Vol. I, 69. "To inflict unnatural cruelty upon—and finally to kill—a slave was prohibited by Augustus Claudius and Antoninus Pius. Moreover, because by natural law all men were born free and equal (see Digest, 50, 17, 32) the Emperor often restored to slaves the status of a freeborn person."
I, 146. "Constantine ... abolished crucifixion as a punishment; encouraged the emancipation of slaves...."
I, 150. " ... It is regrettable that Christianity did not change other parts of the Roman law of persons which ought to have been reformed. The chief example of this failure is slavery, which the law of Justinian fully recognized. The inertia of past centuries as to slavery was too great to be overcome. St. Paul's attitude towards slavery was to recognize the status quo, and he did not counsel wholesale emancipation. But Christianity continued the progress of the pagan law along the lines of mercy and kindness, e.g., to poison a slave or brand him was treated in later Imperial Roman law as homicide, and manumission was made easier; but the Church did not recognize the marriage of slaves until over 300 years after Justinian's death."
II, 434, "In Roman law ... the slave was a thing or chattel—nothing more legally. Slaves could no hold property—slaves could not marry, their actual unions were never legally recognized."
II, 436, "With the advent of Greek culture and Christianity the harsh manners of ancient Rome became greatly altered."
II, 828, "One feature of the Lex Aquilia is ... that it granted an action in damages for the unlawful killing of ... the slave of another man." Inst., 413, pr; Gaius 3, 210.
II. 829, " ... the owner had his option either of suing the culprit for damages under the lex Aquilia or of causing him to be criminally prosecuted." Inst., 4, 3, 11 Gaius 3, 213.
II, 935, "A free person called as a witness could not be subjected to torture, but a slave could be tortured."