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How did the Christian Golden Rule influence Gratian’s account of natural law?

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Painting by Rembrandt showing Aristotle in rich dark clothing with a gold chain, resting his hand thoughtfully on a marble bust of Homer, illuminated against a dark background. — natural law *Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer*, oil on canvas by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1653; in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

In the 12th century, the Italian monk Gratian, who is considered the father of the study of canon law, significantly shaped the understanding of natural law by equating it with divine law.12

Within this framework, Gratian identified natural law with the revealed law found in the Old and New Testaments. Specifically, he incorporated the Christian version of the Golden Rule—the precept to "do to others what you would have them do to you"—as a core component of this divine and natural legal order. By integrating these scriptural principles into his systematic work, the Decretum Gratiani, Gratian helped establish a foundation where moral and ethical duties derived from Christian revelation were treated as fundamental, binding aspects of natural law.132