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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §43.1.2.pr-43.1.2.3

Classification of Interdicts by Nature and Purpose

Passage 7029 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus presents the classification of interdicts into double and simple, discusses their protective purposes (human, divine, or religious matters), explains their substantive nature, and outlines the threefold division of family property interdicts: for acquiring, recovering, or retaining possession.

[PAULUS libro sexagensimo tertio ad edictum. ] §43.1.2.prInterdictorum quaedam duplicia sunt, quaedam simplicia.
[PAULUS, on the Edict, book sixty-three.] Some interdicts are double, some are simple.
duplicia dicuntur, ut uti possidetis, simplicia sunt ea, ueluti exhibitoria et restitutoria, item prohibitoria de arboribus caedendis et de itinere actuque.
They are called double, such as "uti possidetis"; simple are those such as exhibitory and restitutory, and likewise prohibitory ones concerning the cutting of trees and concerning passage and driving.
§43.1.2.1Interdicta autem competunt uel hominum causa uel diuini iuris aut de religione, sicut est 'ne quid in loco sacro fiat' uel 'quod factum est restituatur' et de mortuo inferendo uel sepulchro aedificando.
Moreover, interdicts are available either for the sake of human beings or concerning divine law or religion, such as "let nothing be done in a sacred place" or "let what has been done be restored," and concerning the burial of a dead person or the building of a tomb.
hominum causa competunt uel ad publicam utilitatem pertinentia uel sui iuris tuendi causa uel officii tuendi causa uel rei familiaris.
Those available for the sake of human beings either pertain to public utility, or for the sake of protecting one's own right, or for the sake of performing a duty, or for the sake of family property.
publicae utilitatis causa competit interdictum 'ut uia publica uti liceat' et 'flumine publico' et 'ne quid fiat in uia publica': iuris sui tuendi causa de liberis exhibendis, item de liberto exhibendo: officii causa de homine libero exhibendo: reliqua interdicta rei familiaris causa dantur.
For the sake of public utility, the interdict "that it be permitted to use a public road" and "a public river" and "let nothing be done on a public road" is available; for the sake of protecting one's own right, concerning exhibiting children, and likewise concerning exhibiting a freedman; for the sake of duty, concerning exhibiting a free person; the remaining interdicts are granted for the sake of family property.
§43.1.2.2Quaedam interdicta rei persecutionem continent, ueluti de itinere actuque priuato: nam proprietatis causam continet hoc interdictum.
Some interdicts involve the pursuit of a thing, such as concerning a private passage and driving; for this interdict involves a cause of ownership.
sed et illa interdicta, quae de locis sacris et de religiosis proponuntur, ueluti proprietatis causam continent, item illa de liberis exhibendis, quae iuris tuendi causa diximus competere, ut non sit mirum, si, quae interdicta ad rem familiarem pertinent, proprietatis, non possessionis causam habeant.
But also those interdicts which are proposed concerning sacred and religious places involve, as it were, a cause of ownership, and likewise those concerning exhibiting children, which we said are available for the sake of protecting a right, so that it is not surprising if interdicts which pertain to family property have a cause of ownership, not of possession.
§43.1.2.3Haec autem interdicta, quae ad rem familiarem spectant, aut apiscendae sunt possessionis aut recuperandae aut retinendae.
Moreover, these interdicts which relate to family property are either for acquiring possession, or recovering, or retaining it.
apiscendae possessionis sunt interdicta, quae competunt his, qui ante non sunt nancti possessionem.
Interdicts for acquiring possession are those which are available to those who have not previously obtained possession.
sunt autem interdicta apiscendae possessionis 'quorum bonorum': Saluianum quoque interdictum, quod est de pignoribus, ex hoc genere est: et 'quo itinere uenditor usus est, quo minus emptor utatur, uim fieri ueto'. reciperandae possessionis causa proponuntur sub rubrica unde ui: aliqua enim sub hoc titulo interdicta sunt.
Furthermore, the interdicts for acquiring possession are "quorum bonorum"; the Salvian interdict also, which concerns pledges, is of this class; and "whatever path the seller used, I forbid force to be used to prevent the buyer from using it." For the sake of recovering possession they are proposed under the rubric "unde ui"; for some interdicts are under this title.
retinendae possessionis sunt interdicta uti possidetis. sunt interdicta, ut diximus, duplicia tam reciperandae quam apiscendae possessionis.
For retaining possession are the interdicts "uti possidetis." There are, as we have said, double interdicts, for recovering as well as for acquiring possession.

Notes

  1. §43.1.2.prduplicia — Double (duplicia) interdicts are those in which both plaintiff and defendant occupy the same legal position, and both must assert and prove their claims, as opposed to simple (simplicia) ones where one party unilaterally demands exhibition or restitution from the other.
  2. §43.1.2.2proprietatis causam — Literally "cause of ownership." While interdicts generally protect "possession" (possessio) as a provisional state of fact, the text explains that some interdicts exceptionally involve or presuppose the determination or protection of substantive rights (proprietas), such as ownership or servitudes.
  3. §43.1.2.3'quo itinere uenditor usus est, quo minus emptor utatur, uim fieri ueto' — A formula of an interdict. The antecedent is attracted into the relative clause: "Whatever path the seller used (quo itinere...), I forbid force to be used (uim fieri ueto) to prevent the buyer from using it (quo minus emptor utatur)." The `quo minus` clause indicates the purpose or result dependent on `uim fieri ueto`.
  4. §43.1.2.3duplicia tam reciperandae quam apiscendae possessionis — This sentence presents a contextual difficulty. Paulus previously gave `uti possidetis`, which is for retaining possession (retinendae), as an example of a double (duplicia) interdict. Here, however, he states that there are double interdicts for both recovering (reciperandae) and acquiring (apiscendae) possession, which is often discussed as a potential mismatch arising from Justinianic compilers' interpolations of classical law.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §43.1.2.pr-43.1.2.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:43.1.2.pr-43.1.2.3

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