haʊˈɛvɚ, ˈʌðɚ skˈɑːlɚz hæv pˈɔɪntᵻd ˈaʊt ðæt hɜː hˈʌsbənd, bˈoʊnəsəs, hˌuː wʌz nˌɑːɾə bˈɪʃəp, "wʌz nˌɑːt aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪd æz ᵻpˈɪskɑːpəs ˌɔn ɐkˈaʊnt ʌv hɪz sˈʌn" ænd ðeɪ ˈɑːɹɡjuː ðˈæt "θiːədˈoːɹə kænˈɑːt hɐvbɪn kˈɔːld ᵻpɪskˈoʊpə mˈɪɹli bɪkˈʌz ʃiː wʌzɐ bˈɪʃəps wˈaɪf ɔːɹ mˈʌðɚ.
However, other scholars have pointed out that her husband, Bonusus, who was not a bishop, "was not identified as episcopus on account of his son" and they argue that "Theodora cannot have been called episcopa merely because she was a bishop's wife or mother.