deed, and his Clergy the Executioners of his implacable Fury. The
Authors out of whom I collect my Account (and I omit none that has come
to my Knowledge) were either her Contemporaries, or lived near that Age.
One of them was her School-fellow, another her Scholar. But they who
relate the most odious and flagitious Circumstances, are Ecclesiastical
Historians; counted orthodox in their own Time, as well as eminently so
by most in ours. Nor ought we to forget that several of them were
Priests. To every one of them we shall do the Justice that their
Sincerity or Prevarication deserves, though little remains to do in this
respect; all being agreed about the principal Facts, and some differing
only in Points of no great Importance. They are such Things, as, taken
either Way, neither serve much to alleviate a very bad Cause, nor to
aggravate what cannot be possibly made worse."
42 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2020
1 person want to read
About the author
John Toland
261 books28 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Toland (30 November 1670 – 11 March 1722) was a rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment. Born in Ireland, he was educated at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leiden and Oxford and was influenced by the philosophy of John Locke.
He was "Educated from the cradle in the grossest superstition and idolatry," he later wrote in Apology (1697). By age 15, he had rejected Roman Catholicism by "his own reason." He studied at Glasgow College from 1687-1690, aligning himself with Presbyterianism. He earned a Master's Degree in Glasgow in 1690. He then studied at Leyden, Holland. A Dutchman, Benjamin Furley, wrote John Locke that Toland had become "a free-spirited, ingenious man," but "having cast off the yoke of spiritual authority . . . has rendered it somewhat difficult for him to find a way of subsistence in the world." Patrons, including the deistic Lord Shafesbury, helped him. The Encyclopedia of Unbelief (source of quotes) terms Toland "perhaps the first professional freethinker." Toland directed the bulk of his writing, more than 100 works, against established religion while shrewdly qualifying his statements to avoid prosecution. Toland was the first to be called a "freethinker" (by Bishop Berkeley). At Oxford, Toland wrote "Christianity not Mysterious" (1696), in which he credited "cunning priests" with the promotion of irrationality. Toland returned to Ireland for a visit, where his book was castigated from the pulpits and by the Irish House of Commons, which ordered the book burnt and the author arrested. One member of the House even moved "that Mr. Toland himself should be burnt." Toland moved to London. By 1704, Toland, who had translated the pantheistic work of Giordano Bruno, called himself "a Pantheist," and is believed to be the first to use the term. In his "History of the Soul's Immortality," Toland asserted that this doctrine was a self-serving invention by Egyptian priests. He also wrote a Life of Milton (1698) and political tracts. The courts of Holland, Hanover, Vienna and Berlin received Toland; he dedicated his Letters to Serena (1694) to the Queen of Prussia. His pamphlet "Nazarenus" (1718) contained early samples of biblical criticism. "Pantheisticon" (1720) rejected supernaturalism. His essay "Tetradymas" contains bible criticism and a description of the murder of Hypatia.
John^Toland - 17th century theologian, Philosopher & Satirist
John^^Toland - American writer and historian (WWII & Dillinger)
John^^^Toland - Article: "The Man who Reads Minds"
John Toland (30 November 1670 – 11 March 1722) was a rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment. Born in Ireland, he was educated at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leiden and Oxford and was influenced by the philosophy of John Locke.
He was "Educated from the cradle in the grossest superstition and idolatry," he later wrote in Apology (1697). By age 15, he had rejected Roman Catholicism by "his own reason." He studied at Glasgow College from 1687-1690, aligning himself with Presbyterianism. He earned a Master's Degree in Glasgow in 1690. He then studied at Leyden, Holland. A Dutchman, Benjamin Furley, wrote John Locke that Toland had become "a free-spirited, ingenious man," but "having cast off the yoke of spiritual authority . . . has rendered it somewhat difficult for him to find a way of subsistence in the world." Patrons, including the deistic Lord Shafesbury, helped him. The Encyclopedia of Unbelief (source of quotes) terms Toland "perhaps the first professional freethinker." Toland directed the bulk of his writing, more than 100 works, against established religion while shrewdly qualifying his statements to avoid prosecution. Toland was the first to be called a "freethinker" (by Bishop Berkeley). At Oxford, Toland wrote "Christianity not Mysterious" (1696), in which he credited "cunning priests" with the promotion of irrationality. Toland returned to Ireland for a visit, where his book was castigated from the pulpits and by the Irish House of Commons, which ordered the book burnt and the author arrested. One member of the House even moved "that Mr. Toland himself should be burnt." Toland moved to London. By 1704, Toland, who had translated the pantheistic work of Giordano Bruno, called himself "a Pantheist," and is believed to be the first to use the term. In his "History of the Soul's Immortality," Toland asserted that this doctrine was a self-serving invention by Egyptian priests. He also wrote a Life of Milton (1698) and political tracts. The courts of Holland, Hanover, Vienna and Berlin received Toland; he dedicated his Letters to Serena (1694) to the Queen of Prussia. His pamphlet "Nazarenus" (1718) contained early samples of biblical criticism. "Pantheisticon" (1720) rejected supernaturalism. His essay "Tetradymas" contains bible criticism and a description of the murder of Hypatia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.