COR'PUS JU'RIS (Lat., body of law). A comprehensive collection of the entire body of law- of a given jurisdiction. The phrase has been specifically applied to two great compila tions of law, both based on the jurisprudence of the Roman Empire, viz.: (I ) The Corpus Juris ('irilis. or body of the civil law known, by way of eminence, as the Cor pus Juris, is made up of the Code, the Pandects, or Digest, and the Institutes, compiled and pro mulgated by the authority of Justinian (A.D. 528 53-t), and the Novels Constitutiones), subsequently promulgated by him' o correct errors and defects in the previous work. The first instance of the use of the expression Corpus Juris to describe the collection is found in the year 1583. As a whole the work became the text book of medieval law-, was the basis of instruc tion in the great law schools of Bologna and else where, and is the foundation of the scientific study of law in all the universities. of Continental Europe to-day. It has been truthfully said that "with the exception of the Bible, no book was ever more widely studied by the Caucasian races." The best edition is that of Mommsen (who edited the Digest), Kruger (Institutes and Code), and Sehael (the Novels). It has been translated into German, but never as a whole into English. though the institutes and
some portions of the Digest have been made available for English readers. See CIVIL LAW; CODE; DICEST ; and consult Lee. Historical Jurisprudence (New York, 1000) ; and Hadley, Roman Lam.
( 2 ) Corpus Juris Canonici.--The corresponding body of the canon law of the Church of Rome had a slower growth. The first compilation to which the name was applied was the Dceretunt of Gratian, a learned professor of the canon law at the University of Bologna, published abola, A.D. 1150. This was a private, unofficial collec tion of synodical canons and Papal decretals, made for use as a text-book in the law school, but. it at once became a leading authority in the Church. Subsequent oflieial collections—prin cipally the Libri Extra Derrctum of Pope Greg ory IX., the Libcr Sextus of Boldface VIII., and the compilation of Clement V., known as the "Clementine Decretals"—•ere embodied in the Corpus and became parts of it. Thus coin pkted, the entire work has continued to be the standard of the canon law. The best editions are those of flamer (17•7) and Richter (Leip zig, 1833, 1877-81). See CIVIL Law; CANON LAW; and consult Lee, Historical Jurisprudence (New York, 1900).