>
> 1.DATE OF HYPATIA'S DEATH
>
> This is normally quoted as 415AD, and this dating depends on the
> statement of Socrates Scholasticus: "This happened in the month of March
> during Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril's episcopate, under the tenth
> consulate of Honorius, and the sixth of Theodosius".
>
> The consular dates (see Edith Mendez' posting) point unequivocally to
> 415, but would require Cyril to count his dates rather strangely (his
> episcopate began in October 412).
It is not Cyril who is counting his dates, but Socrates, and he, to be on
the safe side, counts them in three ways. The question is: what does the
"tenth consulate", say, mean? In the Talmud, most of which was composed
between the 2nd and 6th century, there is a discussion of dates, and they
mention four New Year's Days. The one which is most relevant here is
perhaps the "new year's day for kings". From the discussion it is clear
that the years a king is reigning are not counted from the date of his
succession, or his coronation, but from a fixed date in the year.
Applying this to Cyril, if the fixed date (New Year's Day) is the first of
January, say, then Cyril's first year would last from the beginning of
his episcopate in October 412 till the 31st of December 412. Then 415 would
indeed be his 4th year. It is possible that the dating system of the Talmud
was the one common in the Byzantine empire at that time, I have no
knowledge about that.
The Talmud, by the way, interprets the dates given to the reign of
various kings in the Bible (Book of Kings) by the above system.
Avinoam Mann