A voluntary service

offĭcĭum, ii, n. [for opificium, opus and facio], qs. that which one does for another, a service, whether of free will or of (external or moral) necessity (class.; cf.: studium, beneficium, meritum, munus).

A voluntary service, a kindness, favor, courtesy, rendered to one whose claim to it is recognized;

while beneficium is a service rendered where there is no claim: officium esse filii, uxoris, earum personarum, quas necessitudo suscitat et ferre opem jubet,

Sen. Ben. 3, 18, 1.

In gen.:

altera sententia est, quae definit amicitiam paribus officiis ac voluntatibus,

Cic. Lael. 16, 58:

odiosum sane genus hominum officia exprobrantium,

id. ib. 20, 71:

nihil est vicissitudine studiorum officiorumque jucundius,

id. ib. 14, 49: filicem cum officio vicini decidere, so as to do him a service, Col. 2, 14, 6:

summo officio praeditus homo,

exceedingly obliging, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 51, § 135. —

In partic.

A ceremonial observance, ceremony, attendance (on a festive or solemn occasion;

mostly post-Aug.): officio togae virilis interfui,

Plin. Ep. 1, 9, 2:

sine solenni officio,

Suet. Claud. 2:

per sollenne nuptiarum celeberrimo officio deductum ad se,

id. Ner. 28; cf. id. Claud. 26:

ad officium venire,

id. Calig. 25:

relicto statim novorum consulum officio,

id. Caes. 50:

in officio salutationis,

id. Aug. 27:

vitans praeter navigantium officia,

id. Tib. 12:

officia prosequentium,

id. Caes. 71:

quod supremis in matrem officiis defuisset,

at the payment of the last offices, at the funeral, Tac. A. 5, 2:

officium cras Primo sole mihi peragendum in valle Quirini,

a ceremonial visit, Juv. 2, 133 sq.; 3, 239.—

In mal. part., compliance, favor, Prop. 3, 15, 24; Ov. Am. 1, 10, 46; 3, 7, 24; cf.

virile,

Theod. Prisc. 2, 11:

puerile,

Plaut. Cist. 4, 1, 5; Petr. 140.—

In gen., an obligatory service, an obligation, duty, function, part, office (so most freq. in prose and poetry of all periods):

nulla vitae pars neque publicis neque privatis neque forensibus neque domesticis in rebus, neque si tecum agas quid, neque, si cum altero contrahas, vacare oflicio potest: in eoque et colendo sita vitae est honestas omnis et in neglegendo turpitudo, etc.,

Cic. Off. 1, 2, 4 sq.: perfectum officium rectum opinor vocemus, quod Graeci katorthôma: hoc autem commune kathêkon vocant, id. ib. 1, 3, 8;

an id doles, quia illi suum officium non colunt, quom tu tuum facis?

Plaut. Stich. 1, 1, 34; id. ib. 1, 1, 39; id. Pers. 4, 4, 66:

meminisse officium suum,

to remember one's duty, id. Trin. 3, 2, 71.—Also, subject., a sense of duty:

si quis aegre ferat nihil in se esse virtutis, nihil officii, etc.,

Cic. Tusc. 4, 28, 61:

quicquid in eum judicii officiique contuleris,

id. Fam. 10, 1 fin.:

intellegere, utrum apud eos pudor atque officium an timor valeret,

Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 14:

suum facere,

to do one's duty, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 44:

omnibus officiis amicitiae servatis,

observe all the obligations of friendship, Cic. Fam. 5, 17, 3:

exsequi,

id. Att. 3, 15, 4:

fungi officio,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 3:

satisfacere officio,

to perform, id. Div. in Caecil. 14, 47:

officium suum deserere,

to disregard one's duty, not perform it, id. Off. 1, 9, 28:

discedere ab officio,

id. ib. 1, 10, 32:

deesse officio suo,

id. Fam. 7, 3, 1:

officii duxit,

considered it his duty, Suet. Tib. 11.—Of animals:

canes funguntur officiis luporum,

act the part of, Auct. Her. 4, 34, 46.—Of things:

neque pes neque mens satis suum officium facit,

Ter. Eun. 4, 5, 3: officium corporis, the function or property of a body, Lucr. 1, 336 and 362.—

In partic.

Lit., an official duty, a service, employment, business (class.):

toti officio maritimo M. Bibulus praepositus cuncta administrabat,

naval service, Caes. B. C. 3, 5 fin.; 3, 8:

celeriter equitatus ad cotidianum itineris officium revertitur,

id. ib. 1, 80:

confecto legationis officio,

id. ib. 3, 103:

destringor officio,

Plin. Ep. 7, 15, 1:

officium (scribae),

Nep. Eum. 1, 5.—

Transf., an office, appointment (post-Aug.).

Laboriosissimum et maximum, office, Plin. Pan. 91:

nova officia excogitavit,

Suet. Aug. 37; cf.:

novum officium instituit a voluptatibus,

id. Tib. 42:

obligationes, quae non propriis viribus consistunt, neque officio judicis, neque praetoris imperio neque legis potestate confirmantur,

Dig. 44, 7, 27:

qui ex officio pro aliis interveniunt,

by virtue of their office, ib. 21, 1, 31, § 14:

ministerii,

Vulg. Exod. 28, 35:

sacerdotum,

id. Num. 7, 8.—

Transf., in concr.

The officials or attendants on a magistrate = officialium corpus (post-class.):

sub praetextu adventus officiorum vel militum,

Dig. 1, 18, 6; 21, 2, 74:

deponere aliquid apud officium,

ib. 2, 4. 17: officia palatina, officers at the imperial court, Treb. Poll. Gall. 17, 8.—

An office or court of a magistrate:

ipse me Regulus convenit in praetoris officio,

Plin. Ep. 1, 5, 11.

sā̆crāmentum, i, n. [sacro].

In good class. Lat., a jurid. and milit. t. t.

Jurid. t. t., the sum which the two parties to a suit at first deposited, but afterwards became bound for, with the tresviri capitales; so called because the sum deposited by the losing party was used for religious purposes, esp. for the sacra publica; v. Fest. p. 344 Müll.; or, perh. more correctly, because the money was deposited in a sacred place; v. the foll. passage of Varro and Müller's note. (Another reason is given in Isid. Orig. 5, 24 fin.: sacramentum est pignus sponsionis; vocatum autem sacramentum, quia violare, quod quisque promittit, perfidia est): ea pecunia, quae in judicium venit in litibus, sacramentum a sacro. Qui petebat et qui infitiabatur, de aliis rebus utrique quingenos aeris ad pontem deponebant, de aliis rebus item certo alio legitimo numero assum;

qui judicio vicerat, suom sacramentum e sacro auferebat, victi ad aerarium redibat,

Varr. L. L. 5, § 180 Müll. N. cr.: qui prior vindicaverat, dicebat: quando tu injuria vindicavisti, de aeris sacramento te provoco; adversarius quoque dicebat: similiter ego te;

seu L. asses sacramenti nominabant... Postea praedes Praetor ab utroque accipiebat sacramenti, quod id in publicum cedebat,

Gai. Inst. 4, 16; cf. id. ib. 4, 16, § 13 sq.;

95: sacramenti autem nomine id aes dici coeptum est quod et propter aerarii inopiam et sacrorum publicorum multitudinem consumebatur id in rebus divinis,

Fest. p. 344 Müll.: cum in rem aliquam agerent litigatores et poena se sacramenti peterent, poscebant judicem, qui dabatur post trigesimum diem, Pseudo-Ascon. ad. Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26 (p. 164 Orell.):

de multae sacramento consules comitiis centuriatis tulerunt,

Cic. Rep. 2, 35, 60.—

Meton., a cause, a civil suit or process:

decemviri re quaesitā et deliberatā sacramentum nostrum justum judicaverunt,

Cic. Caecin. 33, 97; cf.

transf. in gen.: homines graves, quibuscum tibi justo sacramento contendere, non liceret,

on equal terms, with a fair chance of success, id. de Or. 1, 10, 42: cetera... entechna et arguta adparebunt, ut sacramento contendas mea non esse, lay a wager, i. e. confidently assert, id. Fam. 7, 32, 2:

injustis vindiciis ac sacramentis ali enos fundos petere,

id. Mil. 27, 74: si Xviri [p. 1612] sacramentum in libertatem injustum judicassent, id. Dom. 29, 78.—

Milit. t. t. (cf. infra, 2, the passage from Cic. Off. 1, 11, 36), orig. the preliminary engagement entered into by newly-enlisted troops (this was followed by the proper military oath, jusjurandum, which was at first voluntary, but, after the second Punic war, was demanded by the military tribune): milites tum (i.e. 538 A.U.C.), quod numquam antea factum erat, jurejurando ab tribunis militum adacti milites [jussu consulis conventuros]: nam ad eam diem nihil praeter sacramentum fuerat;

et, ubi ad decuriatum aut centuriatum convenissent, suā voluntate ipsi inter sese decuriati equites, centuriati pedites conjurabant, sese fugae atque formidinis ergo non abituros neque ex ordine recessuros, nisi, etc.... Id ex voluntario inter ipsos foedere ad tribunos ac legitimam juris jurandi adactionem translatum,

Liv. 22, 38, 2 seq. Weissenb. ad loc.; cf. Front. Strat. 4, 1, 4; and v. Becker, Antiq. 3, 2, p. 292 sq.—Hence, since that time,

For jusjurandum, the military oath of allegiance (very freq. and class.):

milites Domitianos sacramentum apud se dicere jubet,

to take the oath of allegiance, Caes. B. C. 1, 23; so,

sacramentum dicere,

id. ib. 1, 86 fin.:

quos consulis sacramento rogavisset,

id. B. G. 6, 1:

sacramentum dicere alicui,

Tac. A. 1, 28; and in a like signif. in Livy: sacramento (abl.) dicere, Liv. 2, 24 fin.; 4, 53; 25, 5; 41, 5 fin.:

sacramento dicere alicui,

id. 24, 8: ut omnes minores quinquaginta annis sacramento (abl.) rogaret, should administer the oath of allegiance to them, swear them in, id. 40, 26; so,

rogare (aliquos) sacramento,

id. 32, 26; 35, 2; Quint. 12, 2, 26;

in a like sense: adigere sacramento aliquos,

Liv. 4, 5; 7, 11; 9, 29; Tac. A. 1, 37; id. H. 1, 55:

adigere aliquos sacramento Othonis,

id. ib. 1, 76:

Vitellii,

id. ib. 2, 55:

Vespasiani,

id. ib. 2, 79:

adigere aliquos sacramento in nomen senatūs,

Suet. Galb. 16:

sacramento aliquem tenere... sacramento tenere,

Caes. B. C. 2, 32; cf.:

secundo eum obliget militiae sacramento, quia, priore amisso, jure cum hostibus pugnare non poterat,

Cic. Off. 1, 11, 36 (in which passage the primary jurid. signif. is alluded to):

ex quibus (legionibus) aetate aut valetudine fessi sacramento solvebantur,

Tac. A. 16, 13 fin.:

legionibus, quae sacramentum mutaverant, in paenitentiam conversis,

i. e. had revolted, Suet. Claud. 13; cf.:

paenitentia mutati sacramenti,

id. Galb. 10:

alicujus sacramentum exuere,

Tac. H. 3, 42:

hoc sacramento (viz. in the service of Bacchus) initiatos juvenes milites faciendos censetis?

Liv. 39, 15.—

Transf., in gen., an oath, a solemn obligation or engagement (mostly post-Aug.):

ut sacramento contendas mea non esse,

Cic. Fam. 7, 32, 2:

non ego perfidum Dixi sacramentum: ibimus, ibimus, etc.,

Hor. C. 2, 17, 10:

in verba Eumolpi sacramentum juravimus,

Petr. 117, 5:

amicitiae sacramentum delevi,

id. 80, 4:

sacramento quodam nexi,

Just. 20, 4, 14:

se sacramento obstringere, ne, etc.,

Plin. Ep. 10, 96 (97), 7:

si quod inesset mutis animalibus tacitum ac naturale sacramentum,

App. M. 3, p. 140, 31.—

In eccl. and late Lat., something to be kept sacred.

A secret:

sacramentum regis abscondere,

Vulg. Tob. 12, 7.—

The gospel revelation: nolite verba, cum sacramentum meum Erit canendum, providenter quaerere, Prud. steph. 10,15.—

A mystery:

sacramentum stellarum,

Vulg. Apoc. 1, 20:

pietatis,

id. 1 Tim. 3, 16; Lact. 7, 24; Aug. de Agone Christi, 24.—

A sacrament:

signa, cum ad res divinas pertinent, sacramenta appellantur,

Aug. Ep. 138:

baptismi,

id. Doctr. Christ. 3, 13:

sanguinis Christi,

id. Ep. ad Bonif. 98, 9:

(matrimonii),

Vulg. Eph. 5, 32.—

The office of the ministry:

Athanasium episcopum... coctus in unum quaesitus (synodus ut appellant) removit a sacramento quod obtinebat,

Amm. 15, 7, 7.