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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §47.10.3.pr-47.10.3.4

Capacity to Commit Iniuria and the Requirement of Intent

Passage 8002 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Ulpian discusses the capacity to commit and suffer an iniuria, explaining that since malicious intent is essential, madmen, minors, acts done in jest, or mistaken beliefs do not constitute an iniuria.

[ULPIANUS libro quinquagesimo sexto ad edictum. ] §47.10.3.prIllud relatum peraeque est eos, qui iniuriam pati possunt, et facere posse.
[ULPIANUS, On the Edict, book fifty-six.] It is equally accepted that those who are capable of suffering an iniuria are also capable of committing it.
§47.10.3.1Sane sunt quidam, qui facere non possunt, ut puta furiosus et inpubes, qui doli capax non est: namque hi pati iniuriam solent, non facere.
Indeed, there are certain persons who cannot commit it, as for example a madman and a minor who is incapable of malicious intent; for these are accustomed to suffer an iniuria, not to commit it.
cum enim iniuria ex affectu facientis consistat, consequens erit dicere hos, siue pulsent siue conuicium dicant, iniuriam fecisse non uideri.
For since an iniuria consists in the intention of the doer, it will follow that we say that these persons, whether they strike or utter abuse, are not deemed to have committed an iniuria.
§47.10.3.2Itaque pati quis iniuriam, etiamsi non sentiat, potest, facere nemo, nisi qui scit se iniuriam facere, etiamsi nesciat cui faciat.
Therefore, anyone can suffer an iniuria, even if he does not perceive it, but no one can commit it except one who knows that he is committing an iniuria, even if he does not know against whom he is committing it.
§47.10.3.3Quare si quis per iocum percutiat aut dum certat, iniuriarum non tenetur.
Wherefore, if anyone should strike in jest or while competing, he is not held liable for iniuriae.
§47.10.3.4Si quis hominem liberum ceciderit, dum putat seruum suum, in ea causa est, ne iniuriarum teneatur.
If anyone should strike a free man while thinking him to be his own slave, he is in such a position that he is not held liable for iniuriae.

Notes

  1. §47.10.3.preos, qui iniuriam pati possunt, et facere posse — An accusative-with-infinitive clause functioning in apposition to the introductory pronoun 'illud'. 'et' here functions adverbially as 'also', emphasizing that those with the capacity to suffer an injury also possess the capacity to commit it.
  2. §47.10.3.1consequens erit dicere hos ... iniuriam fecisse non uideri — The impersonal expression 'consequens erit' ('it will follow') takes the infinitive 'dicere' as its subject. 'dicere' in turn governs an accusative-with-infinitive construction ('hos... non uideri'), within which the passive 'uideri' ('to seem / to be deemed') is accompanied by another infinitive 'iniuriam fecisse' ('to have committed an iniuria'). This complex nested structure must be unraveled to trace the logical deduction.
  3. §47.10.3.2nisi qui scit se iniuriam facere — The demonstrative pronoun 'is' (or 'aliquis') as the antecedent of the relative pronoun 'qui' is omitted after 'nisi', meaning 'except [him] who knows...'. 'se iniuriam facere' is an accusative-with-infinitive serving as the object of 'scit', where 'se' refers reflexively to the implicit subject of the action.
  4. §47.10.3.3iniuriarum — A genitive of charge or liability ('genitive of the crime/suit') used with the verb 'tenetur' ('is held liable'). Here, the plural genitive refers back to the liability under the action for iniuriae (actio iniuriarum).
  5. §47.10.3.4in ea causa est, ne iniuriarum teneatur — The phrase 'in ea causa est' means 'is in such a position / legal situation'. The 'ne' clause here functions as a clause of result or qualification, defining the nature of that situation (i.e., that he is not held liable for iniuriae).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §47.10.3.pr-47.10.3.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:47.10.3.pr-47.10.3.4

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