Did Justinian Later Restrict the Legal Testimony of Yahudim Against Orthodox Christianoi?

6th c. · Emperor Justinian I · Justinianic legislation

What the ancient record says

Yes, under Justinian religious identity increasingly affected legal standing; legislation restricted the ability of people classified as heretics, Yahudim, Samaritans, and others to testify in certain cases involving orthodox Christianoi. Testimony matters: if one party can testify fully but the other's testimony is restricted by religious identity, the court is not on equal footing, affecting property disputes, contracts, personal injury, criminal accusations, and more.

Not completely forbidden in every case (too broad), restrictions varied by who the parties were and the type of case; some testimony remained possible in disputes internal to the community or involving other disfavored groups; the key point is inequality before the court. Matters: religious hierarchy was no longer confined to worship, it had entered the machinery of justice.