The emperor and his wife, Justinian and Theodora,
are well known historical leaders when learning about the Byzantine Empire. Both
came from humble roots. Justinian started his life a farmers son, with the help
of his uncle (Emperor Justin I) he was able to become a great political figure.
Theodora came from even lesser means, she had little family and took to the
streets as a performer, which can also be considered a form of
prostitution. She turned to
Christianity and became a wool spinner, and was later married to Justinian, who
changed laws just to be with her.
Justinian can be seen as a man who wished to change and help
the laws of his land. He had man ideas that were seen as beneficiary. In 534 Justinian published his “Coprus
Juris Civilis” which is commonly known as Justinian’s Code. In his code he
expressed adaption’s of Roman laws influenced by his Christian background. In the prologue he wrote:
“The
law which a people makes for its own government belongs exclusively to that
state and is called the civil law, as being the law of particular state…. The
people of Rome, then, are governed partly by their own laws, and partly by the
laws which are common to all mankind.”
This speaks a lot for what the code meant as well as its
relevance to a modern world. Many countries have their own sets as law, but for
a most part we all agree on basic laws that are practiced in some way. Mankind
can generally agree on the fact that it’s illegal to murder and steal. These
two basic laws can be found in Christian ideals such as the Ten Commandments.
Justinian wanted to bring his laws back to Christian values
that he had. The code were Christian based and Justinian wasn’t going to
apologize for that fact. I feel that the reason Justinine was able to succed with
his ideas was because of his humble beginnings and his faith. He wasn’t too
steep into power.
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ReplyDeleteJustinian's ideals did seem to have a grave impact on his ability to create his code. Unlike other power struck rulers, he made his code to help guide all people in the way they should go according to his faith. He in no way wanted to simply impose his will upon them and give himself more power but wanted them to do what was good and right for all people. I believe that the people followed his code and responded positively to it because they recognized through the laws the type of leader they had. One that was interested in the greater good of his people and one who sought to do the right thing in every situation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Justinian had a view of the world informed by Christianity, and that his law code represents an important benchmark in the evolution of human thinking about law and the preservation of social order. I would be cautious, however, about overly idealizing his memory. His view of Christianity, for example, justified his continued hold on immense power, which he wielded to sometimes extremely violent purposes.
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