Oath of office (Nova Roma)

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As is the case with most organizations, Nova Roma asks its citizens to respect a social contract. This contract consists of abiding by the constitution of Nova Roma, respecting the Religio Romana, and venerating the Roman values. Those who serve as Magistrates within Nova Roma take on additional duties however, and their combined work keeps the organization operational and in good stead. Due to the greater weight of responsibility they take on, those who enter into positions of Magistracy are asked to take an oath of office upon assuming the respective office.
 
As is the case with most organizations, Nova Roma asks its citizens to respect a social contract. This contract consists of abiding by the constitution of Nova Roma, respecting the Religio Romana, and venerating the Roman values. Those who serve as Magistrates within Nova Roma take on additional duties however, and their combined work keeps the organization operational and in good stead. Due to the greater weight of responsibility they take on, those who enter into positions of Magistracy are asked to take an oath of office upon assuming the respective office.
  
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==Contents of the applicable law==
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==Investiture Ceremony==
  
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===1st rule===
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Here follows the ceremony of investiture. You will see that you can simplify this ritual
 +
greatly if you want to avoid too much ceremony, and the ceremony also respects your
 +
personal religious views (you can do a Roman religious, a Christian or an irreligious version
 +
of it, whichever you prefer). You have to send the oath of office to the Nova Roma mailing
 +
list once the ritual of investiture is completed.
  
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"(..) An Oath of Office [is created] for any citizen assuming any magistracy of Nova Roma, whether elected or appointed." [[Lex Cassia de iusiurando (Nova Roma)|''Lex Cassia Iunia de iusiurando - 2nd §'']].
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The ceremony of the investiture is below, if you cannot do parts of it, you can skip those
 +
parts, or figure out some kind of substitution ideas.  
  
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====Any citizen====
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====First Step====
  
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The Oath of office just concerns the citizens, who are the ones who can assume a magistracy. Even if this rule seems obvious, lex Cassia wisely reminds it.<br>
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You should don your simple white toga and your tunica of your status (for
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The socii cannot thus assume a magistracy.
+
example equestrian if you are one, or senatorial if are, or by taking this office, are becoming
 +
one). Women can don a white toga or a white palla if they prefer, or if there is no white, any
 +
color will do which you consider your best clothes. If you don't have Roman clothes, simply
 +
close up nicely as worthy of the occasion.  
  
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====A magistracy====
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====Second Step====
  
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This requirement of an oath does not concern the offices which are not a magistracy.
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While you are wearing your toga, offer a sacrifice of wine or incense or libum or
 +
bread or fruit or milk and a prayer in which you ask the Roman gods (Jupiter Optimus
 +
Maximus must be invoked) or if you don't cultivate them, your personal god of choice,
 +
whoever that may be, including Christ or any deity, to acknowledge you as the consul, head
 +
of Nova Roma and the Nova Roman People, or praetor, vice-president of the Res Publica, or
 +
aedilis curulis, chief cultural and public works magistrate of the Nova Roman People.  
  
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Are thus excluded:<br>
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Ask their support and help so that your (vice-)presidency over Nova Roma or your
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- the civil public offices which are not called "magistracies", as the positions not mentioned as such in the Constitution, especially for these ones are offices assigned, to help them, to magistrates. Are in this group the assistants (accensi, viatores, scribes), but also all the provincial officers who sit under the responsibility of the governor;<br>
+
aedileship bring success, glory and happiness to Nova Roma and the Nova Roman People
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- the religious officers;<br>
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worldwide.
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- the members of assemblies, i.e. members of comitia or senators, but also members of provincial and local assemblies.
+
  
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====Any magistracy====
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The offering is made in the following way: if you don't have a regular altar, you can light
 +
a candle, put it in a bowl, and pour the fluid in the bowl so that it doesn't extinguish the
 +
fire. The amount of wine or milk doesn't need to be more than that of one or two
 +
tablespoons. If the offering is bread or fruit or incense, you hold it in the fire of the candle
 +
for some seconds, then simply put it in the bowl. After the ritual is finished, ideally you
 +
should throw away the content of the bowl in the nature, under a tree or bush; of it it isn't
 +
possible, just throw it in the garbage can.
  
−
Lex Iunia modified does not distinguish between the magistracies: every magistrate, especially recognized as such by the Constitution of Nova Roma, must take the oath.
+
If you decide to address the Christian God, you don't have to offer a sacrifice but a
 +
lightening of a candle will suffice in itself, however, if you do it in the Christian way, you
 +
should ask a cultor, preferably a priest of NR, to offer a ritual for your entering office.  
  
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Are thus concerned, not only the central magistrates, but the provincial and/or local ones.
+
====Third Step====
  
 +
After the ritual has been finished, you should exchange your white toga to a
 +
purple bordered toga, the toga praetexta. After that, you should touch a symbol of Nova
 +
Roma, a flag, a printed logo, or a drawing of the logo of Nova Roma.
  
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====Elected as appointed magistrates====
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====Fourth Step====
  
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The election is not the medium which create the obligation of the oath, but the type of office (magistracy) assumed. Appointed magistrates must take the oath, as provincial governors, but also as interreges and dictators.
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While vested in toga praetexta and holding the symbols of your office (if you have
 +
any), read aloud in Latin and/or in your NATIVE TONGUE the version the Oath of Office.  
 +
The symbol of consulship, praetorship and curule aedileship can be the toga praetexta,  
 +
sella curulis, an eagle, a scepter; for the consulship and praetorship only the fasces or a
 +
sword.  
  
 +
====Fifth Step====
  
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===2nd rule===
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After the oath is made, pronounce these words in Latin: "Consul/praetor/aedilis
 +
curulis factus sum." (I have been made a consul/praetor/aedilis curulis")... and you are
 +
READY! The female version is " Consul/praetrix/aedilis curulis facta sum".
  
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""The following oath must be taken publicly in the major public fora of Nova Roma before someone elected or appointed to any magistracy can assume his or her office. It must be taken on the day, or as soon as possible afterwards, that the office is to be assumed. The office shall be considered vacant until the oath is taken. " [[Lex Cassia de iusiurando (Nova Roma)|''Lex Cassia Iunia de iusiurando - 3rd §'']].
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====Sixth Step====
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====His or her office====
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Incidentally, lex Cassia reminds that our magistracies can be occupied by women or men.
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====Publicly in the major public fora of Nova Roma====
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Modified lex Iunia is well in the spirit of Nova Roma: in order our magistrates be responsible, they are to take their oath publicly, towards the People. The requirement of posting the oath in the fora of Nova Roma is thus a logical ones.
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+
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The expression "major public fora" asks however two questions. <br>
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First, and though the redundance "public+fora" may seem not necessary, the law does not say what are the major public fora of Nova Roma. This problem opens at this step two under-questions: first separating major fora from minor ones; second, defining a limited list of major fora, which thus form *the* major fora. Second, it does not specify what is a forum.
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Several other texts help us to answer that every internet discussion list, especially open on Yahoo! groups networks are such fora from the moment they are open to every one, at least to the citizens of Nova Roma, the magistrates being not responsible towards socii (i.e. non Novaromans).
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The major internet discussion list in Nova Roma is what is called "the Forum" or "the Main List" (abbr. 'ML'), and hosted at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nova-Roma .
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But lex Iunia modified does not say what other list is placed into the group of "major public fora". Without further element, we are drawn to consider that every list, where every citizen can freely suscribe in, may be considered as a "major public" forum. Three lists can then claim for this qualification :<br>
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- the Comitia centuriata list ;<br>
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- the Comitia tributa list ; <br>
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- the Nova Roma announce list.
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+
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Every oath should thus, legally, be issued in one of these four public fora.
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+
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====Before (..) any [magistrate] can assume his or her office====
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+
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Lex Iunia is clear: if each of the above requirements is not obeyed, the concerned magistrate cannot, in regard of our Law, assume her/his magistracy, and can be contested in her/his office during the rest of the year term.
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+
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====The following oath====
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The required oath is the following one :
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+
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{{:Lex Iunia de iusiurando (Nova Roma)}}
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[[Lex Iunia de iusiurando (Nova Roma)|Lex Iunia de iusiurando]]
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−
 
+
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It is not necessary to comment the contents of this oath. Several precisions are however necessary on its form.
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−
 
+
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First, what the oath calls the "legal name" is obviously what was called the "macronational" name, i.e. the name under which the Nova Roman citizen is registered in the current country of the world where (s-)he dwells in. For example, if Prima SECUNDA Tertia has a "macronational" passport with the name "Ashley TAGLIAPRADESH", this last one is her "legal name", in the frame of Lex Iunia de iurisiurando. <br>
+
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The requirement of the so-called "legal name" is necessary, in order to check if the citizen taking her/his oath is well identified, in our album civium's files, as the one whose Roman name is linked to the "legal name" displayed.
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====In Latin and in other languages====
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+
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Second, lex Iunia has just displayed the oath in English. It means that every other version, even if created on good will reasons, have no legal value. As long as lex Iunia is not modified, it concerns every other non-English formula, even [[LA:Lex_Iunia_de_iusiurando_(Nova_Roma)|the Latin one]], which is currently, in addition, not true in regard of the English version.<br>
+
−
The magistrates are thus reminded not to forget taking their oath in the English version, every other one being indifferent. Such ones can naturally be used for communication intents, but may also, being wrong, create unwished consequences.
+
−
 
+
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Third, the above oath is the only accepted one: every other one, even in English, which would change one letter, one or several words of this text, even in good will, would be regarded as void.
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−
 
+
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+
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====The oath day====
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It is on the day where the magistrate is required, according the law, to enter her/his office.
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−
 
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It means that this date is:
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*Dec. 10th for the Tribunes of the Plebs;
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*Jan. 1st for the other magistrates;
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*On or from the day following the publication of the Senate session report on, after the Senate session which has appointed, for the concerned year term, the provincial governors;
+
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*For the last magistrates who, for one or another reason, are elected or appointed during the civil year, from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31, the oath day is the day of or following the publication of the election or appointment.
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+
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Anyway, the oath must not be taken before the relative day, especially between the publication, for the central magistrates (except the Tribunes), of the annual elections and the following 31th of December.
+
−
 
+
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We can note that, even if the day is, according the religious calendar, "ater" or "nefastus", "publicus" or not, lex Iunia modified however authorizes that the concerned magistrates take their oath. No other public act must, still, be made by the new magistrates in such a day.
+
−
 
+
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====A relative oath day====
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+
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We see that lex Iunia also allows the magistrate to take her/his oath "as soon as possible afterwards". But it does not specify when. <br>
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Such a silence is sound: it is the full interest of the magistrate to take her/his oath as soon as possible and with no delay. For as long as (s-)he does not, "the office shall be considered vacant".
+
−
 
+
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+
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====A dangerous vacancy====
+
−
 
+
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Such a vacancy situation have two legal consequences: first the elected magistrate cannot act as magistrate, all her/his acts being void, and she/he could probably be sued if she/he willingly ignore this requirement ; second, it allows every high magistrate, authorized to convene the comitia, in charge of the election of the category of magistrates whose vacancy has been stated, in order to have it elect a new magistrate in the place of the defaulting one.
+
  
 +
Post the oath of office, filled with your name, to the Main Forum of Nova Roma
 +
( TheForumRomanum@groups.io ), and make a remark that you have performed the ritual
 +
of investiture, and offered a sacrifice to Iuppiter Optimus Maximus.
  
  

Revision as of 01:59, 20 October 2022

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Contents

OATH OF OFFICE

Preface

As is the case with most organizations, Nova Roma asks its citizens to respect a social contract. This contract consists of abiding by the constitution of Nova Roma, respecting the Religio Romana, and venerating the Roman values. Those who serve as Magistrates within Nova Roma take on additional duties however, and their combined work keeps the organization operational and in good stead. Due to the greater weight of responsibility they take on, those who enter into positions of Magistracy are asked to take an oath of office upon assuming the respective office.

Investiture Ceremony

Here follows the ceremony of investiture. You will see that you can simplify this ritual greatly if you want to avoid too much ceremony, and the ceremony also respects your personal religious views (you can do a Roman religious, a Christian or an irreligious version of it, whichever you prefer). You have to send the oath of office to the Nova Roma mailing list once the ritual of investiture is completed.

The ceremony of the investiture is below, if you cannot do parts of it, you can skip those parts, or figure out some kind of substitution ideas.

First Step

You should don your simple white toga and your tunica of your status (for example equestrian if you are one, or senatorial if are, or by taking this office, are becoming one). Women can don a white toga or a white palla if they prefer, or if there is no white, any color will do which you consider your best clothes. If you don't have Roman clothes, simply close up nicely as worthy of the occasion.

Second Step

While you are wearing your toga, offer a sacrifice of wine or incense or libum or bread or fruit or milk and a prayer in which you ask the Roman gods (Jupiter Optimus Maximus must be invoked) or if you don't cultivate them, your personal god of choice, whoever that may be, including Christ or any deity, to acknowledge you as the consul, head of Nova Roma and the Nova Roman People, or praetor, vice-president of the Res Publica, or aedilis curulis, chief cultural and public works magistrate of the Nova Roman People.

Ask their support and help so that your (vice-)presidency over Nova Roma or your aedileship bring success, glory and happiness to Nova Roma and the Nova Roman People worldwide.

The offering is made in the following way: if you don't have a regular altar, you can light a candle, put it in a bowl, and pour the fluid in the bowl so that it doesn't extinguish the fire. The amount of wine or milk doesn't need to be more than that of one or two tablespoons. If the offering is bread or fruit or incense, you hold it in the fire of the candle for some seconds, then simply put it in the bowl. After the ritual is finished, ideally you should throw away the content of the bowl in the nature, under a tree or bush; of it it isn't possible, just throw it in the garbage can.

If you decide to address the Christian God, you don't have to offer a sacrifice but a lightening of a candle will suffice in itself, however, if you do it in the Christian way, you should ask a cultor, preferably a priest of NR, to offer a ritual for your entering office.

Third Step

After the ritual has been finished, you should exchange your white toga to a purple bordered toga, the toga praetexta. After that, you should touch a symbol of Nova Roma, a flag, a printed logo, or a drawing of the logo of Nova Roma.

Fourth Step

While vested in toga praetexta and holding the symbols of your office (if you have any), read aloud in Latin and/or in your NATIVE TONGUE the version the Oath of Office. The symbol of consulship, praetorship and curule aedileship can be the toga praetexta, sella curulis, an eagle, a scepter; for the consulship and praetorship only the fasces or a sword.

Fifth Step

After the oath is made, pronounce these words in Latin: "Consul/praetor/aedilis curulis factus sum." (I have been made a consul/praetor/aedilis curulis")... and you are READY! The female version is " Consul/praetrix/aedilis curulis facta sum".

Sixth Step

Post the oath of office, filled with your name, to the Main Forum of Nova Roma ( TheForumRomanum@groups.io ), and make a remark that you have performed the ritual of investiture, and offered a sacrifice to Iuppiter Optimus Maximus.


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