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1896 I Theodora ► theology
Theodora (b. c. 497—d. June 28, 548, Constantinople) Byzantine empress, wife of Justinian I. The daughter of a bear keeper at the Hip¬ podrome in Constantinople, she became an actress and the mistress of Justinian. He married her in 525, and when he became emperor in 527 she was proclaimed empress. Probably the most powerful woman in Byzan¬ tine history, she was her husband’s most trusted adviser, sponsoring legal reforms and wielding great influence in diplomacy, military appointments, and internal politics.
Her impassioned speech gave Justin¬ ian the strength to order the brutal suppression of the Nika revolt (532) and save his empire. She recognized the rights of women and ended per¬ secution of Monophysite Christians, with whom she sympathized.
Theodorakis Vhe-o-do-'ra-kisX,
Mikis (b. July 29, 1925, island of Chios, Greece) Greek composer. He studied at the Athens and Paris con¬ servatories. A member of the war¬ time resistance, he remained active in politics, serving several times in the Greek parliament. As a Commu¬ nist Party member, he was arrested during the 1967 military coup and only released in 1970 under international pressure. He is best known out¬ side Greece for his film scores, including Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and State of Siege (1972), but he also composed much concert music, including seven symphonies, four operas, ballets (including Anti¬ gone, 1959), and more than 1,000 songs. He is esteemed in his homeland as a national hero.
Theodore I Lascaris Vlas-ko-rosV (b. c. 1174—d. November 1221, Nicaea, Nicaean empire) First emperor of Nicaea, the Byzantine government-in-exile during the Crusaders’ occupation of Constantinople. He distinguished himself during the sieges of Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade (1203-04). After the Byzantine capital fell, he gathered a band of refugees, first at Brusa and then at Nicaea, and formed a new Byzan¬ tine state. He took the title of emperor in 1208 and successfully defended Nicaea against the Crusaders, the Turks, and his rival emperor David Comnenus. He signed a treaty (c. 1214) with the Latin emperor of Con¬ stantinople defining Nicaea’s boundaries and betrothed his daughter to the heir to the Latin imperial throne.
Theodore II See Tewodros II
Theodore of Canterbury, Saint (b. c. 602, Tarsus, Cilicia, Asia Minor—d. Sept. 19, 690, Canterbury, Kent, Eng.; feast day September 19) Seventh archbishop of Canterbury (668-690). He was sent from Rome to Canterbury, where he helped establish a famous school at the monas¬ tery later known as St. Augustine’s. Theodore organized and centralized the English church, calling its first general synod (672) to end Celtic practices, affirm church doctrine, and divide dioceses. He deposed Wil¬ frid as bishop of York in 677 but restored him in 686; he also made peace between King Aethelred of Mercia and King Ecgfrith of Northumbia.
Theodore of Mopsuestia \,map-su-'es-ch3\ (b. c. 350, Antioch, Syria—d. 428/429, Mopsuestia, Cilicia) Syrian theologian and spiritual head of the school of Antioch. He entered a monastery near Antioch, where he lived and studied until 378. He was ordained in 381 and became bishop of Mopsuestia c. 392. His exegetical writings used scientific, criti¬ cal, philological, and historical methods of analysis that anticipated mod¬ ern scholarship. Theologically, he believed that Christ had two natures, divine and human, in some kind of union. He stressed the literal sense of scripture and opposed allegorical interpretations. The second Council of Constantinople (553) condemned his views, but he was venerated by the Nestorian church as “the Interpreter.” He is said to have introduced into the Nestorian church the doctrine of universal salvation.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Preserve, west-central North Dakota, U.S. Established in 1947, it commemorates Pres. Theodore Roosevelt’s interest in the American West. The 110-sq-mi (285-sq-km) park
contains several sites along the Little Missouri River, including a petrified for¬ est, Wind Canyon, eroded badlands, and Roosevelt’s Elkhom Ranch cabin.
Theodoret Uhe-'ad-s-roA of Cyrrhus (b. c. 393, Antioch, Syria—d. c. 458/466) Syrian theologian and bishop whose writings were a moder¬ ating influence on the 5th-century Christological disputes. First a monk, he became bishop of Cyrrhus (near Antioch) by 423. Influenced by St. John Chrysostom and Theodore of Mopsuestia, he opposed allegorical inter¬ pretations of scripture and attributed a human nature to Christ. Accused of being a Nestorian heretic, he made conciliatory statements accepting the term “god-bearer” for Mary (thereby stressing Jesus’ divinity). He was declared a heretic nevertheless (449) and was sent into exile. He was par¬ tially vindicated by the Council of Chalcedon (451), which agreed to declare him orthodox provided he condemn his friend Nestorius, and he reluctantly complied.
Theodoric known as Theodoric the Great (b. 454 —d. Aug. 30, 526) King of the Ostrogoths and founder of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy. Sent by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to invade Italy in 488, he made himself sole ruler by 493 and murdered Odoacer by treachery. With Ravenna as his capital he staved off the Franks and Bulgarians, and he held sway over a kingdom that included Sicily, Dalmatia, and some Ger¬ man lands. An Arian (see Arianism), he tolerated Catholicism and pro¬ moted peace between Goths and Romans.
Theodosius I \,the-3-'d6-she-3s\ or Theodosius the Great in full Flavius Theodosius (b. Jan. 11, 347, Cauca, Gallaecia [Spain]—d. Jan. 17, 395, Mediolanum) Roman emperor of the East (379-392) and of East and West (392-395). Born of Christian parents, he served in the military under his father, a general. He distinguished himself against the Sarmatians and was proclaimed coemperor by Gratian to rule in the east¬ ern empire (379). To settle the contentious debate over true Christianity, he adopted the Nicene Creed as the Christian norm (380). He reached a treaty with the Visigoths (382). When the Spanish general Maximus over¬ threw the new coemperor in the western empire (387), Theodosius defeated the usurper (388) and claimed supreme authority over the whole empire (392). He argued with St. Ambrose over the role of the church in imperial affairs but did not grant power to the church. In 392 forces advo¬ cating paganism led by Arbogast and Eugenius took power in Rome. In 394 Theodosius defeated them and claimed the Christian God victorious over the pagan gods.
Theodosius I Boradiotes V.bor-o-'dI-o-.tezX (b. Antioch—d. after 1183, Constantinople) Greek Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople ( 1179— 83). As patriarch, he upheld stringent conversion requirements for con¬ verts from Islam against the wishes of Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. He also opposed Manuel’s overtures to Pope Alexander III and the Latin church of the West, refusing to cooperate with a proposed reunion of the two branches of Christianity. The succeeding emperor forced Theodosius to abdicate.
Theodosius II (b. April 10,401, Constantinople—d. July 28,450) East¬ ern Roman emperor (408-450). In 402 he was made coemperor with his father, Arcadius (son of Theodosius I), then became sole ruler of the East at age seven, initially under a regency. A gentle, scholarly man, he allowed relatives and ministers to dominate his government. His generals twice repelled the Persians (422, 447) but failed to evict the Vandals from Roman Africa (429) and to prevent Attila’s invasions (441-443,447). The Nestorian heresy caused internal upheaval. Theodosius was credited with building the wall around Constantinople (413), founding the University of Constantinople (425), and promulgating the Theodosian Code (438).
Theodosius of Alexandria (fl. 6th century—d. June 566, Constan¬ tinople) Patriarch of Constantinople (535-566). A moderate Monophys¬ ite, he was opposed by more extreme Monophysites and did not accept the orthodox position expressed by the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was prevented from administering his patriarchate by his detention in Constantinople, but he influenced the independent churches in Antioch, Syria, and Egypt. See Monophysite heresy.