
The author considers the codification of imperial constitutions (rescripts). After discussing the concept of codification in antiquity, she clarifies the etymology of the term codex, and presents the first attempts to formulate the Roman ius civile into one system. Then, the author discusses the concept and types of imperial constitutions, with particular emphasis on rescripts as responses by officials, corporations, and private persons to legal inquiries. She also presents a hypothesis on the idea of the origin of the rescripts from the practice of providing advice to clients by patrons. She uses the first two collections of
rescripts, i.e. the Gregorianus and Hermogenianus codes, to show the innovative nature of the Theodosian Code. The author ends with a presentation of works on the Justinian code and the layout of this collection.