In the shadow of the 2026 International Medieval Congress at Leeds, Gideon’s latest article was published in The Legal History Review (a.k.a. Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis / Revue d’histoire du droit). It is a rare example of an essay about a crucial step in any research process: assessing the background of received wisdom. In this case, the assumption is that the text of CJ 1,4,7, a law on episcopal adjudication, was issued by Arcadius as part of a larger legislative action on the 27th of July AD 398 at Mnizus. Gideon’s article establishes that this is exactly that: an assumption. Through an exploration of the (lacking) manuscript evidence and earlier humanist editions of the Code, notably that of Gregorius Haloander, this article stresses both the place Mnizus and promulgation by Arcadius are in fact assumptions, without extant direct evidence. Similarly, Krüger’s claim that CJ 1,4,7 was also part of the Theodosian Code lacks direct evidence. It is a welcome reminder to all working with historical evidence mediated through (much) older scholarship.
Gideon de Jong, ‘Did Arcadius legislate on episcopalis audientia? And was that legislation included in the Theodosian Code?’, Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis / Revue d’histoire du droit / The Legal History Review 94(1-2) (2026), pp. 138-181. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718190-20260110
