Monastic Imprisonment in Justinian's Novels
Julia Hillner
In the period between 542 and 556 c.e. Justinian issued a number of laws that prescribed monastic imprisonment as punishment for both higher clergy members lay elite. Through this legislation, emperor introduced into Roman law unprecedented concept corrective penalty. Starting from detailed analysis laws, article demonstrates how emperor's innovations built upon traditional legal practices on more recent ecclesiastical ideals. With imprisonment, adapted custom domestic internment substitute penalty exile elite criminals. The reason using monasteries, rather than private households, to provide public service prisoner may, one hand, have been practical. Ideals hospitality within Christian context imperial influence especially over Constantinopolitan monasteries may encouraged believe were far less likely avoid an obligation host convict households. On other also saw offering additional, historically benefits internment. As tried make sure in his own legislation life, ideally provided institutional architectural framework, well guiding penitential ideology based ideal correction, which not only offered opportunity enhanced supervision, but spiritual correction criminal. Justinian's inspired by established use space failing clerics legislation. However, specific aim places penance, precedent does exist, seems police sexual promiscuity he discerned among married laity at court.
Journal of Early Christian Studies