Klappentext

Scholars using the Theodosian Code inevitably make assumptions: how much was changed during the redaction? Is it reasonable to assume that, for a given subject, most of the relevant constitutions can be found there? According to which criteria did the redactors select laws to excerpt? Were laws valid exclusively in the pars imperii of the issuing emperor? Or, actually, only within the jurisdiction of the receiver? Riedlberger offers a novel, comprehensive and consistent vision of late-antique law-making, which is then checked against a sample: the unusual penalties regarding bequeathing and inheriting. Thus, the claimed principles can prove their validity; while conversely, discussing CTh. texts without defining one's viewpoint to the fundamental questions easily leads to misconceptions.