Corpus Juris Civilis
The
Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor. It is also sometimes referred to as the
Code of Justinian, although this name belongs more properly to the part titled
Codex Justinianus. The work as planned had three parts: the
Code is a compilation, by selection and extraction, of imperial enactments to date; the
Digest or
Pandects is an encyclopedia composed of mostly brief extracts from the writings of Roman jurists; and the
Institutes is a student textbook, mainly introducing the
Code although it has important conceptual elements that are less developed in the
Code or the
Digest. All three parts, even the textbook, were given force of law. They were intended to be, together, the sole source of law; reference to any other source, including the original texts from which the
Code and the
Digest had been taken, was forbidden.