Legal Definitions - Codex Gregorianus

The Codex Gregorianus was a significant, privately compiled collection of Roman imperial laws, or "constitutions," published in A.D. 291 by the Roman jurist Gregorius. At a time when imperial decrees were numerous and difficult to track, this compilation aimed to organize and make accessible the various pronouncements issued by Roman emperors. Although the original collection no longer exists, its contents are known through citations and references found in later Roman legal works, making it a crucial source for understanding the development of Roman law. It is also sometimes referred to as the Gregorian Code.

• Imagine a Roman advocate in the early 4th century AD preparing a defense for a client accused of a property dispute. Instead of sifting through countless individual decrees issued over decades by various emperors, the advocate could consult the Codex Gregorianus to quickly locate relevant imperial legislation on property rights and inheritance, thereby streamlining their legal research and argument preparation.

  This illustrates how the Codex Gregorianus provided a practical, organized resource for legal practitioners, helping them navigate the complex and scattered body of imperial law to find specific statutes applicable to their cases.

• Centuries later, when Emperor Justinian's jurists were compiling their monumental legal code, the Corpus Juris Civilis, they frequently referred to and incorporated earlier legal sources. Although the original Codex Gregorianus was not directly available, Justinian's compilers would have encountered numerous references and excerpts from it in other legal treatises and commentaries. These citations allowed them to understand and sometimes integrate the older imperial laws preserved indirectly through Gregorius's work into their new, comprehensive legal system.

  This example demonstrates the enduring historical importance of the Codex Gregorianus. Even though the physical collection is lost, its influence and content were preserved through citations in subsequent legal scholarship, serving as a foundational reference for later, more comprehensive legal compilations like Justinian's Code.