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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §28.2.6.pr-28.2.6.2

Institution of a Posthumous Child by Sterile or Castrated Men

Passage 4127 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The passage discusses the criteria for whether individuals with difficulty procreating, naturally sterile persons (spadones), castrated individuals, and hermaphrodites can appoint a posthumous heir.

[ULPIANUS libro tertio ad Sabinum. ] §28.2.6.prSed est quaesitum, an is, qui generare facile non possit, postumum heredem facere possit, et scribit Cassius et Iauolenus posse: nam et uxorem ducere et adoptare potest: spadonem quoque posse postumum heredem scribere et Labeo et Cassius scribunt: quoniam nec aetas nec sterilitas ei rei impedimento est.
[ULPIAN, Book 3 on Sabinus.] But the question has been raised whether a person who cannot easily procreate can appoint a posthumous child as heir, and Cassius and Javolenus write that he can; for he can both take a wife and adopt. A spado also can write a posthumous child as heir, as Labeo and Cassius write, since neither age nor sterility is an impediment to that matter.
§28.2.6.1Sed si castratus sit, Iulianus Proculi opinionem secutus non putat postumum heredem posse instituere, quo iure utimur.
But if he has been castrated, Julian, following the opinion of Proculus, does not think that he can appoint a posthumous child as heir, which is the rule of law we follow.
H §28.2.6.2ermaphroditus plane, si in eo uirilia praeualebunt, postumum heredem instituere poterit.
A h ermaphrodite, clearly, if the male characteristics predominate in him, will be able to appoint a posthumous child as heir.

Notes

  1. §28.2.6.prspadonem — The term spado (an impotent or naturally sterile person) is contrasted with castratus (a castrated person). In Roman law, a spado is permitted to marry and adopt, and consequently to appoint a posthumous heir, whereas a castratus is denied these rights.
  2. §28.2.6.prei rei impedimento est — Both ei rei (to that matter) and impedimento (as an impediment) are in the dative case, forming a double dative construction where the former is a dative of reference and the latter is a dative of purpose or effect (predicative dative).
  3. §28.2.6.1quo iure utimur — The noun iure is attracted into the relative clause of quo, which refers back to the opinion of Julian that a castrated person cannot appoint a posthumous heir. The phrase means 'which is the law (ius) we use (utimur + ablative)'.
  4. §28.2.6.2H...ermaphroditus — The word Hermaphroditus is anomalously split across sections, with the initial letter H placed at the end of §28.2.6.1 and the rest, ermaphroditus, at the beginning of §28.2.6.2 in the text tradition. The translations recreate this unnatural division.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §28.2.6.pr-28.2.6.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:28.2.6.pr-28.2.6.2

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