合同概念的历史变迁及其解释

Historical Change of the Concept of Contract and Its Interpretation

对合同的概念,在不同的历史阶段和法律文化背景下,存在着各殊的构想模式。古典罗马法以形式主义和类型法定为契约概念的特质,构建了债一契约的制度模式;中世纪注释法学家遵循这一模式,以原因理论重构了合同的概念,这一传统为法国法系继受,使原因理论成为破译其合同概念及相关制度设计的密码;在德国,自然法理论、理性法学和历史法学结亲,以法律行为理论重组合同的要素,使其含义在历史上再一次发生根本性断裂;20世纪以后,制度的变迁又催生了新的合同说明模式。

There have been individualized conception models defining contract in different historical periods and legal cultures, which has led to different contract law regimes in different legal systems. The classical Roman law established an obligatio - contractus system with formalism and numerus clausus as the key features of contract; the medieval glossators accepted this model and redefined the contract with the doctrine of causa; the French law family continued this tradition and made the doctrine of causa the key to understand the definition of contract and related rules; in Germany, after absorbing some elements of the theory of natural law and rationalism, the Romanists in the historical school reorganized the elements of contract with the theory of Rechtsgesch? ft, which abruptly changed the definition of contract for the second time in the history. The change of legal systems again led to new contract interpretation models in the 20th century.