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Paulo Silva Neto Sobrinho |
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Did
Theodora
have 500
prostitutes
killed?
Part 2
(Final)
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"Do not
spread
rumors
or raise
false
testimony
against
the life
of your
neighbor."
(Leviticus
19:16.)
"Never
repeat a
rumor,
and you
will
lose
nothing."
(Ecclo
19,7.)
"But let
your
statement
be: yes,
yes; no,
no;
because
anything
beyond
these is
of
evil."
(Mathew
5,37.)
From
what we
could
find
out,
Procopio,
the
historian,
and
primary
source
of these
reports,
only
wrote
his book
Anecdotes
(Secret
History)
in 558.
What
makes us
wonder,
as
already
mentioned,
is that
after
this
narrative
regarding
the
confinement
of the
prostitutes,
there
were no
other
words
from him
regarding
this
issue,
and this
leaves
us with
the
strong
impression
that
they
were
even
“erased”;
but, as
said,
this is
a mere
hypothesis
and we
have
nothing
that
says
what
really
happened.
In our
opinion,
we do
not
believe
that
Theodora
had them
imprisoned
to
change
them
into
five
hundred
nuns,
and that
she was
concerned
about
saving
their
souls
from
sin, or
perhaps
even
making
their
lives
better
by
guaranteeing
them a
living
for the
rest of
their
lives.
A lot of
bitter
gossip
We
cannot
fail to
inform
that
Mario
Giordani
Curtis
(1921-),
a
philosopher
and
theologian,
born in
the city
of
Viamao,
considers
Procopius
a
unreliable
historian:
"Procopius,
the
historian,
in his
Secret
History,
presents
us a
very
vivid
picture
(but
not very
worthy
of faith)
of the
tempestuous
life of
the
daughter
of a
tamer of
bears,
which,
in the
words of
Diehl,
amused,
delighted
and
scandalized
Constantinople".
(Giordani
1968,
page
47). (Emphasis
added).
"The
third
work of
Procopius,
the
Secret
History,
is
considered
by
Runciman
[33] "a
lot of
bitter
gossip".
The
"Secret
History"
differs,
in fact,
fundamentally
from the
other
two and
its
authenticity
is put
into
question
by
critics.
This
work is
a gross
libel
against
Justinian,
Theodora
and
Belisarius
himself.
The
author
attributes
to
Justinian
the
cause of
all the
evils
which
then
fell on
the
Empire.
______
[33]
Lingenthal,
Karl
Eduard
Zachariä
von,
Geschichte
des
Grieschisch-Römischen
Rechts.
- Aalen
in
Württenberg
– Verlag
Scientia
1955.
(Photomecanischer
Nachdruck).
(GIORDANI,
1968,
page
192)
(Emphasis
added).
Professor
Vicente
Dobroruka
(1969-),
of the
Department
of
History,
University
of
Brasilia,
kindly
answered
our
e-mail:
My
opinion
is that
the
episode
of
"suicide"
evokes
two
common
literary
places
in the
ancient
history:
one, the
moralism
(once a
prostitute,
always a
prostitute
- and it
seems to
me
beyond
any
doubt
that
Theodora
was one,
but this
does not
imply
she was
cruel);
the
other,
the
collective
suicides
of
people
in
sieged
cities
from
which
they
could
not
leave.
The
"500
prostitutes"
would
have, in
a way,
preferred
to die
than to
renounce
to lust
(more
moralism...),
much
like the
Zealots
of
Masada
in
Flavius
Josephus
(Jewish
War, 7).
I do
not
believe
in
history,
as a
factual
and
authentic
representation.
Also,
take
into
account
the
tendency
of *all*
ancient
historians
to
exaggerate
the
numbers
(Procopius
even
speaks
of
"millions"
killed
by
Justinian
– if
taken
seriously
I do not
know how
the
human
species
would
survive
this
fact). (DOBRORUKA,
2009, by
e-mail)
(Emphasis
added).
Let us
also see
what the
American
journalist,
Paul
Iselin
Wellman
(1895-1966),
stated:
It is
said
that
certain
facts
referring
to
Theodora,
particularly
during
the last
days of
her
reign,
attest
her
cruelty
and lack
of
scruples.
Some
of them
are
clearly
false,
like the
discredited
work
Anedocta,
authored
by
Procopio,
according
to which
she had
intercourse
with an
admirer
at the
time she
was
still a
courtesan
and a
child
was born
from
this
relation.
Later
this
child
appeared
at the
time she
was an
Empress
to
legitimize
his
situation.
According
to
Procopius,
Theodora,
“fearing
that the
story
reached
the ears
of the
Emperor",
she made
this boy
disappear
forever.
[...]
Regarding
Procopio,
official
historian
of
Justinian's
reign,
most of
what is
said
against
Theodora
is based
on his
gross
"secret
history"
entitled
Anecdota.
The
reasons
for this
merciless
hatred
toward
the
Empress
are
ignored.
In his
official
reports,
Procopio
passes
the
image of
a
subservient
flatterer.
While he
wrote
his
works
about
wars and
achievements
of the
empire,
he
secretly
collected
any
gossip,
insinuation
and
calumny.
The
falseness
of
Anecdota
is
revealed
through
obvious
untruths
that
discredit
all its
contents.
For
example,
the
historian
ensures,
in all
seriousness,
that
Justinian
and
Theodora
were not
human
beings
but
demons
that had
taken
human
form.
And to
prove
this
ridiculous
statement,
he adds
the
alleged
evidence.
His
other
reports
are
contradictory,
and
impossible
to
accept.
And his
habit of
even
misrepresenting
the
praiseworthy
deeds of
the
imperial
couple
to make
them
look bad
shows
his
evident
animosity
through
all the
work.
Nevertheless,
it is in
this
secret
document
-
apparently
written
to vent
his own
anger,
and that
was not
intended
for
publication,
coming
to light
only
centuries
later,
when it
was too
late to
approve
or
disapprove
the
majority
of its
statements
- that
many
base
themselves
for the
evaluation
of
Theodora’s
character.
The
legacy
of the
spiteful
feather
of a
man, who
secretly
hated
her, was
the
deadliest
blow
against
the
beautiful
Empress,
though
she did
not live
long
enough
to be
aware of
it.
However,
there
were
acts of
tyranny
and
cruelty,
attested
by
sources
more
reliable
than
Procopio.
In this
respect,
we must
say that
tyranny
and
cruelty
were
common
at that
time,
and from
this
point of
view
the
Empress
was not
worse -
if both
equally
perverse
- than
her
contemporaries
sitting
on
thrones.
Despite
all her
shortcomings,
no one,
not even
her
bitter
anonymous
enemy,
Procopio,
could
accuse
her of
having
failed
with her
loyalty
and
faithfulness
to
Justinian.
The
absolute
silence
that is
seen
regarding
this
issue,
which
was one
of the
very
first to
be
explored
against
the
Empress,
is the
ultimate
proof
that,
when she
married,
she left
behind
her way
of
thinking
and her
courtesan
behavior.
She
always
worked
for her
husband’s
glory
and most
of what
was said
about
her, she
did it
in the
name of
the love
she had
for her
husband,
the
Emperor.
(WELLMAN,
pages
399-401)
(Emphasis
added).
Considering
all
this, it
is more
than
evident
the
difficulty
we have
in
seeking
the
historical
data
because
some are
based on
the
author's
interests
and
others
have
problems
in
translation,
not to
mention
those
who are
distorted.
Conclusion
Of the
seventy-nine
listed
authors
of our
library,
only two
reported
the
episode
in which
Theodora
had put
to death
the five
hundred
prostitutes.
One was
Holger
Kersten,
a German
theologian,
who has
an
extensive
bibliographic
reference,
which
demonstrates
the
extent
of his
research
work.
Jose
Reis
Chaves
is the
other;
but he
does not
mention
his
primary
source.
Together
they
represent
only
2.5% of
the
works
that we
have.
We think
this is
very
little
for such
a
serious
matter
like
this;
and
that,
taking
into
account
our
research,
we have
no basis
to say
with
absolute
certainty
what
actually
happened.
The only
thing we
have as
certain
is the
fact
that
Theodora
gathered
the five
hundred
prostitutes,
and,
against
their
will,
had them
imprisoned
in the
Repentance
Monastery.
What
happened
from
then
onwards
is
unclear;
we found
out
nothing.
However,
the
issue is
complex,
because
the fact
that
other
authors
do not
mention
it, does
not
necessarily
mean
that it
did not
occur;
But the
fact of
not
being
referenced
by other
historians,
that,
yes,
leaves
us with
no
conditions
to
determine
if the
fact
really
occurred,
or if it
did not
deserve
to be
registered.
Therefore,
and as
we have,
basically,
one
primary
source,
even
considering
that it
is true,
we think
it is
wise, in
this
present
case,
for us
to wait
until
another
primary
source
appears
regarding
this
matter.
We saw
this
fact in
several
texts,
but some
authors
even
mention
the
source;
others
just
mentioned
one of
these
two
authors,
we
talked
about in
the
previous
paragraph,
which
makes us
continue
at the
same
point,
as if we
are
anchored.
In our
humble
opinion,
it is
not at
all wise
to pass
forward
this
information
that
Theodora
had 500
prostitutes
killed,
even if
the
source
is from
the
spiritual
plane,
for the
simple
reason
that the
Spirits
too do
not know
everything
and only
talk
about
what
they
learnt
at
school,
i.e.,
they are
not
infallible
and can
therefore
be
wrong.
The one,
who
believes
everything
that is
told,
does not
follow
the
Higher
Spirits’
guidelines,
and,
therefore,
becomes
a
fanatic.
Moreover,
we can
still
find
messages
"signed"
that are
the
result
of the
medium's
thoughts
and own
beliefs.
References:
CHAVES,
J. R.
Reincarnation
according
to the
Bible
and
Science.
Sao
Paulo:
Martin
Claret
2002.
Fevre,
F.
Theodora,
the
Empress
of
Byzantium.
Rio de
Janeiro:
Nova
Fronteira
1991.
FRANZERO,
C. M.
Theodora.
Lisbon:
ENP
1963.
GIORDANI,
M. C.
History
of the
Byzantine
Empire.
Petropolis,
RJ:
Vozes
1968.
KERSTEN,
H.
Jesus
lived in
India.
Sao
Paulo:
Best
Seller,
1988.
PROCOPIO.
Secret
Story.
Belo
Horizonte:
CEDIC,
s/d
SILVA,
S. C.
Analyzing
the
biblical
translations.
Joao
Pessoa:
2001.
WELLMAN,
P. I.
Theodora,
from
Courtesan
to
Empress.
Rio de
Janeiro:
Vecchi,
1961
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