GODEFROY (GOTOFREDO), JACQUES. — Jurist, son of Denis, born in Geneva on 13 October 1578, died there on 22 June 1652.
He held various public offices and was entrusted with missions in Germany, France, and Savoy. From 1619 he was professor of law in Geneva. He is the author of a Manuale iuris (Geneva 1676) and of Fontes IV iuris civilis (there 1638), in which he also attempted Twelve Tables (v.). But his major work is Codex Theodosianus (v.), published posthumously under the care of Antonio Merville (Lyons 1665) and republished in Lipsia during the period 1736–45; the commentary accompanying it is a treasure-house of historical and juridical learning, indispensable for understanding the legal organization of the late Roman Empire.
BIBL.: D. C. Godefroy-Ménilglaise, Les savants G., Paris 1873. Rodolfo Danieli