Many people disliked Theodora. Many surviving books recounted her depraved life as a comic actress, portraying her as a frivolous woman who casually flirted with many men to win their favor. If people encountered her on the street, they would step aside, lest she stain their robes.
But if she had truly been like that, she would not have improvised such a dramatic line to Justinian at that critical moment: "Purple is the most beautiful shroud."
A diary supposedly written by a palace eunuch described a different scene. When Justinian first met Theodora, she had already left the stage and was living in seclusion. She spent most of her time doing woolwork by hand, and her intelligence and humor delighted Justinian.
Moreover, she possessed remarkably keen insight and an extraordinary, composed vitality, and she had profoundly influenced all of Justinian's decisions. She openly favored Monophysitism, thus becoming the direct opponent of her vacillating husband. Throughout his long reign, Justinian remained committed to orthodox doctrine, though he also made certain concessions to Monophysitism. Theodora understood better than Justinian the importance of the eastern provinces that followed Monophysitism; they were indeed the most vital part of the empire. Therefore, she was determined to establish peaceful relations with them.
Today, Monophysitism was mainly one of the three major branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church and had little to do with the Western Church. However, during the reign of those two, the church had not yet split.
During Constantine's reign, Christianity was granted official permission to exist and develop. The first decree favorable to Christianity was issued by Galerius in 311. It pardoned Christians for their stubborn resistance to the government's previous orders intended to make them return to pagan traditions, declaring their existence "legal." The decree announced: "Christians may continue to exist and