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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §42.2.8.pr

Confession when Existence of the Object Is Uncertain

Passage 6924 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It states that even a defendant who has confessed should not necessarily be condemned if the very existence of the object of the dispute is uncertain.

[PAULUS libro quarto ad Sabinum. ] §42.2.8.prNon omnimodo confessus condemnari debet rei nomine, quae, an in rerum natura esset, incertum sit.
[PAULUS in the fourth book on Sabinus.] A person who has confessed ought not under all circumstances to be condemned in respect of a thing whose existence in the nature of things is uncertain.

Notes

  1. §42.2.8.prnon omnimodo — Expresses partial negation: "not in all circumstances" or "not in every case." While a confession (confessio) is normally decisive, this indicates that an exception applies when the existence of the subject matter is uncertain.
  2. §42.2.8.prin rerum natura esset — A Latin idiomatic expression meaning "to exist in reality" or "to be in the nature of things." Here it refers to whether the specific object (res) of the claim actually exists.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §42.2.8.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:42.2.8.pr

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