Syro-Roman Book

SYRO-ROMAN BOOK. - It is the name given by modern scholars to an Eastern legal compilation which, in different versions, bears the title of Δικαιώματα, of Leges saeculares and of Leges Constantini Theodosii Leonis. The S. R. B. was composed, according to the most widespread opinion, in Greek, according to another, in Latin (the original is lost), in the second half of the 5th century and, in all likelihood, was intended for the episcopalis audientia (v.). The Syriac versions (Paris and London) must instead be assigned to the 7th or 8th century. The other extant versions are one Arabic, one Armenian and three Aramaic (Vatican Library).

Drawn up, as has been said, for practical purposes and perhaps also for school use, it presents an original core of ius civile comprising the treatment of the four topics usually [dealt with] in the vicinity [?], namely dower, guardianship, testament, legacy; to which follow scanty elements of criminal law, of civil and criminal procedural law and of administrative law. The Paris manuscript presents in its treatment the order of the Sabinian system.

The first edition was made by Land (1862); the principal one is that of E. Sachau (Syrisch-römische Rechtsbücher, I, 1907, with German translation). The Latin translation, the work of Ferrini, was republished, after revision by G. Furlani, in Fontes iuris romani anteiustiniani, II, Florence 1940, pp. 759-98, with ample bibliographical indications.

Rodolfo Danieli