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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.17.202.pr

The Danger of Definitions in Civil Law

Passage 9262 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It states that every legal definition in civil law is dangerous because it is rare that such a definition cannot be overturned or subverted.

[IDEM libro undecimo epistularum. ] §50.17.202.prOmnis definitio in iure ciuili periculosa est: parum est enim, ut non subuerti posset.
[THE SAME, in his eleventh book of Epistles.] Every definition in civil law is dangerous; for it is rare that it cannot be overturned.

Notes

  1. §50.17.202.prparum est enim, ut non subuerti posset — The construction 'parum est ut...' means 'it is rare that...' or 'there is little chance that...'. Combined with the negative 'non', it yields 'it is rare that it cannot...', meaning that it is almost always susceptible to being subverted. The imperfect subjunctive 'posset' expresses a potential or hypothetical possibility in a general statement.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.17.202.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.17.202.pr

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