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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §45.1.80.pr

Principle of Upholding Validity in Ambiguous Stipulations

Passage 7427 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian presents the interpretive rule that whenever the language of a stipulation is ambiguous, one should adopt the interpretation that keeps the transaction or matter in question secure.

[IDEM libro septuagensimo quarto ad edictum. ] §45.1.80.prQuotiens in stipulationibus ambigua oratio est, commodissimum est id accipi, quo res, qua de agitur, in tuto sit.
[THE SAME, On the Edict, Book 74] Whenever the language in stipulations is ambiguous, it is most advantageous that that meaning be adopted by which the matter in question may be safe.

Notes

  1. §45.1.80.prquo — A relative pronoun in the ablative of means referring to the antecedent `id` (the meaning to be adopted), introducing a relative clause with the subjunctive `sit` ("by which... may be safe"). This clause expresses purpose or characteristic, favoring the interpretation that preserves the transaction.
  2. §45.1.80.prqua de agitur — An instance of anastrophe where the preposition `de` is placed after its relative pronoun object `qua`. `agitur` is used passively/impersonally to mean "which is in question" or "which is being dealt with."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §45.1.80.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:45.1.80.pr

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