Hypatia — or New Foes with an Old Face

Set against the turbulent fifth‑century world where the Roman Empire and the fledgling Christian Church clash like titans, this novel follows a brilliant woman whose intellect and moral conviction shine amid the era’s stark contradictions. She moves through streets where slaves and emperors alike are drawn to a new, urgent yearning for truth, while the old pagan traditions and the burgeoning faith wrestle for the hearts of the people.

Against the backdrop of grand public spectacles, ruthless conquests, and a legal system that both stabilises and oppresses, she becomes a beacon of Neo‑Platonic wisdom. Her teachings attract both admirers and enemies, forcing her to navigate a society where virtue and vice coexist in the same individuals. As the Church begins to assert its triumph over the empire’s might, her own struggle to preserve knowledge and compassion offers a vivid portrait of courage in a time when the very definition of righteousness is being reshaped.