Editing Codex Theodosianus (section)

== Context ==
The code was written in [[Latin]] and referred explicitly to the two capitals of Constantinople (''Constantinopolitana'') and Rome (''Roma'').<ref name=ancientrome.ru /> It was also concerned with the imposition of orthodoxy – the [[Arianism|Arian]] controversy was ongoing – within the [[Christianity|Christian]] religion and contains 65 decrees directed at heretics.{{sfn|Mango|2002|p=105}}

Initially, Theodosius attempted to commission ''leges generales'' beginning with Constantine as a supplement for the ''Codex Gregorianus'' and the ''Codex Hermogenianus''. He intended to supplement the legal codes with the opinions and writings of ancient Roman jurists, much like the digest found later in ''[[Justinian's Code]]''. But the task proved too great, and in 435, it was decided to concentrate solely on the laws from Constantine to the time of writing.

Matthews observes, "The Theodosian Code does, however, differ from the work of Justinian (except the Novellae), in that it was largely based not on existing juristic writings and collections of texts, but on primary sources that had never before been brought together."{{sfn|Matthews|2000|p=12}} Justinian's Code, published about 100 years later, comprised both ''ius'', "law as an interpretive discipline", and ''leges'', "the primary legislation upon which the interpretation was based".{{sfn|Matthews|2000|pp=10–12}} While the first part, or codex, of Justinian's ''Corpus Civilis Juris'' contained 12 books of ''constitutions'', or imperial laws, the second and third parts, the ''[[Digest (Roman law)|digest]]'' and the ''Institutiones'', contained the ''ius'' of Classical Roman jurists and the ''[[Institutes of Gaius|Institutes]]'' of [[Gaius (jurist)|Gaius]].

While the Theodosian Code may seem to lack a personal facet due to the absence of judicial reviews, upon further review, the legal code gives insight into Theodosius' motives behind the codification. Lenski quotes Matthews as noting that the "imperial constitutions represented not only prescriptive legal formulas but also descriptive pronouncements of an emperor's moral and ideological principles".{{sfn|Lenski|2003|p=331}}