The Emperor Justinian Augustus to Mennas, archbishop of the royal city of Constantinople. Receiving very many petitions, we have deemed it just to direct this law to your Beatitude. For those who are ordained by your reverence as clerics in the most holy churches (excepting however the most holy Great Church) suffer the cruellest things of all, the churches there not receiving them before they receive as much gold as they wish. And we have come to know this from the frequent petitions made to us about it. We ordain therefore that your Beatitude most strongly guard this. And if indeed there be a custom that those who are ordained in the most holy Great Church give (something), let them furnish this.
For we innovate nothing concerning those things which are given in the most holy Great Church. But moreover, in all others, let there be utterly no license to any of the clerics in them to exact anything for what are called 'insinuative' fees (registration dues). But even if anyone should do any such thing, let him indeed be deprived of his priesthood, and let one who is sent enter into his office, and let him bear this as the wage of his avarice. And let the defenders most loving of God of the most holy Great Church guard these things too, dreading a penalty of ten pounds of gold, if they should neglect anything. But let all things proceed gratis. For thereafter we wish that funeral services and ministrations be performed not by sale, nor by any trafficking, but purely and apart from redemption (payment).
54:3
Sicenimreidignifientnullavenditioneacmercationefacienda. Tuaigiturbeatitudo, etquiposteainpontificalesaccesserintsedes, quaeanobisordinatasunt, etperhancdeclaratasuntlegem, operieflectuiquetraderefestinet. Dat. IIIKal. Nov. Constant. imp. d. n. Justin. Aug. an. 11, postBilis. v. c. cons. ann. 2.
For thus they will become worthy of the office, no sale and trafficking being made. Your Beatitude therefore, and those who hereafter shall accede to the pontifical sees, let it hasten to hand over to work and effect the things that have been ordained by us, and declared through this law. Given on the third day before the Kalends of November at Constantinople, in the eleventh year of the reign of our lord Justinian Augustus, after the consulship of Belisarius, most distinguished man, in the second year.