Res publica

For the former Estonian political party, see Union for the Republic - Res Publica.

Res publica is a Latin phrase, made of res + publica, literally meaning "public thing" or "public matter". It is the origin of the word 'Republic'.

Res publica in Ancient Rome

By the classical period, Res publica already covered a broad range of meanings. Lewis and Short's Latin Dictionary lists the following meanings: "the common weal, a commonwealth, state, republic (cf. civitas); also, civil affairs, administration, or power, etc.", which are elucidated below:

Basic meaning(s)

"Public property"

Res publica usually refers to a thing that is not considered to be private property, but which is rather held in common by many people. For instance a park or garden in the city of Rome could either be "private property", or managed by the state, in which case it would be (part of the) res publica.

"The state" - "The Commonwealth"

Taking everything together that is of public interest leads to the connotation that the res publica in general equals the state. For Romans this equalled of course also the Imperium Romanum, and all its interests, so Res Publica could as well refer to the Roman Empire as a whole (regardless of whether it was governed as a republic or under imperial reign). In this context scholars suggest "commonwealth" as a more accurate and neutral translation of the term, while neither implying republican nor imperial connotations, just a reference to the state as a whole. But even translating res publica as "republic" when it clearly refers to the Roman Empire under Imperial reign occurs (see quotes below).

"The (Roman) Republic"

Roman authors would also use the word res publica in the sense of the epoch when Rome was governed as a republic, that is the epoch between the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Empire. So in this case res publica does distinctly not refer to the Roman Empire, but to what is generally described as the Roman Republic.

"Public affairs" - "state organisation system" - "politics"

Res publica could also be used in a generic meaning, referring to "public affairs" and/or the general system of government of a state. In this usage res publica translated the Greek concept politeia (which originally meant the state organisation of a city-state).

Also, for a Roman politician engaging himself in the res publica, a translation can often be the even more generic being occupied in "politics".

More connotations

Even when limited to its "political" connotations, the meanings of the term res publica in ancient Rome are diverse and multi-layered, and differing from the Greek politeia in many ways (that is: from the several interwoven meanings the word politeia had). However, it is also the customary Latin translation of politeia; the modern name of Plato's The Republic comes from this usage.

In some contexts the "state organisation system" meaning of res publica derives into something like "constitution", although "constitution", properly speaking, is a much more modern concept. Ancient Romans would use the expression "Twelve Tables" instead of res publica, when referring to their constitution at the time of the "republic", and the "inalterable laws installed by the divine Augustus", for their equivalent of a constitution in the era of the early Empire.

Calques

Later calques of Res publica, some of which originated in the Renaissance, include:

• Commonweale/Commonwealth (English - 2nd meaning as indicated above)
• Rzeczpospolita (Polish)

References

• Haakonssen, Knud. "Republicanism." A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. Robert E. Goodin and Philip Pettit. eds. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1995.
• A Latin Dictionary Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary, revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis, and Charles Short. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879. ISBN: 0198642016