49 Renewed Confirmation of Policy towards Jews, Pagans, and Heretics

 (Honorius with) Theodosius II

8 June 423

(A)   CTh 16:8:27 terminated with “and other matters.” It dealt with the Jews.

(B) CTh 16:10:23 opened with “after other matters.” It dealt with the Pagans.

(C) CTh 16:5:60 terminated with “and other matters.” It dealt with heretics.

(D) CTh 16:10:24 opened with “after other matters.” It is con­cerned with heretics, protection for Jews and pagans, and it in­cludes the penal and executive clause (sanctio).

Although the second fragment lacks the formula “and other matters,” and the third fragment the formula “after other mat­ters,” all four fragments derive from one law. All four share iden­tical legislator, addressee, and date. They do not overlap, and the fourth fragment terminates an enumeration of heretical sects com­menced in the third fragment. As the fourth fragment contains the penal and executive clause, usually found in the concluding parts of laws, it should be considered as the concluding paragraph of our law, which presents, consequently, a structure identical to that of the law of 9 April 423 (see above, No. 48); both dealt with Jews, pagans, and heretics in that order.

The legislator reconfirmed recent legislation on the Jews, re­ferring, undoubtedly, to the laws from 15 February 423 (No.

The considerations, and the circumstances, that motivated this legislation hardly two months after the promulgation of the law it reaffirmed were probably similar, if not identical, to those that decided the legislator on the previous occasion. The implementa­tion of the previous laws seems to have been sabotaged both by the authorities entrusted with their execution and by militant Christians strong enough to impose their will on the local authori­ties. The Court’s determination to uphold these limited measures of protection in spite of such effective opposition indicates either a particularly strong influence exerted by the non-Christians, or a commitment to general norms of government largely free of devia­tions and compromises on religious grounds. The threats and the prohibitions which the legislator directed at the Jews, the pagans, and the heretics should probably be interpreted, again similarly to the preceding law, as diversory, intended to give satisfaction to the more militant Christians while maintaining the measures previ­ously adopted.

Justinian’s editors (CJ 1:11:6) received only one clause, which assured the government’s protection to peaceful Jews and pagans against Christians, but commuted the punishment imposed for ille­gal seizure of property.

Codex Theodosianus, 16:8:27, ed. Mommsen, p. 894

IDEM AA.* ASCLEPIODOTO PfRAEFECTO) P(RAETORI)O

Quae nuper de ludaeis et synagogis eorum statuimus, firma per­maneant: scilicet ut nec novas umquam synagogas permittantur ex- truere nec auferendas sibi veteres pertimescant. Cetera vero vetita in 5 posterum sciant esse servanda, quemadmodum nuper constitutionis latae forma declarat. Et cetera.

DAT. VI ID. IUN. CONSTANTINOP(OLI) ASCLEPIODOTO ET MARINIANO CONSS.*

THE SAME TWO AUGUSTI¹ TO ASCLEPIODOTUS, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO What we legislated recently concerning the Jews and their syna­gogues shall remain in force, namely, that they shall never be per­mitted to build new synagogues, neither shall they dread that the old ones shall be seized from them. Let them know, indeed, that the other prohibitions should be observed in the future in the manner declared by the text of the law recently passed. And other matters. lang=EN-US style='font-size:6.5pt;line-height:115%;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal'>GIVEN ON THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE IDES OF JUNE AT CONSTANTI­NOPLE, IN THE CONSULATE OF ASCLEPIODOTUS AND MARINI ANUS.²

Codex Theodosianus, 16:10:23, ed. Mommsen, p. 904

IDEM AA. ASCLEPIODOTO P(RAEFECTO) P(RAETORI)O

Post alia: Paganos qui supersunt, si aliquando in execrandis daemonum sacrificiis fuerint comprehensi, quamvis capitali poena subdi debuerint, bonorum proscriptio ac exilium cohercebit.

5 DAT.

THE SAME TWO AUGUSTI TO ASCLEPIODOTUS, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO

After other matters: The remaining pagans, if they shall ever be caught sacrificing to the execrable demons, althought they should have suffered capital punishment, shall be repressed by property confiscation and exile.

GIVEN ON THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE IDES OF JUNE AT CONSTANTI­NOPLE, IN THE CONSULATE OF ASCLEPIODOTUS AND MARINIANUS.

Codex Theodosianus, 16:5:60, ed. Mommsen, p 876

IDEM AA. ASCLEPIODOTO P(RAEFECTO) PfRAETORIO)

De haereticis omnibus, quorum et errorem execramur et nomen, hoc est de Eunomianis Arrianis Macedonianis ceterisque omnibus, quorum sectas piissimae sanctioni taedet inserere, quibus cunctis diversa sunt 5 nomina, sed una perfidia, illa praecipimus debere servari, quae divi avus et pater* nostrae clementiae constituerunt, scituris universis, quod, si in eodem furore permanserint, interminatae poenae erunt obnoxii. Et cetera.

DAT. VI ID. IUN. CONSTANT(INO)P(OLI) ASCLEPIODOTO ET MARINIANO

10 CONSS.

THE SAME TWO AUGUSTI TO ASCLEPIODOTUS, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO

Concerning all the heretics, whose error we execrate as well as their name, that is, the Eunomians, the Arians, the Macedonians, and all the others, whose sects we are loath to enumerate in the most pious law, for though their names be different their perfidy is but one; we order that what the divine grandfather and father³ of our clemency legislated must be observed, and that all shall know, that if they persist in the same madness they shall be liable to the punishment threatened. And other matters.

GIVEN ON THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE IDES OF JUNE AT CONSTANTI­NOPLE, IN THE CONSULATE OF ASCLEPIODOTUS AND MARINI ANUS.

Codex Theodosianus, 16:10:24, ed.

IDEM AA. ASCLEPIODOTO P(RAEFECTO) P(RAETORI)O

Post alia: Manichaeos illosque, quos Pepyzitas vocant, nec non et eos,* qui omnibus haereticis hac una sunt persuasione peiores, quod in venerabili die paschae ab omnibus dissentiunt, si in eadem amentia 5 perseverant, eadem poena multamus, bonorum proscriptione atque ex­ilio. Sed hoc Christianis, qui vel vere sunt vel esse dicuntur, specialiter demandamus, ut ludaeis ac paganis in quiete degentibus nihilque temp­tantibus turbulentum legibusque contrarium non audeant manus inferre religionis auctoritate abusi.* Nam si contra securos fuerint violenti vel io eorum bona diripuerint, non ea sola quae abstulerint, sed conventi in triplum et quadruplum quae rapuerint restituere conpellantur. Rectores etiam provinciarum et officia et provinciales* cognoscant se, si fieri per­miserint, ut eos qui fecerint puniendos.

DAT. VI ID. IUN. CONST(ANTINO)P(OLI) ASCLEP(IODOTO) ET MAR(INIANO) 15 CONSS.

THE SAME TWO AUGUSTI TO ASCLEPIODOTUS, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO After other matters. The Manichaeans and those called Pepyzitae, as well as those⁴ worse than all the other heretics in this belief only that they differ from all on the venerable day of Easter, if they persist in the same madness we shall punish by the same punish­ment, confiscation of property and exile. But this we particularly enjoin on the Christians, genuine as well as false, that they shall not dare to raise their hands, abusing⁵ the authority of religion, against peaceful Jews and Pagans who are not attempting anything seditious or unlawful. For if they shall act violently against peaceful people or plunder their property, they shall be charged and compelled to resti­tute not only what they had plundered, but thrice and fourfold the value of their plunder.

GIVEN ON THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE IDES OF JUNE AT CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE CONSULATE OF ASCLEPIODOTUS AND MARINI ANUS.

Codex Justinianus, 1:11:6, ed. Krüger, p. 63

IDEM AA. ASCLEPIODOTO PP.

Christianis, qui vel vere sunt vel esse dicuntur, specialiter demandamus, ut ludaeis ac paganis in quiete degentibus nihilque temptantibus tur­bulentum legibusque contrarium non audeant manus inferre religionis 5 auctoritate abusi. Nam si contra securos fuerint violenti vel eorum bona diripuerint, non ea sola quae abstulerint, sed convicti in duplum quae rapuerint restituere compellantur. Rectores etiam provinciarum et offi­cia et principales* cognoscant se, si non ipsi* talia vindicent, sed fieri a popularibus hoc permiserint, ut eos qui fecerint puniendos.

10 D. VI ID. IUN. CONSTANTINOPOLI ASCLEPIODOTO ET MARINIAMO CONSS.

THE SAME TWO AUGUSTI TO ASCLEPIODOTUS, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO We particularly enjoin on the Christians, genuine as well as false, that they shall not dare to raise their hands, abusing the authority of religion, against peaceful Jews and pagans who are not attempting anything seditious or unlawful. For if they shall act violently against peaceful people, or plunder their property, they shall be convicted and compelled to restitute not only what they had plundered, but twice the value of their plunder. Let the governors of the provinces, their offices and the principals⁷ know, they if they themselves⁸ do not punish such deeds and even permit them to be done by the populace, they shall be punished like the perpetrators.

GIVEN ON THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE IDES OF JUNE AT CONSTANTI­NOPLE, IN THE CONSULATE OF ASCLEPIODOTUS AND MARINIANUS.

NOTES

1.      Augusti: Honorius and Theodosius II.

2.      Given... Marinianus: 8 June 423.

3.      Grandfather and father: Theodosius I and Arcadius.

4.      Those: the legislator referred to the Quatuordecimani, heretics that cele­brated Easter on 14 Nissan, on whatever day of the week this date occurred. The Orthodox Church celebrated Easter, after the First Oecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), on the first Sunday following the full moon after—or on—the spring equinox.

5.      Abusing: an early instance of the use of the term ‘abusus’ in its new meaning. See H. Stoll, ZSSRG, RA, XLVII (1927), p. 426 n. 1.

style='font-size:8.5pt;font-style:normal'>6.      Provincials: Justinian’s editors emended here to ‘principales’, that is, the senior decurions. Compare the use of the terms ‘principales ordinis’ and ‘senatores principales’ in a municipal inscription from the early fourth century in AE, 1937, No. 119. For the testimony of the Greek sources on this sentence see P. Krüger, “Über wirkliche und scheinbare Überlieferung vor justinianischen Wortlauts im Kommentar der Thalelaeus zum Codex lustinianus,” ZSSRG, RA, XXXVI (1915), p. 92.

7.      Principals: see above, n. 6.

8.      Themselves: the addition of ‘ipsi’ is typical to the editing of the texts derived from the 16th book of Codex Theodosianus by Justinian’s editors. See Honoré, p. 221.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Godefroy, VI: 1, pp. 203, 267, 329-331; C. C. Torey, “The Letters of Sim­eon the Stylite,” Journal of the American Oriental Society, XX (1899), pp. 253-257; Juster, I, p. 465 n. 2; Seeck, Regesten, p. 349; F. Nau, “Deux episodes de 1’histoire juive sous Thöodose II (423 et 438) d’aprds la Vie de Barsauma le Syrien,” REJ, LXXXIII (1927), pp. 186-193; Browe, p. 117; Seaver, pp. 75-76; Demougeot, “Thöodose II,” pp. 95-96; Reichardt, p. 37.