Critica del testo e ricerca romanistica: fermenti di fine anni '60 e prospettive attuali

The author, drawing inspiration from the presentations given at the 1967 conference of the Società Italiana di Storia del Diritto entitled “La critica del testo”, argues that the various approaches to study that have emerged in recent decades and replaced the fallacious hypercritical approach of interpolationism have paved the way for new and fruitful research’s perspectives on the sources, but cannot supplant the use of textual criticism: on the contrary, textual criticism has become more exigent because of the aforementioned new approaches and must remain an essential tool and starting point, to be cultivated with great care, for any reading of the sources. The author supports the reference to this methodological guideline with some concrete examples of textual exegesis concerning passages from Gaius’ Institutions, the Digest, Justinian’s Code, and the Basilica.