Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §23.1.5.pr

Conditions for Betrothal between Absent Parties

Passage 3293 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Pomponius states the requirements for a betrothal between absent persons, which are either their prior knowledge or their subsequent ratification.

[POMPONIUS libro sexto decimo ad Sabinum. ] §23.1.5.prhaec ita, si scientibus his qui absint sponsalia fiant aut si postea ratum habuerint.
[POMPONIUS, in the sixteenth book on Sabinus.] This is so, if the betrothal is contracted with the knowledge of those who are absent, or if they have subsequently ratified it.

Notes

  1. §23.1.5.prhaec ita — An elliptical expression with the copula or a verb omitted (such as 'haec ita sunt' or 'fieri possunt'). It qualifies the rule stated in the preceding section (D. 23.1.4.1) that absent persons can be betrothed, meaning 'this is so only under the following conditions.'
  2. §23.1.5.prscientibus his — An ablative absolute consisting of the present participle 'scientibus' and the demonstrative 'his' in the ablative, which serves as the antecedent to the relative clause 'qui absint'. It expresses an attendant circumstance ('with their knowledge') modifying the conditional clause 'si sponsalia fiant'.
  3. §23.1.5.prratum habuerint — The phrase 'ratum habere' is a legal idiom meaning 'to approve' or 'to ratify'. The verb 'habuerint' is in the perfect subjunctive (or future perfect indicative) third-person plural, whose subject is the absent parties ('his qui absint').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §23.1.5.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:23.1.5.pr

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.