64 On the Duty of Jews and Heretics to Serve in Curias and on the Validity of Their Testaments

Justinian

18 August 537

This law, given by Justinian at Constantinople on 18 August 537, was addressed to Johannes of Cappadocia, Praefectus Praetorio of the East.

Justinian stated that this law was given in reply to a request by Johannes, who had asked for the emperor’s decision on the ques­tion of whether the Jews and the heretics were obligated to serve in the curias, as well as on the question of whether testimonies of Jews and heretics against Orthodox were acceptable in trials in which the State preferred charges against Orthodox for avoiding their curial duty. Justinian emphasized that Jews and heretics were to serve in the curias and fulfill certain duties without enjoying the honours and the privileges that pertain to them. He repeated the prohibition issued on 28 July 531 on accepting testimonies of Jews and heretics against Orthodox, declaring them to be acceptable only when they are in favour of Orthodox litigants. In the present law he applied this rule to trials between the State and Orthodox individuals, and concluded that Jews and heretics are to be ac­cepted as witnesses when they give evidence for the State. He does not seem to have realized that they gave evidence, in such cases, against Orthodox litigants. Justinian emphasized, once again, that Jews and heretics were acceptable witnesses in trials between Jews and between heretics.

Novellae, No.

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΜΗ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΩΘΗΝΑΙ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΤΥΧΗΣ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΟΥΣ ΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΑΜΑΡΕΙΤΑΖ Η ΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΟΥΣ ΠΡΟΦΑΣΕΙ ΤΗΣ ΑΥΤΩΝ ΘΡΗΣΚΕΙΑΣ, ΑΛΛΑ ΤΟΙΣ ΜΕΝ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΤΙΚΟΙΣ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΗΜΑΣΙΝ ΥΠΟΚΕΙΣΘΑΙ, ΤΩΝ ΔΕ 5 ΠΡΟΝΟΜΙΩΝ ΑΥΤΩΝ ΜΗ ΑΠΟΛΑΥΕΙΝ. ΔΥΝΑΣΘΑΙ ΔΕ ΑΥΤΟΥΣ ΚΑΤΑ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΩΝ ΩΣ ΥΠΟΚΕΙΜΕΝΩΝ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΤΙΚΗΙ ΤΥΧΗΙ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΙΝ, ΟΙΑ ΔΗ ΚΑΙ ΥΠΕΡ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΛΩΣ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΟΥΝΤΑΣ.

Ό αύτός βασιλεύς ’Ιωάννη έπάρχω πραιτωρίων το β', άπό ίο ύπάτων καί πατρικίω

*Ρήμά π πρός ήμάς έναγχος ή σή μεμήνυκεν ύπεροχή, τινάς έν τοϊς βουλευταίς είναι ’Ιουδαίους τυχόν ή Σαμαρείτας ή Μοντανιστάς ή άλλως καταπτύστους άνθρώπους, οϋς οΰπω καί νυν ή όρθή καί 15 άμώμητος ήμών κατέλαμψε πίστις, άλλ’ έν σκότει κάθηνται,* ταίς ψυχαίς των άληθών ούκ αίσθόμενοι μυστηρίων καί έπειδήπερ αίρετικούς μισοΰμεν, οϊονται κατά ταύτην τήν πρόφασιν έλεύθεροι βουλευτικών είναι λειτουργημάτων καί ώς προσήκει τά περί τούτων διακριθήναι.

35 χρηματικός λειτουργίας, καί μηδείς τούτων αύτούς έξαρπαζέτω νόμος, τιμής δέ άπολαυέτωσαν μηδεμιάς, άλλ’ έστωσαν έν άτιμία την τύχην, έν otqi καί τήν ψυχήν έβουλήθησαν είναι.

Caputi

40 Κάκείνο μέντοι γε προσήγγειλας ήμϊν άξιον ζητήσεώς σοι γενόμενον. Επειδή γάρ τούς αιρετικούς μαρτυρεϊν εϊρξαμεν έφ’ ών όρθόδοξοι πρός άλλήλους δικάζονται, διδόντες αύτοϊς κατά τήν ήμετέραν διάτα- ξιν,* εί μέν έν άλλήλοις φύροιντό τε έκεϊνοι καί δικάζοιντο καί έκάτερος αιρετικός εϊη δ τε ένάγων δ τε έναγόμενος, δύνασθαι μαρ- 45 τυρειν, άξιων άλλήλοις δντων καί των δικαζομένων καί των μαρ- τυρούντων· εί δέ αύθις αιρετικός τε εϊη καί όρθόδοξος, κατά μέν αιρετικών καί σφόδρα δύνασθαι μαρτυρεϊν ύπέρ όρθοδόξων, κατά δέ ορθοδόξων ούκ έτι· όρθοδόξων δέ δντων των δικαζομένων μηδεμίαν είναι παντελώς πάροδον αύτοϊς είς μαρτυρίαν· έδίδαξας τοίνυν ήμάς, 50 ώς τινες όρθόδοξοι καθεστώτες άρνούνται βουλευτικής είναι τύχης, καί άνάγκη παρελθέίν είς μαρτυρίαν τούς έκ τού γένους συνημμένους αύτοϊς ή καί άλλως πως έπισταμένους αύτών την τύχην· καί έπειδήπερ ό νόμος εϊργει τάς έπ’ όρθοδόξοις μαρτυρίας τών αιρετικών, διά τούτο τούς δικαστάς όκνείν ταύτας προσίεσθαι. Καίτοι γε μάταιον δεδοίκασι 55 δέος οί τάς τοιαύτας παραιτούμενοι δέχεσθαι μαρτυρίας.

₆₀ ώστε είναι τήν μέν πολιτείαν τήν δικαζομένην όρθοδοξούσαν, καί μάλιστα έξ ούπερ ήμας αύτής δέδωκεν ό θεός βασιλεύειν, τούς δέ ύπέρ τούτου μαρτυροΰντας ύπέρ όρθοδόξων ποιεϊσθαι μαρτυρίαν. Τό γάρ πολίτευμα τό ήμέτερον όρθόν τέ έστι καί ήδη μεστόν τής όρθοδόξου πίστεως, πάσης αίρέσεως άλλης εικότως μεμισημένης.

65

Καί τούτο τοίνυν ή σή ύπεροχή παραφυλαττέτω τόν τε ήμέτερον γινώσκουσα νούν καί τό τή πολιτείφ συμφέρον μνηστεύουσα καί έπισταμένη διά πάντων, ως έκεΐνα ήμΐν καί πράττειν καί νομοθετέίν διεσπούδασται όπόσα τήν ήμετέραν ώφελεί πολιτείαν.

70 DAT. XV. Κ. SEPT. CP. POST CONS. BELISARII V. C. ANNO II.· That Jews, Samaritans and Heretics shall not be freed from the Curial Order on pretext of their superstition; not only shall they be subjected to the Curial Liturgies, they shall also not enjoy their privileges. They can, however, testify against Orthodox bound to serve in the Curias, because they testify appropriately in favour of the Orthodox State.

THE SAME AUGUSTUS TO JOHANNES, PRAEFECTUS PRAETORIO FOR THE SECOND TIME, CONSULAR AND PATRICIAN

(Preamble)

Your Eminence sent us word lately, that some among the decurions happen to be Jews, or Samaritans, or Montanists, or men abomi­nable in another manner, whom our right and unblemished faith has not enlightened even now, but they sit¹ in darkness and do not perceive in their souls the true mysteries; and because we hate heretics they think that on this pretext they are free from the curial liturgies; and that it is proper that these matters concerning them should be resolved. We were, however, amazed,² how—if indeed— could your sharp mind and quick comprehension bear such words of these men, how it did not immediately tear them to pieces when they uttered these words. If there are such men who think that their extreme wickedness entitles them to the privileges which we have reserved solely to the highest ranks, who will not hate their wretch­edness and folly? Therefore all such as these shall serve as decurions even if they bitterly wail, and be burdened with the curial liturgies, just as they shall be burdened with the liturgies of the Taxeotae,³ conforming to previous legislation,⁴ and no superstition shall dis­charge them from this order (for this is neither said in the old laws, nor in the new), while they shall be unworthy of any curial honour. And since the laws grant decurions such privileges, that they shall not be beaten, produced in court,⁵ carried off to another place, and numerous others, they shall enjoy none of these. Furthermore, if anything was ordained concerning decurions that does not confer on them any privilege, it shall apply to them as well, and they shall perform personal as well as property liturgies, and no law shall free them from these, while they shall not enjoy any honour but through their order remain in that dishonour in which they also desired their souls to be. In this way, therefore, order this matter in regard to them.

Chapter 1.

You have also reported to us this matter that occurred to you to be worthy of investigation. Since we have excluded heretics from testi­fying when Orthodox plead their cases one against another, but granted them, according to our law,⁶ that they could testify if they shall mix together and litigate, and both shall be heretics, the ac­cuser and the accused, being worthy of one another, litigants as well as witnesses. But, then again, if one shall be heretic and the other Orthodox, while they can certainly testify against heretics in favour of the Orthodox, they cannot testify against Orthodox; when it is Orthodox who litigate, they shall have no opening at all to testify. You informed us, therefore, that some Orthodox deny being of the curial order, and that it is necessary that those related to them by family ties or who know their order in any other way come to testify; and since the law prohibits testimonies of heretics against Orthodox, the judges hesitate for this reason to admit these testimo­nies. Surely they fear a foolish fear who avoid accepting such testi­monies. Firstly, because they are made in favour of Orthodox, and the law does not prevent heretics from performing it. Secondly, if a man drags to the curia those who are decurions but deny their order and he summons heretics to testify, does he not do it for the State? And as the State, which is party to the trial, is Orthodox, and for this reason mainly God granted us to rule it, so those who testify for it testify for Orthodox. For our State is righteous and already full of the Orthodox faith, and by nature loathing all foreign heresy. Epilogue.

Your Eminence shall carefully observe this too, once it has known our mind and dedicated itself to the profit of the State, and shall be helpful in all matters that are to be zealously done and legislated by us, as being of profit to our State.

GIVEN ON THE FIFTEENTH DAY BEFORE THE CALENDS OF SEPTEMBER, AT CONSTANTINOPLE, IN THE SECOND YEAR AFTER THE CONSULATE OF THE RENOWNED BELISARIUS.⁷

NOTES

1.      Sit: paraphrase of the LXX translation to Ps. cvi:10: ‘καθημένους έν σκότει καί σκιά θανάτου’ or to Is. xlii:7: ‘έξαγαγεΐν... ’έξ οίκου φυλακής καθημένους έν σκότει’, or to Luc. i:79: ‘έπιφάναι τοΐς έν σκότει καί σκιά θανάτου καθημένοις’.

2.      Amazed: Stein detected in this phrase Justinian’s displeasure with Jo­hannes’ unchristian beliefs. See Stein, II, p. 435.

3.      Taxeotae: the Latin version employed here the term ‘officialibus’, al­though the correct translation of the Greek term ταξεώτης is either ‘Apparitor’ or ‘Cohortalinus’. These low-grade officials were occupied mainly in executive duties, guard-duties, and other occupations defined by Justinian in CJ 1:3:52(53) from 531—in a definition comprising both the offices of the Taxeotes and the decurion— as duties concerned with compulsion and contact with criminals. On the office of the ‘officialis’ see Sperber, pp. 60-61.

4.       Legislation: see above, No. 56.

5.Roman">      Court: Justinian referred here to the privilege defined in Codex Justinia­nus as follows: ‘Curiales ultra terminos propriae civitatis non iubeantur a modera­toribus provinciarum sui exhibere praesentiam’. “The decurions shall not be ordered by the governors of the provinces to present themselves outside the limits of their own city” (CJ 10:32:25 = CTh 12:1:60). Julian’s epitome omitted this privilege.

6.       Law: the law from 28 July 531 (see above, No. 60).

7.      Given... Belisarius: 18 August 537. The designation of the month fol­lows Ms. M of the Collection of 168 Novels. Julian, Athanasius, and the Authenti­cum have dating clauses from which the number XV was omitted; they date it, consequently, to 1 September.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Juster, II, pp. 123-124, 261; Browe, p. 129; Seyberlich, pp. 74-75; Avi- Yonah, p. 248; Rabello, “Tribute,” p. 245.