Law and Family in Late Antiquity

Description

This is a new and thought-provoking study of law and marriage in late antiquity, dealing particularly with the legislation on marriage enacted by the Roman emperor Constantine (AD 307-337). As the first emperor to accept Christianity, Constantine is often credited with having introduced Christian ideals and practices into Roman law, but in this book the author argues that the extent of Christian influence on Constantine's marriage legislation was limited. Rather, in many cases, it merely granted legal recognition to practices that had long been followed by many people in the Roman Empire. Whilst Constantine did not always endorse such practices, and in some cases even tried to repress them, a careful examination of his laws against the dual background of classical Roman law and early Christian attitudes towards marriage reveals much about contemporary behaviour and belief in late antiquity.

First Sentence

MANY of the characteristics we associate with the world of 'late antiquity' had already begun to appear under the Antonines: the pressure of barbarian peoples on the borders of the Empire, the legal division of society into honestiores ('more honourable') and humiliores ('more lowly'), a heightened sense of religiosity and concern for the individual.

Excerpt

MANY of the characteristics we associate with the world of 'late antiquity' had already begun to appear under the Antonines: the pressure of barbarian peoples on the borders of the Empire, the legal division of society into honestiores ('more honourable') and humiliores ('more lowly'), a heightened sense of religiosity and concern for the individual.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Law and family in late antiquity: the Emperor Constantine's marriage legislationClarendon Press1995-01-01
• Law and Family in Late AntiquityOxford University Press, USA2000-02-21