Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.16.142.pr

Three Types of Joint Designation in Wills

Passage 8956 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Explains the threefold classification of 'union' (joint designation) in inheritances (by thing, by words, or by both), and discusses the interpretation of specific testamentary wordings when conjunctions are omitted or when ambiguity arises.

[PAULUS libro sexto ad legem Iuliam et Papiam. ] §50.16.142.prTriplici modo coniunctio intellegitur: aut enim re per se coniunctio contingit, aut re et uerbis, aut uerbis tantum.
[PAULUS, from the sixth book on the Lex Iulia et Papia.] Union is understood in a threefold manner: for either union occurs through the thing itself, or through both the thing and the words, or through the words only.
nec dubium est, quin coniuncti sint, quos et nominum et rei complexus iungit, ueluti 'Titius et Maeuius ex parte dimidia heredes sunto', uel ita 'Titius Maeuiusque heredes sunto', uel 'Titius cum Maeuio ex parte dimidia heredes sunto'.
And there is no doubt that those whom the combination of both names and thing joins together are joined, as for instance: 'Let Titius and Maevius be heirs for a half share', or thus: 'Let Titius and Maevius be heirs', or: 'Let Titius with Maevius be heirs for a half share'.
uideamus autem, ne etiam si hos articulos detrahas 'et' 'que' 'cum', interdum tamen coniunctos accipi oporteat, ueluti 'Lucius Titius, Publius Maeuius ex parte dimidia heredes sunto', uel ita 'Publius Maeuius, Lucius Titius heredes sunto.
But let us see whether, even if you take away these connectives 'et', 'que', 'cum', it might not sometimes still be necessary for them to be accepted as joined, as for instance: 'Let Lucius Titius, Publius Maevius be heirs for a half share', or thus: 'Let Publius Maevius, Lucius Titius be heirs.
Sempronius ex parte dimidia heres esto', ut Titius et Maeuius ueniant in partem dimidiam et re et uerbis coniuncti uideantur.
Let Sempronius be heir for a half share', so that Titius and Maevius come into the half share and appear joined both in thing and in words.
'Lucius Titius ex parte dimidia heres esto.
Also: 'Let Lucius Titius be heir for a half share.
Seius ex parte, qua Lucium Titium heredem institui, heres esto.
Let Seius be heir for that share in which I instituted Lucius Titius as heir.
Sempronius ex parte dimidia heres esto'. Iulianus dubitari posse, tres semisses facti sint an Titius in eundem semissem cum Gaio Seio institutus sit.
Let Sempronius be heir for a half share.' Julian says that it can be doubted whether three half shares have been made, or whether Titius was instituted into the same half share with Gaius Seius.
sed eo, quod Sempronius quoque ex parte dimidia scriptus est, uerisimilius esse in eundem semissem duos coactos et coniunctim heredes scriptos esse.
But from the fact that Sempronius also was written for a half share, it is more probable that the two were compressed into the same half share and written as heirs jointly.

Notes

  1. §50.16.142.pruideamus autem, ne — The construction 'uideamus ne' literally means 'let us see lest' or 'let us take care that... not,' but in juristic discussions it is frequently used to suggest or consider a positive possibility ('let us see whether... not' or 'perhaps we should consider that'). Here it introduces the consideration of whether collective designation (coniunctio) should be recognized even in the absence of explicit conjunctions like 'et', 'que', and 'cum'.
  2. §50.16.142.prIulianus dubitari posse — An accusative and infinitive construction where the governing verb of saying or thinking (such as 'putat' or 'scribit') is omitted in indirect speech. It introduces the opinion of Julian.
  3. §50.16.142.preo, quod — The ablative of the demonstrative pronoun 'eo' is in apposition with the 'quod' clause, expressing cause ('by the fact that...' or 'from the circumstance that...').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.16.142.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.16.142.pr

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