EUDO'CIA, daughter of Leontius, an Athenian sophist, was called Athenais before her baptism. She was celebrated for her beauty, and also for her learning, baring been carefully iostrected by her father in literature and the sciences. After her father', death, being deprived by her brothers of all share in the inheritance, she repaired to Constan tinople, and appealed to Pulcheria, sister of Theodosius IL, who was so pleased with her that she induced Theodosius to marry her, A.D. 421. Eudocia surrounded herself with learned men ; but about 449 the emperor, through jealousy, dismissed all her court, and had her exiled to Palestine, where she continued to reside after his death. She there embraced the opinions of Eutychea, and supported by her liberality and Influence the monk Theodosius, who forced himself into the see of Jerusalem, after driving away Juvenal, the orthodox bishop, and kept it until he was himself driven away by order of the Emperor Marcianus. Euthymius, called the Saint, by his reasouings
brought back Eudocia to the orthodox faith, after which she spent the remainder of her days at Jerusalem, where she died in 460, pro testing her innocence of the guilt with which her husband had charged her. Eudocia wrote several works, of which Photius quotes a trans. Wien in verse of the first eight books of the Old Testament. There is also attributed to her a' Life of Christ,' composed of linos taken from Homer, which was translated into Latin by Echard, and pub lished under the title of ' Homerici Centones Greece et Latine, interprets Echerdo,' Paris, 1578. Most critics however believe that it Is not the work of Eudocia, though Docange is of the contrary opinion.