Legal Definitions - secretarius

Definition: Secretarius (sek-r-tair-ee-s) is a term from Law Latin that refers to a person who answers for another, gives advice in ecclesiastical matters, or presents church matters to the emperor and conveys the answers to the petitioners. It is also known as Apocrisarius.

1. The Pope's legate was a type of apocrisarius who acted as an ambassador or messenger.

2. In the early Christian church, a secretarius was an officer who presented church matters to the emperor and conveyed the answers to the petitioners.

3. A responsalis, a responsis, a consiliarius, and a referendarius are also terms that can be used to refer to a secretarius.

These examples illustrate how a secretarius was an important figure in the early Christian church and had various roles, including acting as an ambassador, giving advice, and presenting church matters to the emperor. The different terms used to refer to a secretarius show how the role was recognized and valued in different contexts.