Razvod braka u rimskom i Justinijanovom pravu

Abstract

Rimski brak temeljio se na saglasnoj volji supružnika da budu u braku (affectio maritalis). Sve dok takva volja postoji, postojao je i brak. Zbog promenljivosti ljudske volje, rimski brakovi lako su se sklapali, ali su se isto tako lako i raskidali. Rimski hrišćanski imperatori ograničavaju razvod braka propisujući razloge iz kojih se brak može jednostrano razvesti.Sve do Justinijana bio je dozvoljen sporazumni razvod braka. On najpre izdaje 22. Novelu kojom dozvoljava sporazumni razvod, da bi ga sedam godina docnije 117. Novelom zabranio. Moguće je da je promena njegovog stava po pitanju sporazumnog razvoda braka prouzrokovana njegovim okretanjem papi i Zapadnoj crkvi koja je u odnosu na Istočnu crkvu bila stroža po pitanju mogućnosti razvoda braka.

The Romans did not consider marriage a legal act but rather a fact of social life with legal effects. An essential element of a Roman marriage was a will to be married (affectio maritalis). As long as such a will existed, marriage also existed. Due to change ability of such a human will, Roman marriages were also easily concluded and dissolved. Freedom of dissolution of marriage led to crisis of marital and family life. Therefore Octavian Augustus was forced to enact a set of laws (the Julian marriage laws) which were aimed at reestablishing marriage and family morality. By adopting these laws, the moral crisis of the Roman society did not end. On the contrary, it deepened. Under the influence of Christianity, Roman Christian emperors limited the freedom of dissolution of marriage by prescribing just causes which allowed dissolution of marriage (iustae causae repudii). However, divorce by mutual consent had been allowed by the time of Justinian. He himself did not lead consistent policy regarding dissolution of marriage. In 535 Justinian firstly enacted 22nd Novel in which allowed divorce by mutual consent. Only seven years later, Justinian prohibited divorce by mutual consent in the Novel 117. It is possible that a change in Justinian's attitude towards divorce by mutual consent was caused by his turning to Pope and the Western Church which, in a comparison to the Eastern Church, was more rigid concerning the possibility of divorce.