ABSTRACT
When the first edition of Justinian's Codex was published in 529 the decree which confirmed it opened with the observation that the safety of the state chiefly proceeded from arms and laws. From these, Justinian felt, the state derived its strength. Such a juxtaposition of military and legal activities is common in texts of the period. It occurs in the decree which announced the beginning of work on the Digest in 530, and in the preface to the decree which confirmed that work in 533. Justinian would have agreed with a sentiment Cassiodorus put in the mouth of Theoderic the Ostrogoth: 'It is our purpose to set the provinces the help of God has made subject to us in order by the laws, just as we defend them with arms' (Variae 4.12.1). Justinian's endeavors to reform the laws had seen remarkable success, and it was not surprising he turned his attention to war.
