Justinian I, powerful emperor of the Byzantine Empire, ruled from 527 to 565 A. D. His reign was marked by the rebuilding of the Roman Empire, unification of its code of law (the Corpus Juris Civilis), and construction of the Hagia Sophia. He is considered a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Though a peasant by birth, Justinian was adopted into the aristocracy by his uncle, Emperor Justin I, himself having achieved class rank via merit rather than by birth.
Justinian pursued Theodora, an actress (according to Procopius, although this is disputed), after spotting her by the roadside. She was equally taken with him and the two were allowed to marry. Four years later, Justinian succeeded the throne.
In every way her husband’s peer, Theodora helped him with nearly every duty and undertaking of his office. She was herself a self-starter, having used her talents, attributes, and intelligence to support herself before meeting Justinian (Procopius). As empress she is credited with persuading Justinian to step up and quell the Nika riots, which likely saved both his reign and the empire.
But here’s the kicker: the two had no children, and Theodora is said to have been a supporter of abortion (Procopius). Does this mean, perhaps, that she aborted any children she may have conceived by Justinian? I don’t know. But if she did, would her contributions to the empire in partnership with her husband be therefore illicit? In some ways, perhaps, but not entirely. If she’d had children, she would’ve been less able to work with him in the ways that she did, but not entirely unable. And as an empress she would have been able to secure help with their children. And whether she'd had children or not, she still had the talents and abilities given her by God.
Even Billy Graham tributes his wife with being a full-fledged partner in his ministry, though she did not travel with him but remained home with their five children, and later had her own ministries. She, like Theodora, was a strong, smart, talented woman whose talents complemented her husband's such that his ministry (and hers) were really theirs. They were one in both marriage and ministry.
