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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §47.12.8.pr

Application of the Julian Law on Violence to Sepulchres

Passage 8066 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Explains why the crime of violating a sepulchre can fall under the Julian law on public violence, on the grounds that such violation effectively prevents a person from remaining buried, which constitutes a form of obstruction similar to what the law forbids.

[MACER libro primo publicorum. ] §47.12.8.prSepulchri uiolati crimen potest dici ad legem Iuliam de ui publica pertinere ex illa parte, qua de eo cauetur, qui fecerit quid, quo minus aliquis funeretur sepeliaturue: quia et qui sepulchrum uiolat, facit, quo quis minus sepultus sit.
[MACER in the first book on public prosecutions.] The crime of violating a sepulchre can be said to fall under the Julian law on public violence, on the basis of that part in which provision is made regarding one who has done something to prevent someone from being funerailed or buried: because even he who violates a sepulchre acts to prevent someone from remaining buried.

Notes

  1. §47.12.8.prSepulchri uiolati — The noun sepulchri and the perfect passive participle uiolati agree to express the abstract action "the violation of a sepulchre" (the so-called ab urbe condita construction).
  2. §47.12.8.prde eo cauetur, qui — The third-person singular passive form cauetur of the verb caueo is used impersonally to mean "provision is made (by law) concerning...". The antecedent of the relative pronoun qui is the ablative eo.
  3. §47.12.8.prquo minus — quo minus (or written as one word quominus) introduces a subjunctive clause meaning "lest, so that... not, to prevent from...". In the first part, it follows fecerit quid (implying hindrance), and in the second, it follows facit, expressing the prevention of burial.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §47.12.8.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:47.12.8.pr

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