Lexicon of Speech (Volume 48)

Author: (Italian) Giuseppe Vigni
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The translation of Book 48 of the "Digest" is undoubtedly important in itself, given the material it involves—Roman law. However, its significance also stems from the particularly important role that criminal law has played in the history of Chinese law. I believe that this translation will be especially helpful for legal scholars in the Roman law tradition in comparing the criminal law traditions of Roman law with those of ancient Chinese law. Such research may contribute to a deeper understanding of the historical development of ancient China and the West, which adopted different organizational structures. However, I also believe that legal scholars in the Roman law tradition can gain much from their study of the content covered in this translation, such as the definition of certain types of crimes, the general definition of criminal acts, and an accurate understanding of the relationship between the coercive power of citizens and that of republican officials during the process of criminal prosecution.