Answer:
by determining if the law was passed before or after the Great Ming Code
Step-by-step explanation:
If a historian finds documentary evidence of a Ming Dynasty law that prohibits criminals from becoming monks and he wants to place this decree in an absolute chronology, then he has to determine if the law was passed before or after the Great Ming Code.
In 1373, the Ming Code was made with the purpose of regulating all aspects of Chinese life during that period.