TRIBONIAN. - Jurist of the 6th century, b. probably in Pamphylia, d. in 542 or 543, he was the principal collaborator of Justinian I in the work of systematizing the texts of Roman law (v. CORPUS IURIS CIVILIS).

Magister officiorum in 528 (little is known of his life before that date), he was a member of the commission which, under the presidency of John of Cappadocia, compiled the first Codex Iustinianus.

He then directed, as quaestor sacri palatii, the work of the commission charged with drafting the Digesta (530-33), the conception of which probably goes back to him. In the great work many works were used, extremely rare, from his private library; and the whole activity of the commission, as also the legislative activity that accompanied the drafting of the Digesta (Quinquaginta decisiones, constitutiones ad commodum propositi operis pertinentes), bear the imprint of his strong personality. From him took their name (Emblemata Triboniani) the interpolations (v.) introduced into the classical texts to harmonize them with the principles in force in the Justinianic era.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: in addition to that of the v. CORPUS IURIS CIVILIS, cf. P. Bonfante, Stor. del dir. rom., II, Rome 1934, p. 48 ff.; B. Kübler, De Iustiniani in codice renovando ministri, in Acta Congr. iurid. internat., I, ibid. 1935, p. 1 ff.

Rodolfo Danieli

@incollection{ec12_triboniano, author = {Danieli, Rodolfo}, title = {Triboniano}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {493--494}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/triboniano} }

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