From Constantine to Justinian's code
Date
313CE
fourth to sixth centuriesapproximate date
When Christianity became the empire's religion, Roman law kept its recognition of Judaism, but the Theodosian Code and later laws began to restrict Jewish rights.
Sourced narrative
Each block is a verifiable statement. The number opens the cited page; amber or coral blocks flag tradition or contested interpretation.
7 statements
01From pagan to Christian empire
Christianity began as the faith of a small minority in the Roman Empire. It was in 313 that Constantine became a Christian emperor, and Christianity in time became the official religion. The process was not straight: Julian, the last pagan emperor, who ruled briefly in the early 360s, tried and failed to turn back the empire's Christianization. Roman imperial law had long recognized Judaism's status, and Jews were citizens of the empire. The first-century rebellion against Roman rule in Judea did not alter Jews' legal position elsewhere. Even once the empire was Christian, state and Church interests never fully coincided, and across the whole Middle Ages the two frequently competed for authority over the Jews.
02The case of 388
In 388 a bishop in Mesopotamia allowed a synagogue to be burned. Emperor Theodosius I rebuked him and ordered it rebuilt, which angered Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who excommunicated the emperor. Theodosius gave way at first, but a few years later declared every attack on synagogues a serious crime.
03From the Theodosian Code to Justinian
In the 430s Theodosius II (408 to 450) redefined the Jews' legal position to fit the empire's new Christian character. His Theodosian Code reaffirmed Jewish citizenship and protection against arbitrary loss of rights, but lumped 'Jews, Samaritans, Heretics, and Pagans' into a single section and added fresh restrictions.
Under the Code, Jews could not hold public office or any authority over Christians, build new synagogues, or convert a Christian to Judaism, the last on pain of death and forfeiture of property.
Later imperial law codes, such as Justinian's (527 to 565) in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, added further limits. Because Justinian saw himself as head of both Church and state, his code undermined the Jews' standing still more: they lost any legal autonomy and their testimony against Christians was no longer accepted in court.
Context
Splitting the medieval Jewish world between Islamic lands and Christendom has drawbacks. Communities on both sides shared a good deal: their legal standing came partly from Roman law, and cultural contact between the two areas was frequent, so each shaped the other.
§ 01Geography
Where it happened
§ 04Network
Connections
§ 05Bibliography
Further reading
Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the XIIIth Century (New York: Hermon Press, 1966).
The Church and the Jews in the thirteenth century · recommended in Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 212
§ 06Apparatus
Sources on this page
- 01Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186inspect
- 02Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186inspect
- 03Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 185; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 185inspect
- 04Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186inspect
- 05Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186inspect
- 06Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 186inspect
- 07Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 183; Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman, p. 183inspect
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