Basilica

BASILICA: 1. Legal codes. Since the great codification of the Roman law by Justinian, the Corpus juris civilis, was written in Latin, it could not meet the needs of the East, and required Greek translations. To do away with the uncertainty which had arisen from such versions, in 878 the emperor Basil the Macedonian had a handbook put together, covering forty titles, and put out a revision in 885. A further revision and codification of the older laws, edited once more under Leo the Wise (886), bears the Greek name of ta basilika. It is in sixty books, based on Justinian's compilation from the older versions and commentaries, with extracts from his later constitutions known as the Novellæ, and from Basil's handbook mentioned above.

(E. Friedberg.)

2. Early form of Christian churches. See Architecture, Ecclesiastical.

Bibliography: C. E. Zacharia, Historiæ juris Græco-Romani delineatio, pp. 35–36. Heidelberg, 1839; Mortreuil, Histoire du droit Byzantin, part ii, pp. 1 sqq., part iii, pp. 230 sqq., Paris, 1843–46; Krumbacher, Geschichte, pp. 171, 257–258, 606, 607, 609, 610, 977.