A Champion of Orthodoxy: Narrative Strategies and the Use of Language in the Life of Empress Theodora (BHG 1731)

The Life of Theodora (BHG 1731) has been defined a basilikos logos because of its structure and strong encomiastic character. Theodora is presented as a most pious Christian empress and her devotion to icons, as well as her institutional role in restoring them, are strongly emphasized. Even though the text is technically a hagiography, it is a peculiar one; for example, miracles are almost absent. It could be labelled, perhaps, as an ‘authorized’ biography. A number of historical events is recorded throughout the narrative, in an overall accurate way, as well as some entertaining anecdotes, but the anonymous hagiographer intentionally avoids elaborating on certain details, such as family contrasts with her son, or other potentially embarrassing episodes, in order to present the protagonist in the best possible light. The aim of this contribution is to analyse a few passages from the text and to investigate the language and the rhetorical devices employed by the author in the presentation of his heroine.