id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentence	flesch	summary	cache	txt
grbs-16962	Grau, Sergi	Theodora, a (not so) Holy Harlot: Procopius’ Secret History and the Hagiographic Narrative	2023	19	.pdf	application/pdf	7189	238	56	Grau ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 63 (2023) 447–465 ISSN 2159-3159 Article copyright held by the author(s) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Theodora, a (not so) Holy Harlot: Procopius’ Secret History and the Hagiographic Narrative Sergi Grau ROUND 550,1 shortly after Theodora’s death, Procopius of Caesarea wrote a controversial work, the inter- pretation of which has strongly influenced the modern view of Theodora herself, of emperor Justinian, of their empire, and of their entire era: the Anekdota or Secret History (Historia ar- cana), as it is commonly called among scholars.2 A (NOT SO) HOLY HARLOT ————— Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 63 (2023) 447–465 discussions about the historicity of these images have been going on for decades, a consensus now seems to have been reached about Theodora’s historical involvement in political and ec- clesiastical affairs, thanks largely to consultation of other sources, particularly epigraphic: Theodora, as expected of women at the imperial court, appeared alongside her husband in aulic rituals, and financed hospitals, monasteries, and churches; likewise, her role in the rescue of poor girls sold by parents to brothels seems credible.3 The portrayal of Theodora in the Secret History has been interpreted—I believe rightly—as a very traditional attempt to undermine the husband’s reputation by attacking the wife’s character and manners.4	cache/grbs-16962.pdf	txt/grbs-16962.txt