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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.1.1.pr

Definition of a Testament as the Expression of Will

Passage 4091 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It provides the definition of a testament, stating that it is the lawful expression of one's will regarding what they wish to be done after their death.

[MODESTINUS libro secundo pandectarum. ] §28.1.1.prTestamentum est uoluntatis nostrae iusta sententia de eo, quod quis post mortem suam fieri uelit.
[MODESTINUS, in the second book of the Pandects.] A testament is the lawful expression of our will regarding what a person wishes to be done after their death.

Notes

  1. §28.1.1.priusta sententia — The adjective iusta in legal contexts means not just "just" or "righteous," but "lawful," "legitimate," or "in due form." The noun sententia here denotes a "formal expression" or "declaration" of mind, rather than a mere "opinion" or "judicial sentence."
  2. §28.1.1.pruelit — The present subjunctive form (third-person singular) inside the relative clause quod... uelit. It is interpreted as a subjunctive of characterization or to denote a general possibility/hypothesis ("what one might wish").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.1.1.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.1.1.pr

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