Utrecht University Degree

[hooterbill]

Could someone please translate at least this phrase from the degree below?

examine doctorali scientiae geochemiae
ius summos petendi honores in hac facultate concedit

Here below is the whole degree from Utrecht University, if you want to translate all of it. Thanks.

UNIVERSITAS RHENOTRAIECTINA
L.S.
FACULTAS DISCIPLINAE SCIENTIAE TERRAE
Iuveni ornatissimo John Doe
nato die 24 mensis maii anno 1972 in Lisse
examine doctorali scientiae geochemiae
ius summos petendi honores in hac facultate concedit
Datum Traiecti ad Rhenum
die 29 mensis septembris anno 1997
Ex albo Facultatis no. 779
Nomine examinatorum

[lucienell]

The phrase more or less says:

With a doctoral exam in the science of geochemistry
the law in this faculty grants of the applicant the highest honours.


Congratulations!

[Imber Ranae]

What's with all these diploma translation requests we've been getting lately?

UNIVERSITAS RHENOTRAIECTINA*
L.S. [Lectori Salutem]
FACULTAS DISCIPLINAE SCIENTIAE TERRAE
Iuveni ornatissimo John Doe
nato die 24 mensis Maii anno 1972 in Lisse
examine doctorali scientiae geochemiae
ius summos petendi honores in hac facultate concedit
Datum Traiecti ad Rhenum*
die 29 mensis septembris anno 1997
Ex albo Facultatis no. 779
Nomine examinatorum

UTRECHT UNIVERSITY
to the reader [sends] greetings.
THE FACULTY OF THE DISCIPLINE OF EARTH SCIENCE
concedes to the distinguished young man, [NAME],
born in Lisse on the 24th day of the month of May, in the year 1972,
by his doctoral examination in geochemical science,
the right to seek the highest positions in this faculty.
Delivered at Utrecht
on the 29th day of the month of September in the year 1997.
From the registry of the Faculty no. 779
in the name [?] of the examiners: ...

*Rhenotraiectina is actually an adjective in agreement with Universitas meaning "belonging to Utrecht" (i.e. "Utrechts" in het Nederlands), but it is compounded with a prefix that means "Rhine", which is Rhenum in Latin. I suppose this is to differentiate it from Maastricht, as in Latin both cities were named Traiectum, which means "crossing" or "ford". A couple lines further down the name Traiectum ad Rhenum "Crossing-on-the-Rhine" is used (Traiecti is genitive).


Now, I'm pretty sure that honores here is not just an abstract noun meaning "honors", though that meaning certainly applies as well. I translated it "positions", as in teaching positions, which I base on the use of the words ius and petendi in conjunction with it. In ancient Rome the word honores, in addition to its abstract meaning, was also used as a political term for civil, military, and religious public offices (they tended to overlap), the idea behind the term being that they were positions of honor. To become consul, the highest political office in republican Rome, one had to first go through what was called the cursus honorum, a series of public offices which one was expected to hold before one would be considered fit for the highest office.

Anyway, there was a term ius honorum petendorum (or alternatively ius petendi honores) which meant the right to stand for public office. It seems that the term is being appropriated here to also apply to professorial positions within the university, and this is indeed the primary privilege that the doctorate degree is meant to confer.

I'm not entirely sure what the precise meaning of the last two lines is, as the language seems somewhat technical.