Beauty Contest - Theodelinda

570–628

She sounds like a character out of The Lord of the Rings: Theodelinda, queen of the Lombards, daughter of Garibald, king of Bavarians, married to King Authari. Sounds very Middle-earth, or at least very medieval, doesn’t it?

In fact, Theodelinda did live during the early medieval period. She is widely credited with converting the Lombards to Christianity, making her sort of the St. Patrick of northern Italy.

Although she was never declared a saint, she’s become somewhat of a religious icon. Artistic images of her, which weren’t created until hundreds of years after her death, often portray her as unattractive, yet there is evidence to the contrary. Some records indicate that before her marriage to King Authari, he traveled to see her to make sure that he liked what he saw. When he met the tall, blonde, beautiful young woman, he agreed to make her his queen.

This has created a minor debate among scholars. Did artists have difficulty creating a beautiful image for a serious religious leader? Or were historians overstating her beauty? Of course that leads to further questions about the value of looks in our society—both now and fourteen centuries ago.

There’s no question—we live in a beauty-crazy age, but maybe there’s nothing new about that. Have beautiful women always attracted attention . . . while having trouble getting respect? Does this happen in the church as well as in wider society? If so, what can possibly be done about it?

The New Testament promotes modesty in women’s appearance and a beauty based on good deeds rather than hip hairstyles or bling (see 1 Timothy 2:9-10). There’s no place for vanity, of course. But we wonder if there’s a sort of “reverse vanity” going on these days, as people openly fret about their looks. How often do you hear a compliment—“Hey, you look great!”—answered with a litany of flaws—“Thanks, but my hair isn’t cooperating, and I tried on four different outfits to find one that doesn’t look horrible”? Self-debasing sounds more spiritual than vanity, but it still reflects a preoccupation with outward appearance.

Can we begin to grasp the idea that we were all created in God’s image—inside and out?

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Psalm 139:14