The Dark Ages: The Justinian Code

The Dark Ages: The Justinian Code

The Corpus Juris Civilis referred as the Code of Justinian was issued from 529 to 534 to the order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor. The work had three parts which was the Code, the Digest or Pandects, and the Institutes. The Code was a compilation that was selection of enactments to date. The Digest or Pandects , is an encyclopedia which is basically based on mostly extracts from the writing of the Roman Jurists. The third part was the Institutes which was introducing the Code . All three laws were meant to be together, the source of the law because it was given force of law. The original texts was the Code and the Digest that has been taken, was banned. Justinian needed to go further in proposing laws which are now known as fourth part of Corpus, the Novellae Constitutiones. Tribonian, an official and legal minister under Justinian ,that directed the work. His team was able to edit and codify the existing Roman Law. The effect of the First Justinian Code, which was completed in 529, later on expanded into Justinian's own laws. There were two books included on the areas of the laws. Later on in 534, the Justinian Code, was made up the Digest and the Institutes was finished. The text was composed and distributed in Latin, which was the official language of the government of the Empire in 529-534. Then by the 7th century, the official language had become Greek due to the reign of Heraclius.
It was used as a private law and its content was used for arguments by secular authorities. The Roman law became the foundation of law in all civil law to the official power to make legal decisions and judgments. The Corpus Juris Civilis also influenced the the Canon Law of the church, that it lives by the Roman Law. Its has four parts that constitute the foundation documents of the Western legal