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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §50.6.3.pr

Prohibition of Minors Holding Public Honors Despite Shortage

Passage 8732 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Based on a rescript to the legate of Cilicia, it is ruled that minors must not be admitted to public honors, even if there is a severe shortage of eligible persons.

[IDEM ex eodem libro. ] §50.6.3.prImpuberes, quamuis necessitas penuriae hominum cogat, ad honores non esse admittendos rescripto ad Uenidium Rufum legatum Ciliciae declaratur.
[THE SAME, from the same book.] It is declared by a rescript to Venidius Rufus, the legate of Cilicia, that minors, even if the necessity of a scarcity of men should compel it, are not to be admitted to honors.

Notes

  1. §50.6.3.prImpuberes... ad honores non esse admittendos — An accusative with infinitive clause functioning as the subject of the passive main verb `declaratur`. `admittendos` is a gerundive (future passive participle), which, combined with `esse`, expresses obligation or necessity ("must not be admitted").
  2. §50.6.3.prquamuis necessitas penuriae hominum cogat — The concessive conjunction `quamuis` takes the subjunctive present `cogat` (3rd person singular of `cogo`). `penuriae` is a genitive of definition modifying `necessitas`, and `hominum` is an objective genitive modifying `penuriae`. The direct object of `cogat` (i.e., admitting minors) is understood from the context.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §50.6.3.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:50.6.3.pr

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