It is most likely that St Catherine of Alexandria, one of the most popular and influential saints in history, never existed. In fact, it is likely that her legend is an inversion of the story of Hypatia, a Greek philosopher killed by a Christian mob in 415.
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In the Christian version, Catherine was a brilliant philosopher who tried to convert the emperor to Xty. She did convert 50 court philosophers (all subsequently killed), the emperor’s wife, her jailor and 100 imperial guards before she was slain.
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Catherine is one of the “Virgin Martyrs”—young women whose devotion to Christ and refusal to marry was taken as an affront to Roman patriarchy and resulted in their death after terrible sado-sexual tortures. But their lives reveal a deeper message than “sexual purity.”
They represent the conflict between a young woman’s power in Christ to define her own identity apart from the claims of her patriarchal culture. The God they worship puts an altogether value on their bodies, identity and human worth.
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Catherine is unusual for the particular tribute paid to her brilliance and effectiveness as a champion of the gospel—despite the prevailing exclusion of women from any teaching authority in the church. Catherine’s was one of the voices who spoke to Joan of Arc.
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For refusing to disavow her voices, Joan was burned at the stake. Catherine, a saint who never was, continued to represent the subversive power of women. Her story continues to provide illumination—like the light from a star that no longer exists.
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