Did Roman Law Prohibit Yahudim from Owning Christian Slaves?

4th–5th c. CE · Codex Theodosianus 16.9 (+ related)

What the ancient record says

Yes, legislation increasingly restricted Yahudi ownership of slaves identified as Christianoi, appearing repeatedly in late Roman law. Why the state cared: slavery placed one person under another's household authority; Christian rulers grew concerned a Yahudi owner might circumcise, convert, or influence a Christian slave's religious identity, religious hierarchy entering property law.

Did the law abolish slavery? No, it was not "humans must no longer be owned"; it regulated which religious group could own particular slaves; slavery itself remained legal.

If a Yahudi owner circumcised a Christian slave: earlier legislation treated it severely; Constantinian and later laws addressed slave circumcision and gave mechanisms for affected slaves to gain freedom; later laws strengthened restrictions on Yahudi ownership of Christian slaves. Matters because religious status became embedded in property rights, household authority, and economic law.