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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §37.6.12.pr

Suspension of Collatio Pending the Birth of a Child

Passage 5787 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It discusses that if a pregnant wife is granted possession of the estate on behalf of the unborn child, the contribution (collatio) is suspended until the child is born.

[PAULUS libro quadragensimo primo ad edictum. ] §37.6.12.prSi praegnantem quis uxorem reliquerit et ea uentris nomine in possessionem missa fuerit, interim cessat collatio: nam antequam nascatur, non potest dici in potestate morientis fuisse: sed nato conferetur.
[PAULUS, from the forty-first book on the Edict.] If anyone leaves a pregnant wife and she has been put into possession in the name of the unborn child, in the meantime the contribution ceases; for before the child is born, it cannot be said to have been under the power of the deceased; but when it is born, the contribution shall be made.

Notes

  1. §37.6.12.pruentris nomine — A legal technical expression composed of the genitive of uenter (belly, womb, unborn child) and the ablative of nomen (name, capacity). It means 'in the name of the unborn child' or 'on behalf of the fetus.' In Roman law, it refers to the procedure of granting provisional possession of the estate to the pregnant mother (missio in possessionem uentris nomine) to protect the inheritance rights of the child yet unborn (nasciturus) at the time of the father's death.
  2. §37.6.12.prnato — This can be interpreted either as an ablative absolute of the perfect participle of nasci (to be born), i.e., nato [eo] meaning 'when he is born,' or as a dative meaning 'to/for the one who is born.' In this translation, considering the contrast with the preceding 'before the child is born' (antequam nascatur) and the impersonal force of the future verb 'conferetur' (the contribution shall be made), it is interpreted as an ablative absolute indicating the temporal condition.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §37.6.12.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:37.6.12.pr

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