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Codex Theodosianus
Also Known As Theodosian Code
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The Codex Theodosianus is a compilation of Roman imperial law commissioned by Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II, assembled by a commission chaired by Antiochus Chuzon over nine years from 429 to 438 CE. It gathers more than 2,500 imperial constitutions issued since 312 CE into sixteen books, and was promulgated in February 438, taking effect the following January across both the eastern and western empire. It built on the earlier, smaller Codex Gregorianus and Codex Hermogenianus, and unlike Justinian's later Corpus Juris Civilis, it collected primary imperial texts rather than adding extensive juristic commentary.
Facts
Eracompiled 429 to 438 CE, promulgated 15 February 438, effective 1 January 439 1 Promulgated ByEmperor Theodosius II with co-emperor Valentinian III, commission chaired by Antiochus Chuzon 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
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The Codex Theodosianus predates and was structurally superseded within the Byzantine east by Justinian's Corpus Juris Civilis, though it remained the primary channel for Roman law in the Frankish-ruled north, where Justinian's compilation never took hold.
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