modern notion of a legal right is one where a legal subject is in principle considered to have a general power to obligate others, and inversely the legal duty is a concept that entails a person’s submission to the obligating power of the entitled subject. However, the modern understanding of the nature of legal relations among men differs from that of Roman law, for according to Roman law the claimant, on account of a legally acknowledgedactio, has only the unilateral power to claim specific performances from specific individuals. In Roman law, the binding power of legal duties and rights is explained with reference to the specific supernatural power (qualitas occultas) that the possessor of a legal right was believed to possess over persons and things (animate as well as inanimate).66 The entitled party’s power manifested itself in two slightly different ways, depending upon whether the claim was of a contractual or proprietary nature. In the case of obligatio, the plaintiff was considered to rule over the person of the debtor per se, while in the case of dominiumthe plaintiff was considered to rule over the specific substance (specie) of a thing.67 For according to the Roman notion of law:“… besteht ein privates subjektives Recht immer in einer ideellen Macht über eine Sache oder eine Person, gedacht in Analogie mit äußerer natürlicher Macht über diese.”68 In the case of obligatio, the creditor’s power constituted a vinculum iuris, construed as the creditor’s non-physical, ideal legal bond a ca l l f o r s c i e n t i f i c p u r i t y 399 and 157-162;“The Notion of Law,” pp. 201-206 and 244-250; Obligationsbegriff 1, pp. e.g. 1-18 and 599-612. 66 Hägerström,“Nehrman-Ehrenstråles uppfattning,” pp. 573-578; Recht, Pflicht etc, pp. 13-20. 67 Hägerström,“Nehrman-Ehrenstråles uppfattning,” pp. 575-583 and 615; Recht, Pflicht etc, pp. 16-27 and 66. 68 Hägerström,“Nehrman-Ehrenstråles uppfattning,”p.615;Recht, Pflicht etc, p. 67. Swedish: “… består alltid en privat subjektiv rätt i en ideell makt över sak eller person, fattad i analogi med yttre naturlig makt däröver.” 2 . 1. 1 Obligatio, Obligare and Obligatus, and Vinculum Iuris
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