QUAESTOR SACRI PALATII. - He is one of the great central officials of the absolute Roman Empire; his institution probably dates back to Constantine.

Connected in origin to the quaestor Augusti of the principate or to the vicarius a consiliis sacris, he bears the title of illustris and is the emperor's counselor and minister insofar as the emperor is the source of law; the Notitia Dignitatum says that the leges dictandae and the preces depend on the q. s. p., that is, the manifestations of the imperial will, which expresses itself in laws, ordinances and in replies to the petitions of private individuals.

The q. s. p. must therefore be an expert in law and endowed with literary culture, so that the documents issued by his office may have a form that is also stylistically worthy. He does not have a chancery of his own, but draws his collaborators from the scrinia dependent on the magister officiorum (v.), with whom he alternates, in various periods, in the first place in the order of court precedence. Subject to him is a laterculensis charged with keeping the roll of imperial officials of lower rank. Sometimes jurisdiction in certain trials is delegated to him.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: B. Kübler, Gesch. des röm. Rechts, Leipzig 1925, p. 315 ff.; P. de Francisci, Storia del diritto romano, III, 1, Milan 1936, p. 112 ff.

Rodolfo Danieli

@incollection{ec10_quaestor_sacri_palatii, author = {Danieli, Rodolfo}, title = {Quaestor Sacri Palatii}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {X}, pages = {364}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/quaestor-sacri-palatii} }

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