Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §24.2.3.pr

Validity of a Repudiation Sent in Anger

Passage 3582 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus explains that a repudiation sent in the heat of anger is not valid unless the intention persists, and if the wife returns shortly after, no divorce is deemed to have occurred.

[PAULUS libro trigesimo quinto ad edictum. ] §24.2.3.prDiuortium non est nisi uerum, quod animo perpetuam constituendi dissensionem fit.
[PAULUS, in the thirty-fifth book on the Edict.] There is no divorce unless it is real, being that which is done with the intention of establishing a permanent disagreement.
itaque quidquid in calore iracundiae uel fit uel dicitur, non prius ratum est, quam si perseuerantia apparuit iudicium animi fuisse: ideoque per calorem misso repudio si breui reuersa uxor est, nec diuortisse uidetur.
Therefore, whatever is either done or said in the heat of anger is not valid, unless it appears by perseverance that it was a deliberate judgment of the mind; and for this reason, if a repudiation is sent in the heat of anger, and the wife returns shortly after, she is not considered to have divorced.

Notes

  1. §24.2.3.prnon prius ratum est, quam si — A correlative expression expressing a strict conditional limitation, meaning 'is not valid until...' or 'is only valid if...'.
  2. §24.2.3.prperseuerantia — Ablative of means. Meaning 'perseverance' or 'persistence', it refers here to a continuous attitude that remains unchanged even after anger cools down, proving that the decision was a deliberate choice rather than a temporary impulse.
  3. §24.2.3.prmisso repudio — An ablative absolute construction with the prepositional phrase per calorem (in the heat of anger). It carries a conditional or concessive force, meaning 'even if a repudiation is sent'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §24.2.3.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:24.2.3.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.