DECODE_LRE

Bernier, A. (2026). Constantine's Law on Sunday Rest: A Reconsideration. Journal of Late Antiquity 19(1), 7-34. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jla.2026.a987016.

ABSTRACT: A constitution preserved in Justinian's Code (CJ 3.12.2) attributes to the emperor Constantine the introduction of a general Sunday rest in the Roman Empire. In modern historiography, this famous constitution has long been considered a crucial step in the Christianization of the Roman calendar in Late Antiquity. However, this modern consensus contrasts with the silence of ancient sources regarding the promulgation and reception of the law. Moreover, contextualizing this rule within the fourth-century legislative and religious documentation pertaining to Sunday observance proves extremely problematic. Through an analysis of the text and its transmission in the ancient law codes, this paper challenges the traditional interpretation of the document, demonstrating that the introduction of a general Sunday rest cannot be attributed to the first Christian emperor and that the content of CJ 3.12.2 does not reflect the legal situation of the fourth century.

SEE THE FULL TEXT at: https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/987016/pdf

Bernier, A. (2025). Review of Michael Crawford, Diocletian’s Edict of Maximum Prices at the Civil Basilica in Aphrodisias (Wiesbaden 2023). Klio - Czasopismo Poświęcone Dziejom Polski i Powszechnym 75(2), 245–251, https://doi.org/10.12775/KLIO.2025.019.

SEE THE FULL TEXT at: https://apcz.umk.pl/KLIO/article/view/59165/43266

Forthcoming:

Bernier, A. Who are the people addressed by late-antique imperial constitutions? Populus, provinciales, and municipal communities in the Theodosian Code. In H. Appel, P. Wojciechowski, Optimus civis. Ideał obywatela i władcy a rzeczywistość w Rzymie w okresie schyłku republiki i wczesnego cesarstwa, Toruń 2026.

ABSTRACT: This article examines imperial constitutions addressed to the population that were included in the Theodosian Code. These represent a relatively limited corpus of texts, comprising edicts and imperial letters directed either to the entire population of the empire or to specific communities. The identity of some addressees, particularly the populus to whom most of these documents were directed, has recently become a subject of historiographical debate. This study reconsiders the question by shifting focus from the content of the laws to the sources used by Theodosius II's commissioners for the compilation, especially for the fourth-century legislation. The composition of these sources significantly influenced the representativeness of the material included in the collection, and this proves crucial for properly interpreting both the documents and their addressees.

Under review:

Bernier, A. Comes per Orientem Aegyptum et Mesopotamiam. Constantius II and the Administrative Reorganisation of the Roman Near East (8,000-words paper submitted to a top-tier scientific journal)

SEE THE FULL TEXT at: https://apcz.umk.pl/KLIO/article/view/59165/43266

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse