Filio lustiniano Iohannes episcupus Urbis Romae : a proposito di C. 1.1.8

The exchange of letters between emperors and pontiffs declines a peculiar dimension of the relationship between East and West, the former being the continuator of the Roman empire, the latter the site of the establishment of the pope’s authority. The present contribution focuses on C. 1.1.8, a letter written in 534 by Pope John II to Justinian, which takes up an earlier letter written in 533 by the same emperor to the same pope. This text, in fact, is the only epistula from a pope included in the Justinian compilation. After framing its content and its place within Justinian’s religious policy, the essay aims to address: 1) the reasons why Pope John II’s letter was included in the Codex Iustinianus; 2) the normative value of this letter, the inclusion of which contradicts the instructions given for the codification.