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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §1.8.9.pr-1.8.9.5

Definitions of Sacred Places and Shrines and the Authority to Consecrate

Passage 157 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section defines "sacred places," "shrines," and "holy things," detailing the authority required for consecration and the regulations regarding municipal walls.

[ULPIANUS libro sexagensimo octauo ad edictum. ] §1.8.9.prSacra loca ea sunt, quae publice sunt dedicata, siue in ciuitate sint siue in agro.
[ULPIAN, Commentary on the Edict, book 68] Sacred places are those which have been publicly dedicated, whether they are in a city or in the country.
§1.8.9.1Sciendum est locum publicum tunc sacrum fieri posse, cum princeps eum dedicauit uel dedicandi dedit potestatem.
It must be known that a public place can become sacred only when the emperor has dedicated it or has given the power of dedicating it.
§1.8.9.2Illud notandnm est aliud esse sacrum locum, aliud sacrarium.
The following must be noted: a sacred place is one thing, a shrine is another.
sacer locus est locus consecratus, sacrarium est locus, in quo sacra reponuntur, quod etiam in aedificio priuato esse potest, et solent, qui liberare eum locum religione uolunt, sacra inde euocare.
A sacred place is a consecrated place; a shrine is a place in which sacred things are deposited, which can even be in a private building, and those who wish to free that place from religious obligation are accustomed to evoke the sacred things from there.
§1.8.9.3Proprie dicimus sancta, quae neque sacra neque profana sunt, sed sanctione quadam confirmata: ut leges sanctae sunt, sanctione enim quadam sunt subnixae.
Strictly speaking, we call "sanctum" those things which are neither sacred nor profane, but have been confirmed by a certain sanction: for example, laws are holy, for they are supported by a certain sanction.
quod enim sanctione quadam subnixum est, id sanctum est, etsi deo non sit consecratum: et interdum in sanctionibus adicitur, ut qui ibi aliquid commisit, capite puniatur.
For what is supported by a certain sanction is holy, even if it has not been consecrated to a god; and sometimes it is added in the sanctions that whoever has committed an offense there shall be punished capitally.
§1.8.9.4Muros autem municipales nec reficere licet sine principis. uel praesidis auctoritate nec aliquid eis coniungere uel superponere.
Furthermore, it is not permitted to repair municipal walls without the authority of the emperor or the governor, nor to connect anything to them or place anything upon them.
§1.8.9.5Res sacra non recipit aestimationem.
A sacred thing does not admit of valuation.

Notes

  1. 1.8.9.1Sciendum est — An impersonal construction using the gerundive, meaning "it must be known," which governs the accusative and infinitive clause locum publicum ... fieri posse. The correlatives tunc ... cum emphasize a restrictive temporal/conditional relationship: "only when ... then."
  2. 1.8.9.2religione — An ablative of separation used with the verb liberare (to free, release). In this context, it refers to releasing the place from "religious obligation" or "sacred status."
  3. 1.8.9.3capite puniatur — The ablative singular capite (from caput, head/life/civil status) functions as an ablative of penalty, forming the legal idiom "to be punished capitally" (i.e., by death). The ut clause with the present subjunctive passive puniatur serves as the subject clause of the impersonal verb adicitur ("it is added").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §1.8.9.pr-1.8.9.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:1.8.9.pr-1.8.9.5

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