Who compiled the Corpus iuris civilis?

• A. Justinian I
• B. Constantine
• C. Theodosius
• D. Hippocrates

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that this famous codification of Roman law was created by centralizing and organizing centuries of legal texts under imperial authority. Emperor Justinian I initiated and supervised the project in the early 6th century, assembling a panel of jurists to draft and compile the material. The result, completed around 529–534 CE, produced the four parts known as the Codex Justinianus, the Digest (Pandects), the Institutes, and the Novellae. This is why Justinian I is the best answer: he ordered and oversaw the compilation that gave us the Corpus iuris civilis.

Constantine the Great is associated with other major changes in the Roman Empire, including the legalization of Christianity and moving the capital to Byzantium, not the codification of Roman law. Theodosius I is linked to the Theodosian Code, a separate legal compilation completed earlier than Justinian’s project. Hippocrates is a physician from ancient Greece, unrelated to Roman legal codification.