The myth of Irnerius

Who is Irnerius  called  Lucerna Iuris

The myth of Irnerius

Irnerius is usually credited with having single-handedly started off the

legal renaissance of the twelfth century by mastering and teaching all volumes of Justinian’s enormous Corpus iuris civilis, after having organized its components in an efficient way. Irnerius was the gleaming light at the beginning of the medieval tradition of legal eaching, and everyone that followed him was greatly in his debt.

The first man we know to have told it was the Bolognese law professor Odofredus, who died in 1265.

He was a pleasant, urbane, and loquacious man who knew how to liven up the dry fare of Justinian’s Digest with interesting anecdotes. He loved telling stories about his redecessors among Bolognese law professors.

Historians have learned to take such anecdotes with at least a grain of salt. Not so when Odofredus talked about Irnerius, who lived more than a century before him.

Signori, dominus Irnerius qui fuit apud nos lucerna iuris: id est primus qui docuit in civitate ista in artibus: nam primo cepit studium esse in civitate ista in artibus et cum studium esset destructum Rome libri legales fuerunt deportati ad civitatem Ravenne et de ravenna ad civitatem istam: quidam dominus Pepo cepit autoritate sua legere in legibus tamen quicquid fuerit de scientia sua nullius nominis fuit. Sed dominus Irnerius dum doceret in artibus in civitate ista cum fuerunt deportati libri legales cepit per se studere in libris nostris, et studendo cepit docere in legibus, et ipse fuit maximi nominis et fuit primus illuminator scientie nostre. Et quia primus fuit qui fecit glosas in libris nostris vocamus eum lucernam Iuris.

Odofredo, Commentarium Dig.  1.1.6

Now, sirs, you should know that dominus Irnerius was the lamp of law among us, that is the first who taught in this city... But dominus Yrnerius, since the libri legales had been brought [to Bologna] while he was teaching in [the liberal] arts in this city, began to study on his own in our books and, studying, began to read in the laws, and he was of great fame and the first illuminator of the science, and he was the first who glossed our books.

 We call him the Light of Law [“lucerna iuris”].