The Lamp of the Law
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Irnerius the Italian jurist was so called. He was the first to lecture on the Pandects of Justinian after their discovery at Amalfi in 1137.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Lamp of the Law” mean?
Irnerius the Italian jurist was so called. He was the first to lecture on the Pandects of Justinian after their discovery at Amalfi in 1137.
Is “The Lamp of the Law” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.