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{{short description|Body of written legal decisions and rulings}}
{{Italic title}}
'''''Responsa''''' (plural of [[Latin]] {{lang|la|responsum}}, 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by [[legal scholar]]s in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars in historic [[religious law]].

==In the Roman Empire==
[[Roman law]] recognised {{lang|la|responsa prudentium}}, i.e., the responses and thoughts of [[jurists]], as one of the sources of {{lang|la|[[ius scriptum]]}} (written law), along with laws originating from [[Roman magistrate|magistrates]], from the [[Roman Senate|Senate]], or from the [[Roman emperor|emperor]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roman law {{!}} Influence, Importance, Principles, & Facts {{!}} Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-law|access-date=2021-12-21|website=www.britannica.com|language=en|quote=The chief forms of imperial legislation were edicts or proclamations; instructions to subordinates, especially provincial governors; written answers to officials or others who consulted the emperor; and decisions of the emperor sitting as a judge.<br>The last type of written law was the ''responsa prudentium'', or answers to legal questions given by learned lawyers to those who consulted them.}}</ref>

A particularly well-known and highly influential example of such ''responsa'' was the ''Digesta'' (or ''Digests''), in 90 books, the principal work of the prominent second century jurist [[Salvius Julianus]]. This was a systematic treatise on civil and [[praetor]]ian law, consisting of responsa on real and hypothetical cases, cited by many later Roman legal writers.<ref>"Salvius Iulianus" in Adolf Berger, ''Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law'', American Philosophical Society, 1953, p. 552</ref>

==In the Catholic Church==
<!-- "Dubium" and "Dubia" redirect here. See [[MOS:HIDDENLINKADVICE]]. -->

In the [[Catholic Church]], ''responsa'' are answers of the competent executive authority to specific questions (in Latin, '''''dubia''''', literally "doubts") sent by [[Catholic bishops]] to the [[Holy See]]. ''Responsa'' given by the [[Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts]] which are [[Promulgation (Catholic canon law)|promulgated]] as authentic interpretation have the force of law as per [[Canon (canon law)|canon]] 16 §2 of the [[1983 Code of Canon Law|1983 ''Code of Canon Law'']]. Other ''responsa'' cannot have this binding force, but nevertheless possess a high authority.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Berkmann|first=Burkhard Josef|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZK73DwAAQBAJ&dq=authority+responsa+catholic+church&pg=PT121|title=The Internal Law of Religions: Introduction to a Comparative Discipline|date=2020-09-22|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-000-17926-2|language=en|chapter=5. Methods of comparative law of religions - 5.4.1 Example: sources of law}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bullivant |first=Stephen |date=2016-11-24 |title=Submitting dubia is a standard part of Church life. It's not unreasonable to expect a clear answer |url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/submitting-dubia-is-a-standard-part-of-church-life-its-not-unreasonable-to-expect-a-clear-answer/ |access-date=2021-12-20 |website=Catholic Herald |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Some ''responsa'' are given in ''[[Notitiae]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Notitiae Responses|url=http://notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org/|access-date=2021-12-20|website=notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org}}</ref> the official journal of the [[Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments]] (CDW). The ''responsa'' given in ''Notitiae'' are, according to the CDW, to be considered only as private responses unless they are published in official legal records of the Holy See.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pentin|first=Edward|date=February 8, 2022|title=Traditional Latin Mass: Canonists Question the Legislative Force of Recent Vatican Guidelines|url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/traditional-latin-mass-canonists-question-the-legislative-force-of-recent-vatican-guidelines|access-date=2022-02-10|website=NCR|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1969 |title=[no title] |url=http://notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org/pdf/notitiae-1969-323-323.pdf |journal=[[Notitiae]] |volume=5 |pages=323 |quote=Solutiones quae proponuntur non induunt vestem officialem, sed habent valorem orientativum: solutiones 'ex officio' publici iuris fient in Acta Apostolicae Sedis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1997 |title=Responsa ad dubia proposita |url=http://notitiae.ipsissima-verba.org/pdf/notitiae-1997-138-138.pdf |journal=[[Notitiae]] |volume=33 |pages=138 |quote=Licet solutiones quae proponuntur potestatem legislativam non habeant, induunt tamen vestem officialem quia actuale magisterium et praxim huius Congregationis exprimunt}}</ref>

==In Judaism==
[[File:מכתבו של הרב שמואל הלוי וואזנר אודות האם תרגום הוא תורה שבכתב או בע&quot;פ מכתב תשובה להרב שלמה שטנצל.pdf|thumb|1981 ''responsum'' of Rabbi [[Shmuel Wosner]], ''Shevet HaLevi'', concerning the status of translated works of Torah, in response to a question from Rabbi [[Shlomo Sztencl]].]]
{{Main| History of responsa in Judaism}}
{{Further|Oral Torah|Halakha|Posek}}
In [[rabbinic literature]], the ''responsa'' are known as ''She'elot u-Teshuvot'' ({{langx|he|שאלות ותשובות}} "questions and answers"), and comprise the body of written decisions and rulings given by [[Posek|poskim]] ("deciders of Jewish law"). A modern term, used mainly for questions on the [[internet]], is "[[Ask the rabbi]]".<ref name="JE" >{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Bacher |first1=Wilhelm |last2=Lauterbach |first2=Jacob Zallel |date=1901–1906 |title=SHE'ELOT U-TESHUBOT ("questions and answers," or "interpellations and decisions") |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13525-she-elot-u-teshubot |encyclopedia=[[Jewish Encyclopedia]] |location=New York |publisher=[[Funk & Wagnalls]] |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref>

Judaism's responsa constitute a special class of [[rabbinic literature]], to be distinguished from the [[Rabbinic literature#Meforshim|commentaries]] (''meforshim'')—devoted to the exegesis of the [[Tanakh|Hebrew Bible]], the [[Mishnah]], the [[Talmud]]—and from [[Halakha#Codes of Jewish law|the codes of law]] which delineate the rules for ordinary incidents of life.<ref name="JE" />

The responsa literature covers a period of 1,700 years—the mode, style, and subject matter have changed as a function of the travels of the Jewish people and of the development of other halakhic literature, particularly the codes.<ref name="JE" />

Responsa play a particularly important role in [[Halakha|Jewish law]]. The questions forwarded are usually practical, and often concerned with new contingencies for which no provision has been made in the [[Halakha#Codes of Jewish law|codes of law]], and the responsa thus supplement the codes. They, therefore, function as a source of law, in a manner similar to [[stare decisis|legal precedent]], in that they are consulted by later decisors ([[posek|poskim]]) in their rulings; they are also, in turn, incorporated into subsequent [[Halakha#Codes of Jewish law|codes]].<ref name="JE" />

In addition to requests for halakhic rulings, many of the questions addressed were theoretical in character, particularly among the earlier responsa. The responsa thus contain rulings on [[ethics]], [[Business ethics#Religious views|business ethics]], the [[philosophy of religion]], [[astronomy]], [[mathematics]], [[history]], [[geography]], as well as interpretations of passages in the [[Bible]], the [[Mishnah]], the [[Talmud]], and the [[Midrash]]. Thus, while early [[rabbinic literature|Jewish literature]] has few historical works, many notes on the [[Jewish history|history of Judaism]] have been introduced into the responsa.<ref name="JE" />

Responsa thus contain valuable information about the [[culture]] of the Jews and the people among whom they lived. Information may also be gleaned about the moral and social relations of the times, occupations, the household, [[minhag|customs]], expressions of joy and of sorrow, and recreations, and even games. Older responsa are also important for readings and emendations of the [[Mishnah]] and the [[Talmud]].<ref name="JE" />

==In Islam==
A similar use of responsa (here called [[fatwā]]) is found in [[Islam]].<ref name=":1" />

==See also==
* [[Papal rescript]]
* [[Rescript]]
{{Clr}}

== References ==
<references />
{{Jewish Encyclopedia |title=SHE'ELOT U-TESHUBOT ("questions and answers," or "interpellations and decisions") |url=https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13525-she-elot-u-teshubot |last1=Bacher |first1=Wilhelm |last2=Lauterbach |first2=Jacob Zallel}}
== Further reading ==

* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=576&letter=S She'elot U-Teshubot], ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Hebrew Literature |volume=13 |pages=169–176 |first=Arthur Ernest |last=Cowley |short=1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ginzberg |first=Louis |author-link=Louis Ginzberg |editor=David Golinkin |editor-link=David Golinkin |year=1996 |title=The Responsa of Professor Louis Ginzberg |series=Volume 16 of Moreshet Series: Studies in Jewish History and Thought |location=New York |publisher=Jewish Theological Seminary of America |isbn=9789654560214 |oclc=36974955}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070626213439/http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/diduknow/lgresponsa/ Excerpts].

==External links==
* [https://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Responsa/ The Responsa Project]
* [http://www.halachabrura.org/alephlink.htm#שות Orthodox Responsa Index] {{in lang|he}}. Accessed October 22, 2012
* [http://www.responsafortoday.com/ Masorti and Conservative Jewish responsa] {{in lang|he}}. Accessed October 22, 2012
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080210063829/http://data.ccarnet.org/resp/tindex.html Topical index of non-binding Reform Jewish responsa]
{{Jewish Encyclopedia |wstitle=Jewish Encyclopedia name}}
[[Category:Rabbinic legal texts and responsa| ]]
[[Category:Oral Torah]]