Nov. 66 e l'efficacia della legge in età giustinianea

Abstract􀍘􀀃 􀍸􀀃 This paper focuses on the problem of communicating imperial norms in late antiquity. It evaluates the various ways and means by which the legislator in the later Roman Empire made public imperial legislation and promoted, among his subjects, actual knowledge of its contents. Among the various relevant aspects, two are addressed with specific reference to the age of Justinian: on one side, the issue of language, raised by the need to guarantee an effective diffusion of imperial legislation among Greek speakers; on the other side, the rise of a specific awareness of the existence of a distinction between validity and effectiveness, as established by Nov. 66 (enacted in the year 538), that underlines the necessity of allowing the Emperor’s subjects adequate time to acquire real knowledge of the legal norms.