Corpus Juris Civilis
Foundation of Western legal tradition, compiled under Justinian I.
It is also sometimes referred to metonymically after one of its parts, the Code of Justinian. The Corpus Juris Civilis constitutes the foundation documents of the Western legal tradition.
- commissioned_by
- Roman Emperor Justinian I
- directed_by
- Tribonian
- original_language
- Latin
- parts
- Code, Digest, Institutes, Novels
- field
- Jurisprudence
- known_for
- Foundation of civil law jurisdictions
Lore & Background
The commission was authorized to leave out or change text and delete what was obsolete or contradictory. Tribonian's commission surveyed works of classical jurists assumed to have the authority to clarify law; excerpts from 38 jurists appear in the Digest.
Reader's Guide
The Corpus Juris Civilis was revised into Greek when that became the predominant language of the Eastern Roman Empire and continued to form the basis of the empire's laws, the Basilika, through the 15th century. The Basilika served as the basis for local legal codes in the Balkans during the Ottoman period and later formed the basis of the legal code of Modern Greece. In Western Europe, the Corpus was only recovered in the Middle Ages, being 'received' or imitated as private law. Its public law content was quarried for arguments by both secular and ecclesiastical authorities. This recovered Roman law became the foundation of law in all civil law jurisdictions. Its influence on common law legal systems has been markedly less, although still significant, with Latinate legal concepts and terminology surviving through Norman law, canon law, and civil law influences. The Corpus continues to have a major influence on public international law.
Did You Know?
- The Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name; the work itself was originally called the Codex Iustinianus, Digest or Pandects, and Institutes.
- The Basilika, a Greek revision of the Corpus, influenced Byzantine law but did not directly form the basis of Modern Greece's legal code, which is primarily derived from the Bavarian civil code and the French Code Napolé
- The phrase 'ecclesia vivit lege Romana' (the church lives by Roman law) is sometimes cited in discussions of canon law, but its direct attribution to the Corpus Juris Civilis's influence is imprecise and may be exaggerat
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Corpus Juris Civilis?
Corpus Juris Civilis is a vast compilation of Roman legal texts produced in the 6th century under the direction of the jurist Tribonian. It is widely regarded as the foundational document set for the entire Western legal tradition.
Who commissioned Corpus Juris Civilis and who led the project?
Roman Emperor Justinian I ordered the collection to be assembled, and the legal scholar Tribonian was appointed to oversee the compilation effort. The finished work was written entirely in Latin.
What are the four parts that make up Corpus Juris Civilis?
The collection is divided into the Code, the Digest, the Institutes, and the Novels. Together these four components cover imperial legislation, juristic commentary, a student textbook, and later imperial enactments.
Why is Corpus Juris Civilis considered so important?
It laid the doctrinal groundwork that every modern civil-law jurisdiction still builds upon, from contract and property rules to the structure of legal education. Without it, the Western tradition of codified private law would look fundamentally different.
Is Corpus Juris Civilis known by any other name?
Yes—people sometimes call it the Code of Justinian, using the name of just one of its four parts metonymically to refer to the whole collection. This shorthand is common in popular and academic writing alike.
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