Justinian I, the
Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565, sponsored committees of jurists who reviewed existing laws
and, after eliminating outdated or contradictory laws, placed the laws and legal opinion into
one work. The work was significant in that it formed the basis of western law for centuries and
inspired the categories used in the Napoleonic Code of 1804, which was drawn up under Napoleon
and abolished feudal laws.
Justinian's Code also placed regulations on Jews
in the Byzantine Empire and began to take away the Jews' ability to practice what was formerly a
legal religion. The code allowed the state to intervene in religious Jewish questions, and
Justinian often did so. For example, he disallowed the reading of the Pentateuch in Hebrew. The
code also prohibited Jews from giving testimony in court against Christians, though they were
eventually allowed to testify in cases between Christians and the state. Though Jews had an
elevated status compared to other non-Christians, they were relegated to a lesser status than
Christians in the Byzantine Empire, and the law became an instrument in their
oppression.
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