Justinian, in whose palace the commission was working, could be relied on to see that the timetable was kept to, as he did with the construction of St Sophia. The compilers were authorized to alter the texts they kept. If the new version of a text differed from the old, the new prevailed, on the theory that Justinian was entitled to amend the previous law as he wished. This was a compromise, unsatisfactory from a scholarly point of view, which enabled Justinian to claim that everything in the Digesta was his, while in fact often reverting to the law as it was before Subjects: Classical studies.
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Oxford Reference. Publications Pages Publications Pages. Recently viewed 0 Save Search. Justinian, after the creation of the code, stated that any reference to any other legal source, including the original texts which the Digest and Code were based off, was forbidden. Development of the Justinian Code:. The Justinian Code was composed and subsequtnyl distributed almost entirely in Latin, which was the official language of the Roman government in This language contrasted from the prevalent language Greek of farmers, merchants and other citizens in the region.
The Four Parts of the Justinian Code:. The Codex was compiled in Latin and the majority of the imperial pronouncementswere dated back to the time of Hadrian. This part of the Justinian Code used both the Codex Theodosianus and the fourth-century collections emobied in the Codex Hermogenianus and the Codex Gregorianus—these two codes provided the model for a division of books that were themselves subdivided into separate titles.
These codices developed the authoritative standing established in the Justinian Code. The codex of the Justinian code contained numerous provisions, which served to secure the status of Christianity as the state religion of the empire.
These provisions ultimately united the Church and state and labeled anyone not connected to the Christian church as a non-citizen. The first law in the Codex required all people under the jurisdiction of the Empire to hold the Christian faith.
His team was authorized to edit what they included. How far they made amendments is not recorded and, in the main, cannot be known because most of the originals have not survived. The text was composed and distributed almost entirely in Latin, which was still the official language of the government of the Byzantine Empire in , whereas the prevalent language of merchants, farmers, seamen, and other citizens was Greek.
Many of the laws contained in the Codex were aimed at regulating religious practice, included numerous provisions served to secure the status of Christianity as the state religion of the empire, uniting church and state, and making anyone who was not connected to the Christian church a non-citizen. It also contained laws forbidding particular pagan practices; for example, all persons present at a pagan sacrifice may be indicted as if for murder.
Other laws, some influenced by his wife, Theodora, include those to protect prostitutes from exploitation, and women from being forced into prostitution. Rapists were treated severely. Further, by his policies, women charged with major crimes should be guarded by other women to prevent sexual abuse; if a woman was widowed, her dowry should be returned; and a husband could not take on a major debt without his wife giving her consent twice.
Lugduni apud Gulielmum Rouillium, The Corpus forms the basis of Latin jurisprudence including ecclesiastical Canon Law and, for historians, provides a valuable insight into the concerns and activities of the later Roman Empire. The only western province where the Justinian Code was introduced was Italy, from where it was to pass to western Europe in the 12th century, and become the basis of much European law code. It eventually passed to eastern Europe, where it appeared in Slavic editions, and it also passed on to Russia.
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