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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.3.1.pr

Papinian on the Definition of Law

Passage 20 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Papinian's definition of law. It defines law through four aspects: a common precept, the decision of wise men, the restraint of offenses, and the common covenant of the state.

[PAPINIANUS libro primo definitionum. ] §1.3.1.prLex est commune praeceptum, uirorum prudentium consultum, delictorum quae sponte uel ignorantia contrahuntur coercitio, communis rei publicae sponsio.
Law is a common precept, the decision of wise men, the restraint of offenses which are committed intentionally or through ignorance, the common covenant of the state.

Notes

  1. §1.3.1.prdelictorum... coercitio — delictorum (genitive plural of delictum) is an objective genitive governed by coercitio (restraint, punishment). The quae clause is a relative clause with delictorum as its antecedent; contrahuntur (passive of contrahere, here meaning to commit or incur a crime) indicates the commission of offenses. sponte (intentionally) and ignorantia (through ignorance) are ablatives of manner or cause.
  2. §1.3.1.prcommunis rei publicae sponsio — communis (nominative feminine singular) agrees in case, gender, and number with sponsio (covenant, solemn promise), not with the genitive rei publicae (of the state). Thus, it is interpreted as 'the common covenant of the state'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.3.1.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.3.1.pr

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