Abstract: A constitution preserved in Justinian's Code ( CJ 3.12.2) attributes to the emperor Constantine the introduction of a general Sunday rest in the Roman Empire. In modern historiography, this famous constitution has long been considered a crucial step in the Christianization of the Roman calendar in Late Antiquity. However, this modern consensus contrasts with the silence of ancient sources regarding the promulgation and reception of the law. Moreover, contextualizing this rule within the fourth-century legislative and religious documentation pertaining to Sunday observance proves extremely problematic. Through an analysis of the text and its transmission in the ancient law codes, this paper challenges the traditional interpretation of the document, demonstrating that the introduction of a general Sunday rest cannot be attributed to the first Christian emperor and that the content of CJ 3.12.2 does not reflect the legal situation of the fourth century.
Andrea Bernier (Sun,) studied this question.