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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §29.3.12.pr

Opening Copies and Requirements for Valid Will Opening

Passage 4514 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It rules that the mere opening of a copy of a will does not constitute the formal opening of the will itself, which requires the opening of the entire original document.

[ULPIANUS libro tertio decimo ad legem Iuliam et Papiam. ] §29.3.12.prSi quis fecerit testamentum et exemplum eius, exemplo quidem aperto nondum apertum est testamentum: quod si authenticum patefactum est totum, apertum.
[ULPIAN, book thirteen on the Lex Julia et Papia] If someone has made a will and a copy of it, although the copy indeed is opened, the will is not yet opened; but if the original is opened as a whole, it is opened.

Notes

  1. §29.3.12.prexemplo quidem aperto — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the noun exemplo and the participle aperto. Accompanied by quidem, it carries a concessive force ("although the copy indeed is opened").
  2. §29.3.12.prquod si — The relative particle quod functions connectively here, combining with si to mean "but if," introducing a contrasting condition.
  3. §29.3.12.prauthenticum — The neuter nominative of the adjective authenticus used substantively, referring back to the testamentum to mean the "original" copy.
  4. §29.3.12.prapertum — An ellipsis of the auxiliary verb est; it stands for apertum est ("it is opened").

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §29.3.12.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:29.3.12.pr

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