A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

THEODORA. TH EODORET US. 1037
of the fabulous character of the story is derived and her sisters earned their living as pantomimic
from the non-existence, at that time, of any Greek actresses; and Theodora, by the charms of her
version of the Old Testament. person and her skill in acting, sbon became one of
Theodectes had a son of the same name (see the greatest favourites of the stage. She earned
below), and a domestic slave, who was also his the reputation of being the most beautiful and
amanuensis (avayvco~r'ls Kai OKbc&os), named most licentious courtezan of the city, and ProSibyrtius, who is said to have been the first of his copius, in his Secret History, has related the most
condition who devoted himself to the study of scandalous tales of her amours. After practising
rhetoric. He wrote a treatise on the art, TrXvaz her profession in public and in private at ConstanP77TropKa[, according to Suidas, who, however, is tilople for some time, she accompanied Ecebolus,
just as likely as not to have confounded the master who had been appointed to the government of the
and the slave. (Suid. s. v. LfS6prTOS.) African Pentapolis. But she was soon deserted
2. A son of the former, who followed his father's by her lover, and returned in indigence to the illprofession as a rhetorician, and, according to Suidas perial city. On her arrival at the scene of her
(s. v.), wrote an Ellcomium on Alexander the former glory and infamy, she assumed a virtuous
Epeirot, historical memoirs (cieroptcl& b7ro/v',uaTa), character, retired from the world, and appeared to
a work on the customs of barbarian nations (0l',u1a support herself by spinning. While living in this
~,apapapt:c), a treatise on rhetoric in seven books retirement she attractetl the notice of Justinian,
(TrEXa p77'0pKpIc), and many other works. (Fabric. who then governed the empire under his uncle
Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. pp. 323, 324, vol. vi. p. 138; Justin, and she gained such a mastery over the
Welcker, die Griech. Tray#[d. pp. 1069, foll.; affections and the passions of the youthful prince,
Kayser, lIist. Crit. Trag. Graec. p. 108, foell.; that he married the fair courtezan in 525, in spite
Wagner, Fra1gm. Trag. Graec. pp. 113, foll., in of the vehement remonstrances of his mother and
Didot's Bibliotheca.) [P. S.] other relatives. On the death of Justin, and the
THIEODEMIR, king of tile Ostrogoths, and elevation of Justinian in 527, Theodora was pubfather of THEODORIC the GREAT. [THEODORICUS licly proclaimed empress; and not content with
the GREAT.] conferring upon her this honour, her uxorious husTHEO'DOCUS (~EIsOKos), the name given by band declared her to be an equal and independent
Pococke (in his Latin Version of Abli-l-Faraj, Hist. colleague in the empire, and required all public
Dynast. p. 128), and Wiistenfeld (Gesch. der Arab. functionaries to take the oath of allegiance in the
Acrzte, p. 9) to a Greek physician ill the service joint names of himself and of Theodora. The part
of Hajij Ibh Yfisuf, the general of the chalif which she took in public affairs is related in the'Abdu-l-Malek Ibn Merwan, in the seventh cen life of Justinian. [JUSTINIANUS 1.] She died in
tury aftei Christ. H e. is called in Arabic C ".o548 of a cancer, having retained to the last her
hold on the affections of Justinian. She is repreTiadluk (though with some slight variations in sented by the historians as proud and tyrannical
different MSS.), which Reiske (Opusc. l YIed. ex in the exercise of power; but as none of her
A[onim,. Arab. p. 46) renders Theotycihus, but enemlies have brought any charge against her
T/leodoclts is probably nearer the truth. He is chastity after her marriage with Justinian, we may
slid to have had numerous eminent pupils; and is safely conclude that she never proved unfaithful to
probably the person called Tiaducus in the Latin her husband. She bore Justinian only one child.
Version of Rhazes (Cont. iii. 2, p..53 ed. 1506,) a daughter, whom she buried in her life-time.
and Tiaduk ill Sontheimer's German trans- (Procopius, JIistoria Aircana; the graphic sketch
lation of Ibn Baiter (vol. i. pp. 14, 137, &c.). of Gibbon, Decline and Fall, c. xl.; and the auThere is rather a long life of Theodocus in Ibn thorities quoted in the life of Justinian.)
Abi Osaibi'ah (vii. 5, Arab. MS. in the Bodleian THEODORE'TUS (~EosapsrsToy) is mentioned
Library), which is chiefly filled with anecdotes of by Fabricius (Bibl. Gr. vol. xiii. p. 432, ed. vet.)
his sayings. [W. A. G.] as a physician quoted by Paulus Aegineta (iii. 46,
THEODO'RA, FLA'VIA MAXIMIA'NA, 50, vii. 11. pp. 470, 475, 659), but in these pasthe daughter of Galeria Valeria Eutropia [Eu- sages the word is the nanle of a nmedicine, not of a
TROPIA] by her first husband, whose name and snn. [W. A. G.]
station are alike unknown. After the second THEODORE'TUS (~O)eaop7'Tos), or, as the
marriage of Eutropia with Maximianus Herculius, name is sometimes written, both in ancient MSS.
Constantius Chlorus having been elevated (A. D. and in modern works, THEODOnRIuvs, - though
292)to the rank of Caesar was required to repudiate the former is undoubtedly the more correct ortho..
his wife IIelena [HELENA] and to wed the step- graphy, —was one of the most eminent ecclesiastics
daumghter of his Augustus. By Constantius Theo- of the fifth century; confessedly surpassing all his
dora had sixchildren, three daughters and three sons. contemporaries in learning, and inferior to none of
The daughters were, I. [lav;ia Valeria Constantia, them in piety; while, in his public conduct, he
united to the emperor Licinius. 2. Anastasia, wife stands conspicuous and almost alone, as a calm and
of Bassianus [BASSIANUS]. 3. Entropia, mother moderate champion of freedom of opinion in reliof Nepotianus who assumed the purple in A.D. 350 gious matters, in an age when the orthodox and the
[NEPOTIANUS]; with regard to the names of the heretics vied with one another in the bitterest insons, see the article HANNIBALLIANUS. (Aurel. tolerance and rancour. The one blot of moral
Vict. de Cacs. 39, Epuwit. 39; Eutrop. x. 14; weakness o; the character of Theodoret is by no
Tillemont, Histoire des Ermpereurs, vol. iv. Dioclet. means so dark as some have represented, and, at
Art. iii.) [W. R.] all events, may be greatly extenuated, without unT'1'HEODO'RA, the wife of the emperor Justi- fairness. Anld yet, but for that one fault, his name
nian, was the daughter of Acacius, who had the would have come down to us consigned to the list
care of thie wild beasts of the Green faction of Con- of heretics, by mien, such as Cyril and Dioscorus,
stanltinople. After the death of her father, she to whose spirit, it is no small praise to Theodoret