Search

[German Version] The 16 books of the Codex Theodosianus contain constitutions of the Christian emperors from 312 to 437, including civil, administrative, and ecclesiastical law. Published for the East by Theodosius II (408–450) on Feb 15, 438, it was adopted for the West in the same year by Valentinian III (425–455). On Jan 1, 439, the code came into force for the entire Empire. Its authority was preemptive: for the period covered, the original constitutions beca…

[German Version] At the beginning of the year 528, emperor Justinian I (527–565) appointed a commission of high-ranking government officials to collect in a single code, arranged by subject, all the imperial constitutions already contained in earlier collections (Codex Gregorianus, Codex Hermogenianus, Codex Theodosianus) or issued subsequently; the new collection was to bear his name. The commission was directed to edit and unify the legal material by eliminating unnecessary ¶ and obsolete material from the constitutions and resolving contradictions. Textu…