Were Yahudim Barred from Certain Public Offices Under Roman Law?
5th c. CE ยท Theodosian + later imperial law
What the ancient record says
Yes, legislation increasingly restricted Yahudim from certain government positions; an important 5th-century law prohibited Yahudim and Samaritans from particular imperial offices, part of a broader legal differentiation between Christianoi and Yahudim. Public office matters (authority, legal influence, status, income, access to administration, protection); removing a group changes its relationship to the state.
Not every occupation removed (too broad), different laws addressed different offices at different times (military service, imperial administration, legal offices, others); each provision tied to its exact law. Revealing: certain laws restricted access to prestigious/advantageous offices while still requiring burdensome civic duties, legal exclusion did not always mean freedom from obligations: sometimes restricted from privilege while still liable for burdens.
Read it for yourself. Codex Theodosianus Book 16 Title 8; Theodosius II 5th-century provisions on public service (laws span multiple emperors, not all Constantine).
Evidence strength: Direct Roman legal evidence.