Modern legal systems rely heavily on the contributions of the past. European and Western justice has two essential pillars: Roman law and Christianity. Subsequently, the regulation of human relations, civil law, was definitely complemented by the contributions of Napoleonic law.
In Spanish the term law corresponds to the Latin word ius. On the other hand, corpus means a set of texts and this word refers to the set of laws. The term civilis alludes to civil law or ius civile, that is, the rules that govern community life. In this way, Corpus Juris Civilis is normally translated as the Body of Civil Law.
Historical context of the Corpus Juris Civilis or Justinian's Code
In the Vl century of our era, the Byzantine Emperor Justianiano 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 Triboniano and included the whole of Roman jurisprudence from the emperor Hadrian in the 11th century until the death of Justinian. The approach of the new code was based on the need to organize the laws of Roman law in a systematic way and in a single body. At the time that Justinian promoted the new code there was a decline in law, as successive emperors had imposed laws with absolutist criteria and arbitrarily. In legal terminology it is also known as Codex Iustinianus or Justinian Code.
A legal anthology made up of four parts
The Corpus Juris Civilis supposed the unification of the Christian tradition and the Roman culture in order that the role of the church and the state were harmonized. This legal anthology allowed the preservation of the classical tradition of the ancient world and the inclusion of Christian values. The Justinian Code is made up of four parts: the Institutions, the Digest, the Code, and the Novels.
In the Institutions matters such as property, succession, contractual obligations and individual rights are addressed.
The Digest is made up of fifty books in which a compilation of the jurisprudential precedents of the Roman tradition throughout history is presented. This section had a didactic purpose, as it served as a learning guide for those who were starting in civil law.
The section of the Code includes the different legal provisions approved by the emperors of Rome.
The so-called Novels (Novellae Leges or new laws) include the laws passed by the Emperor Justinian himself.
