Legal Definitions - Corpus Juris Canonici

Definition: The Corpus Juris Canonici is a collection of laws and regulations of the Roman Catholic Church, compiled from the decrees and canons of the Church. It emerged during the 12th century and includes several works such as Gratian's Decretum, Raymond of Peforte's Liber Extra, the Liber Sextus of Pope Boniface VIII, the Clementines of Pope Clement V, the Extravagantes Joannis of Pope John XXII, and Extravagantes Communes published by Pope John's successors.

Example: After Gratian's Decretum, later papal enactments were collected and issued by the authority of various popes. A revised edition of such "decretals" was presented to Pope Gregory IX in 1234 and issued by him with statutory force. The resulting compilation in four "books" was regarded as a "Code," corresponding to the "Code" of Justinian, just as the Decretum of Gratian corresponded to the Digest. All these compilations and collections were, from the sixteenth century on, known as the Corpus Juris Canonici, the "Body of Canon Law," and formed the basis of the law administered in the Church courts.

Explanation: The example illustrates how the Corpus Juris Canonici was compiled and how it formed the basis of the law administered in the Church courts. It shows how the Corpus Juris Canonici was a collection of various works, including Gratian's Decretum, and how it was revised and updated over time with new papal enactments. The example also highlights how the Corpus Juris Canonici was regarded as a "Code" of canon law, similar to the "Code" of Justinian in Roman law.