Per saltum

Per saltum is a Latin phrase, meaning "hopping". It is used to mean that someone has reached an ecclesiastical position or degree without going through the posts or lower grades according to the established order. ^[1] For example, as in some Protestant churches, being consecrated bishop without first being ordained priest.^{[ citation needed ]}

Some universities award degrees per saltum where the student on examination shows they have completed necessary academic preparation but perhaps not been awarded the necessary lesser degrees for some good reason: this is different from an honorary degree. A notable example is Erasmus of Rotterdam's Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the University of Turin in 1509, gained over fifteen days. ^[2] Erasmus had previously studied or taught at the Universities of Paris, Cambridge, Oxford and Louvain; this per saltum degree is his only recorded qualification.

The phrase is also used in the legal term certiorari per saltum, meaning the possibility of seeking a resolution before a higher court, bypassing intermediate courts.^{[ clarification needed ][ citation needed ]}

In Canada, parties to a case in a superior trial court can jointly seek leave to appeal per saltum from a decision of that court directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, bypassing the intermediate appellate court. ^{[3] [4]}

References

1. Augustine, Charles (1920). A Commentary on the New Code of the Canon Law. B. Herder book Company. p. 460. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
2. "How to Get a Degree in Fifteen Days: Erasmus' Doctorate of Theology from the University of Turin" in Grendler, Paul F. (23 August 2024). Renaissance Education Between Religion and Politics (1 ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003553908. ISBN   978-1-003-55390-8.
3. Supreme Court Act , RSC 1985, c. S-26, s. 38.
4. For an example of appeals per saltum from the trial court, see: R. v. J.J., 2022 SCC 28, [2022] 2 SCR 3.