THE CONCEPT OF ADULTERY IN ROMAN LAW
Keywords:
Roman law, adultery, divorce, repudiation, Lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis, Law of the Twelve Tables, Codex Justinianus, Codex Theodosianus, Greek papyri
Abstract
The subject of this paper is adultery in Roman law, which was considered as lawful cause (iusta causa) for unilateral divorce in all periods of Roman legal history. After his accession, Augustus enacted the lex Iulia de adulteriis coercendis (18 BC) whereby divorce was made obligatory in the case of adultery. Since then, adultery was not only moral offence, but crime (crimen, ἔγκλημα), which was penalized by the state. Hence, adultery was not res privata but res publica, and continued to be regarded as such even in the legislations of Christian Emperors. Anyhow, there are fundamental differences between pre- Christian and Christian legislation concerning adultery and marriage, which are to be analyzed in the following text. Finally, I give explanation to the words adulterium and repudium, and correlate them with equivalents in Macedonian language in order to explain the nature of Roman law and Roman view on adultery.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Машкин, Николай А. (1996). Историја на Стариот Рим. Скопје: Зумпрес. [Masjkin, Nikolaj A. (1996). Istorija na Stariot Rim [History of Ancient Rome].
Skopje: Zumpres]
Софрониевски, Валериj. (2001). Латинско-македонски речник. Скопје:
БИГОСС.
[Sofronievski, Valerij. (2001). Latinsko-makedonski recjnik [Latin-Macedonian
dictionary]. Skopje: BIGOSS. (In Latin and Macedonian.)]
Тошева, Даниела. (2018). Законот на дванаесет таблици. Свети Николе:
МСУ.
[Tosjeva, Daniela. (2018). Zakonot na dvanaeset tablici [The law of twelve tables].
Sveti Nikole: MSU. (In Macedonian.)]
Тошева, Даниела. (2018). Убиството на Ератостен или За праведното
убиство во Законот на Драконт. Во „Меѓународен дијалог: Исток-Запад“ (Право и политикологија). Списание на научни трудови. Деветта меѓународна научна конференција Меѓународен Славјански Универзитет, „Г.Р. Державин“. Свети Николе: Меѓународен центар за славjанска просвете. 127-131.
[Tosjeva, Daniela. (2018). Ubistvoto na Eratosten ili Za pravednoto ubistvo vo Zakonot na Drakont [Murder of Eratosthenes or For Fair Murder in Dracont's Law]. In „Meǵunaroden dijalog: Istok-Zapad“ (Pravo i politikologija). [International Dialogue: East-West (Law and Political Science)]. Sveti Nikole: Meǵunaroden tsentar za slavjanska prosvete. 127-131. (In Macedonian.)]
Bauman, Richard A. (1996). Crime and Punishment in Ancient Rome. London and New York: Routledge.
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010). Etymological dictionary of Greek. Leiden; Boston: Brill.
Chantraine, Pierre. (1968-1980). Dictionnaire étimologique de la langue grecque. I- IV. Paris: Klincksieck.
Coleman-Norton, P. R. (1952). The Twelve Tables. Princeton: Princeton University, Department of Classics.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen primum. Institutiones. (1928). Kruger, Paulus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMXXVIII.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen secundum. Codex Iustinianus. (1906). Kruger, Paulus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMVI.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen tertium. Novellae Iustiniani, recognovit. (1959). Schoel, Rudolfus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMLIX.
De Vaan, Michiek. (2008). Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages. Leiden; Boston: Brill.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus. (1885). Dionysii Halicarnasei Antiquitatum Romanarum quae supersunt. Leipzig: In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri.
Glare, P. G. W. (1968). Oxford Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Grubbs, Judith Evans. (2002). Women an d Law in the Roman Empire: A sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood. London and New York:
Routlegde.
Joksimović, Мilena Z. (2015). Terminologija preljube u Vulgati i njen društveni,
istorijski i kulturni kontekst [The terminology of adultery in the Vulgate and its social, historical and cultural context]: Doktoral dis. Beograd: Univerzitet u Beogradu, Filozofski fakultet.
Liddel, Scott. (1996). A Greek-English Lexicon. London: Clarendon Press. Piwowarczyk, Dariusz R. (2012). A Note on Greek ὀμείχω 'to urinate' and μοιχός 'adulterer'. In Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia. Stachowski, Marek (Ed.).
Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. 123-125.
Plutarch. (1914). Plutarch's Lives, with an English Translation by Bernadotte
Perrin. London: Heinemann; New York: The Macmillan Company.
Remains of Old Latin III: Lucilius. The Twelve Tables. (1938). London: Heinemann. Roman statutes. (1996). Institute of Classical Studies.
Select Papyri in Five Volumes: Non-literary papyri. Public documents. (1956).
Harvard: Harvard University Press.
Sherk, Robert K. (1969). Roman documents from the Greek East. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
Shoell, Rudolf. (1866). Legis Duodecim Tabularum Reliquiae. Edidit, constituit prolegomena addidit Rudolphus Schoell. Lipsiae: Teubner.
Shultz, Fritz. (1936). Priciples of Roman Law. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Theodosiani libri XVI cum constitutionibus sirmonlianis et leges novellae ad
Theodosianum pertinentes.(1905). Berolini: Apvd Weismannos.
Westbrook, Reymond. (2015). Ex Oriente Lex: Near Eastern Influences on Ancient
Greek and Roman Law. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Skopje: Zumpres]
Софрониевски, Валериj. (2001). Латинско-македонски речник. Скопје:
БИГОСС.
[Sofronievski, Valerij. (2001). Latinsko-makedonski recjnik [Latin-Macedonian
dictionary]. Skopje: BIGOSS. (In Latin and Macedonian.)]
Тошева, Даниела. (2018). Законот на дванаесет таблици. Свети Николе:
МСУ.
[Tosjeva, Daniela. (2018). Zakonot na dvanaeset tablici [The law of twelve tables].
Sveti Nikole: MSU. (In Macedonian.)]
Тошева, Даниела. (2018). Убиството на Ератостен или За праведното
убиство во Законот на Драконт. Во „Меѓународен дијалог: Исток-Запад“ (Право и политикологија). Списание на научни трудови. Деветта меѓународна научна конференција Меѓународен Славјански Универзитет, „Г.Р. Державин“. Свети Николе: Меѓународен центар за славjанска просвете. 127-131.
[Tosjeva, Daniela. (2018). Ubistvoto na Eratosten ili Za pravednoto ubistvo vo Zakonot na Drakont [Murder of Eratosthenes or For Fair Murder in Dracont's Law]. In „Meǵunaroden dijalog: Istok-Zapad“ (Pravo i politikologija). [International Dialogue: East-West (Law and Political Science)]. Sveti Nikole: Meǵunaroden tsentar za slavjanska prosvete. 127-131. (In Macedonian.)]
Bauman, Richard A. (1996). Crime and Punishment in Ancient Rome. London and New York: Routledge.
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010). Etymological dictionary of Greek. Leiden; Boston: Brill.
Chantraine, Pierre. (1968-1980). Dictionnaire étimologique de la langue grecque. I- IV. Paris: Klincksieck.
Coleman-Norton, P. R. (1952). The Twelve Tables. Princeton: Princeton University, Department of Classics.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen primum. Institutiones. (1928). Kruger, Paulus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMXXVIII.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen secundum. Codex Iustinianus. (1906). Kruger, Paulus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMVI.
Corpus iuris civilis. Volumen tertium. Novellae Iustiniani, recognovit. (1959). Schoel, Rudolfus (Ed.). Berolini, MCMLIX.
De Vaan, Michiek. (2008). Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages. Leiden; Boston: Brill.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus. (1885). Dionysii Halicarnasei Antiquitatum Romanarum quae supersunt. Leipzig: In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri.
Glare, P. G. W. (1968). Oxford Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Grubbs, Judith Evans. (2002). Women an d Law in the Roman Empire: A sourcebook on Marriage, Divorce and Widowhood. London and New York:
Routlegde.
Joksimović, Мilena Z. (2015). Terminologija preljube u Vulgati i njen društveni,
istorijski i kulturni kontekst [The terminology of adultery in the Vulgate and its social, historical and cultural context]: Doktoral dis. Beograd: Univerzitet u Beogradu, Filozofski fakultet.
Liddel, Scott. (1996). A Greek-English Lexicon. London: Clarendon Press. Piwowarczyk, Dariusz R. (2012). A Note on Greek ὀμείχω 'to urinate' and μοιχός 'adulterer'. In Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia. Stachowski, Marek (Ed.).
Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. 123-125.
Plutarch. (1914). Plutarch's Lives, with an English Translation by Bernadotte
Perrin. London: Heinemann; New York: The Macmillan Company.
Remains of Old Latin III: Lucilius. The Twelve Tables. (1938). London: Heinemann. Roman statutes. (1996). Institute of Classical Studies.
Select Papyri in Five Volumes: Non-literary papyri. Public documents. (1956).
Harvard: Harvard University Press.
Sherk, Robert K. (1969). Roman documents from the Greek East. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
Shoell, Rudolf. (1866). Legis Duodecim Tabularum Reliquiae. Edidit, constituit prolegomena addidit Rudolphus Schoell. Lipsiae: Teubner.
Shultz, Fritz. (1936). Priciples of Roman Law. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Theodosiani libri XVI cum constitutionibus sirmonlianis et leges novellae ad
Theodosianum pertinentes.(1905). Berolini: Apvd Weismannos.
Westbrook, Reymond. (2015). Ex Oriente Lex: Near Eastern Influences on Ancient
Greek and Roman Law. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Published
2019-10-19
How to Cite
ToševaD. (2019). THE CONCEPT OF ADULTERY IN ROMAN LAW. Philological Studies, 17(2), 44-62. Retrieved from http://194.149.137.236/index.php/philologicalstudies/article/view/315
Section
History and Philology
Philological studies © 2019. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
