Papinian

Papinian was one of the most revered jurists in ancient Rome, as third year law students were given the title "Papinianistae" (meaning "they that are worthy to study Papinian"). In his time, he had been called "the Asylum of Right and Treasurer of the Laws". Along with Gaius, Paulus, Modestinus and Ulpian, he was made one of the five jurists whose recorded views were considered decisive by the Law of Citations of 426 CE; their views would later be considered the only suitable ones to be cited as primary sources for the Codex Theodosianus and the Corpus Juris Civilis, provided that Papinian's views prevailed whenever those of the four other jurists were not congruent. The 16th century French jurist Jacques Cujas wrote that "there was never such a great lawyer before, nor ever will be after him".

Life

Little is known about Papinian. He was of Syrian origin and birth and a native of Emesa, for he is said to have been a kinsman of Septimius Severus's second wife, Julia Domna, who was a member of the Emesene dynasty.

One source shows him as a follower of the casuistry of Quintus Cervidius Scaevola, another shows him to have been his pupil. A concurring (but dubious) passage in the Augustan History claims that he studied law with Severus under Scaevola.

Papinian was an intimate friend of Emperor Severus and accompanied him to Britain during 207 CE, where he served in "the forum of York" in response to an uprising by Scottish Highlanders. He was at some time made an attorney general (advocatus fisci), master of petitions (requests), magister libellorum, by Severus. He also served as Treasurer and Captain of the Guard for the Emperor. Before the emperor's death, he commended his two sons Caracalla and Geta into the lawyer's charge.