论“本质错误”——以罗马法为中心

在罗马法中,本质错误与身份错误、行为性质的错误、标的物错误并称为使行为无效的四种实质性错误。本质错误与材料错误相关又不等同于材料错误。本质错误的内涵见于D.18,1,9,2中的"醋为酒卖"案,是在社会经济功能影响下的标的物之内在特性发生错误。本质错误的外延见于"古杯"案及D.18,1,11、D.18,1,14等文本,涵涉了大部分的材料错误和性别错误,并可以作为一种兜底条款适用于那些对诸如艺术品价值、作者发生错误的情形。本质错误在近代演化为法国法的"实质错误"、意大利法的"本质上的错误"、瑞士法的"重大错误"、德国法和我国台湾地区法的"性质错误",在赋予法官自由裁量权的功能上,它们和中国大陆民法的错误制度殊途同归。

On Error in Substantia——Based on Roman Law

In Roman law,four types of substantial errors account for invalid contracts including error in substantia,error in persona,error in negotio,and error in corpora.Error in substantia is related to but differs from error in materia.The connotation of error in substantia can be interpreted in the case of＇vinegar sold as wine＇in Digest of Justinian of No.D.18,1,9,2,in which the error of the inner nature of an object occurs influenced by social-economic conditions.The denotation of error in substantia can be found in the Dutch Kantharos Case and the texts of D.18,1,11 and D.18,1,14,where error in gender and error in materia often occur.Rules on such errors can be applied as a save clause to similar situations where errors occur in the value of the artwork or in the author.Error in substantia has evolved in modern times with different forms in different jurisdictions,such as lérreur sur la substance in French law,lérrore essenziale in Italian law,Wesentlichen Irrtum in Swiss law,and Eigenschaftsirrtum in German law and in laws in Taiwan area.With respect to the function of judges＇discretional power,these forms are similar to rules on error in civil laws of China.