Category talk:Governors (Nova Roma)

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(Magistrates: Maybe, but...)
(An age-old question indeed)
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:An interesting question.  My instinct is that governors are not magistrates, or at least that they don't fall entirely comfortably within that class.  For what it's worth, the ''lex constitutiva'' doesn't classify them as such, though in my opinion the ''lex constitutiva'' isn't worth much.  The recent change of technical terms has complicated the matter somewhat.  The term 'governor' can now refer to a ''proconsul'', a ''propraetor'', or a ''legatus pro praetore''.  In ancient Roman law a ''proconsul'' and a ''propraetor'' are magistrates, though lacking some of the normal characteristics of magistrates, but a ''legatus pro praetore'' is decidedly not a magistrate.  The majority of our governors are, and for some time probably will be, ''legati pro praetore''.  Given the difficulties, I'm inclined to think that it's safer to classify governors as a different animal for the time being.  One day the whole messy business of governors in Nova Roma will be sorted out.
 
:An interesting question.  My instinct is that governors are not magistrates, or at least that they don't fall entirely comfortably within that class.  For what it's worth, the ''lex constitutiva'' doesn't classify them as such, though in my opinion the ''lex constitutiva'' isn't worth much.  The recent change of technical terms has complicated the matter somewhat.  The term 'governor' can now refer to a ''proconsul'', a ''propraetor'', or a ''legatus pro praetore''.  In ancient Roman law a ''proconsul'' and a ''propraetor'' are magistrates, though lacking some of the normal characteristics of magistrates, but a ''legatus pro praetore'' is decidedly not a magistrate.  The majority of our governors are, and for some time probably will be, ''legati pro praetore''.  Given the difficulties, I'm inclined to think that it's safer to classify governors as a different animal for the time being.  One day the whole messy business of governors in Nova Roma will be sorted out.
 
:- [[User:Aulus Apollonius Cordus|Cordus]] 19:55, 3 September 2007 (CEST)
 
:- [[User:Aulus Apollonius Cordus|Cordus]] 19:55, 3 September 2007 (CEST)
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::This question is as old as the Republic.  When my provincial governor, Scipio Hyeanius Africanus, recruited me in Iul 1999, he expressed a desire to make me a "local magistrate" (his term) for the Dallas area (he was in San Antonio).  Never did get to find out what he meant.  The question came up of whether provincial magistrates or appointees had to take the oath of office.  The original oath made it mandatory for NR magistrates to conduct (not just participate in) rites to the gods of Rome.  Myself being a Christian, this could have presented difficulties...  Big fuss.  Our first schism, maybe; it's in the old (onsite) NR List archives.  The oath was eventually modified; and when I became Propraetor America Austroccidentalis myself, I was required to take it...so at least as of '99, a provincial governor was considered an oath-taking magistrate.  Not sure how much light that sheds on things nowadays. -- [[User:Aldus Marius Peregrinus|Marius Peregrinus]] 20:12, 3 September 2007 (CEST)

Revision as of 18:13, 3 September 2007

Magistrates

Could we have a discussion on the pros and cons of putting this category in Category:Magistrates (Nova Roma)? Are governors magistrates or not? Agricola 16:38, 2 September 2007 (CEST)

An interesting question. My instinct is that governors are not magistrates, or at least that they don't fall entirely comfortably within that class. For what it's worth, the lex constitutiva doesn't classify them as such, though in my opinion the lex constitutiva isn't worth much. The recent change of technical terms has complicated the matter somewhat. The term 'governor' can now refer to a proconsul, a propraetor, or a legatus pro praetore. In ancient Roman law a proconsul and a propraetor are magistrates, though lacking some of the normal characteristics of magistrates, but a legatus pro praetore is decidedly not a magistrate. The majority of our governors are, and for some time probably will be, legati pro praetore. Given the difficulties, I'm inclined to think that it's safer to classify governors as a different animal for the time being. One day the whole messy business of governors in Nova Roma will be sorted out.
- Cordus 19:55, 3 September 2007 (CEST)
This question is as old as the Republic. When my provincial governor, Scipio Hyeanius Africanus, recruited me in Iul 1999, he expressed a desire to make me a "local magistrate" (his term) for the Dallas area (he was in San Antonio). Never did get to find out what he meant. The question came up of whether provincial magistrates or appointees had to take the oath of office. The original oath made it mandatory for NR magistrates to conduct (not just participate in) rites to the gods of Rome. Myself being a Christian, this could have presented difficulties... Big fuss. Our first schism, maybe; it's in the old (onsite) NR List archives. The oath was eventually modified; and when I became Propraetor America Austroccidentalis myself, I was required to take it...so at least as of '99, a provincial governor was considered an oath-taking magistrate. Not sure how much light that sheds on things nowadays. -- Marius Peregrinus 20:12, 3 September 2007 (CEST)
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