Modern legal systems are based in large part on contributions from the past. The justice European and Western have two main pillars: the Roman law and Christianity. Subsequently, the regulation of human relations , that is, civil law , could definitively complement the contributions of the Napoleonic code . Corpus Juris Civils
In Portuguese, the term right corresponds to the Latin word ius. On the other hand, the concept corpus means a set of texts and refers to a set of laws. The term civilis refers to civil law or ius civile, that is, they are norms that govern life in community . In this way, the Corpus Iuris Civilis can normally be translated as the Civil Law Corps.
Historical context of Corpus Iuris Civilis or Justinian’s Code
In the sixth century of our era, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I ordered to unify the set of laws in a treaty or legal body. This compilation or collection was directed and organized by the Byzantine jurist Tribonian and included the body of Roman jurisprudence from Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century to the death of Justinian. The approach of the new code was based on the need to systematically organize the laws of Roman law into a single body. Corpus Juris Civils
By the time Justinian promoted the new code there was a decline in law, as successive emperors imposed laws with absolutist criteria and in an arbitrary manner. In legal terminology, it is also known as Codex Iustinianus or Code of Justinian.
A four-part legal anthology
The Corpus Iuris Civilis established the unification of Christian tradition and Roman culture so that Church and State were harmonized. This legal anthology allowed the preservation of the classical tradition of the ancient world and the inclusion of Christian values. Justinian’s Code is composed of four parts: the Institutions, the Digest, the Code and the Novels. Corpus Juris Civils
Institutions address issues such as ownership, succession, contractual obligations and individual rights
The Digest is composed of fifty books that present a compilation of jurisprudential precedents from the Roman tradition throughout history. This item had a didactic purpose, as it served as a learning guide for those starting in civil law. Corpus Juris Civils
The Code section included the legal provisions approved by the emperors of Rome.
The so-called Novels (Novellae Leges or new laws) included the laws approved by Emperor Justinian himself.
