Orestes (fl. 415 AD) was a Roman state official serving as governor of the diocese of Egypt (the Augustal prefect)[1] in 415. During his term of office, he waged a violent feud against the bishop of Alexandria, Cyril, and their struggle precipitated the death of the philosopher and scientist Hypatia.
In 415, during his office, he clashed with the young bishop of Alexandria, Cyril, who had been appointed shortly before Orestes to succeed to the Patriarchate of Alexandria after the death of Theophilus, Cyril's own uncle. On one occasion, Cyril sent the grammaticus Hierax to discover the content of an edict that Orestes was to promulgate on the mimes shows, which attracted great crowds. When the Jews, with whom Cyril had clashed before, discovered the presence of Hierax, they rioted, complaining that Hierax's presence was aimed at provoking them.[2] Then Orestes had Hierax tortured in public in a theatre. This order had two aims: the first was to quell the riot, the other to mark Orestes' authority on Cyril.[3]
According to Christian sources, the Jews of Alexandria schemed against the Christians and killed many of them. Cyril reacted and expelled either all of the Jews, or else only the murderers, from Alexandria, actually exerting a power that belonged to the civil officer, Orestes.[4] Orestes was powerless, but nonetheless rejected Cyril's gesture of offering him a Bible, which he may have viewed as the religious authority of Cyril requiring Orestes' acquiescence in the bishop's policy.[5]
The expulsion of the Alexandrian Jewish community sparked jealousy from Orestes. Nitrian monks, whom Cyril may have lived amongst for five years, came from the desert in order to defend the Patriarch. The monks accused Orestes of being a pagan. Orestes rejected the accusations, showing that he had been baptised by the Archbishop of Constantinople. However, the monks were not satisfied, and one of them, Ammonius, threw a stone and hit Orestes in the head, and so much blood flowed out that he was covered in it. Orestes' guard, fearing to be stoned by the monks, fled leaving Orestes alone. Supporters of Orestes, however, came to his help, captured Ammonius and put the monks to flight. Orestes was cured and submitted Ammonius to torture in a public place. After this event, the young bishop celebrated his funeral Mass in the church, celebrating Ammonius as a saint in martyr during the sermon. These titles were later reversed.[6][7] Both, the prefect and the bishop wrote to emperor Theodosius II, telling him of their version of the events.
Prefect Orestes enjoyed the political backing of Hypatia, a philosopher who had considerable moral authority in the city of Alexandria, and who had extensive influence. Indeed, many students from wealthy and influential families came to Alexandria purposely to study privately with Hypatia, and many of these later attained high posts in government and the Church. Several Christians thought that Hypatia's influence had caused Orestes to reject all reconciliatory offerings by Cyril. Modern historians think that Orestes had cultivated his relationship with Hypatia to strengthen a bond with the pagan community of Alexandria, as he had done with the Jewish one, to handle better the difficult political life of the Egyptian capital.[8] A Christian mob however, grabbed Hypatia out of her chariot and brutally murdered her, hacking her body apart and burning the pieces outside the city walls.[9][10]
This political assassination eliminated an important and powerful supporter of the Imperial Prefect, and led Orestes to give up his struggle against Patriarch Cyril and leave Alexandria.
Orestes is portrayed in Ki Longfellow's Flow Down Like Silver, Hypatia of Alexandria in a highly imaginative way. In the 2009 film Agora, by Alejandro Amenábar, Orestes is interpreted by Oscar Isaac.