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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.16.2.pr-1.16.2.1

Voluntary Jurisdiction of Proconsuls and Legates

Passage 187 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Marcianus explains that the jurisdiction possessed by proconsuls immediately after departing from Rome is limited to voluntary jurisdiction, enabling manumissions and adoptions, whereas their legates do not have this authority.

[MARCIANUS libro primo institutionum. ] §1.16.2.prOmnes proconsules statim quam urbem egressi fuerint habent iurisdictionem, sed non contentiosam, sed uoluntariam: ut ecce manumitti apud eos possunt tam liberi quam serui et adoptiones fieri.
[MARCIANUS, from the first book of his Institutes.] All proconsuls, as soon as they have departed from the city, possess jurisdiction, yet not contentious, but voluntary; so that, for example, both free persons and slaves can be manumitted in their presence, and adoptions can take place.
§1.16.2.1Apud legatum uero proconsulis nemo manumittere potest, quia non habet iurisdictionem talem.
But before the legate of a proconsul, no one can manumit, because he does not possess such jurisdiction.

Notes

  1. §1.16.2.prstatim quam — The adverb "statim" combined with the relative adverb "quam" functions as a conjunction meaning "as soon as", synonymous with "statim ut" or "simul ac".
  2. §1.16.2.prtam liberi quam serui — Subject of the passive infinitive "manumitti". Although "manumissio" typically refers to the freeing of slaves (servi), here the emancipation (emancipatio) of free children (liberi) from paternal power is included under the broader sense of "manumitti".
  3. §1.16.2.1legatum — Refers to the legate of a proconsul (legatus proconsulis). Although they possess delegated jurisdiction (iurisdictio delegata), they do not, by default, have the power to oversee voluntary acts of jurisdiction (iurisdictio voluntaria) such as manumission or adoption.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.16.2.pr-1.16.2.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.16.2.pr-1.16.2.1

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