MODESTINO, ERENNIO. – Roman jurist, who lived between the end of the 2nd century and the first half of the 3rd.
A pupil of Ulpian (v.), he was the last of the classical jurists and enjoyed considerable renown, although his works lack originality. He was praefectus vigilum and in 239 is recorded as possessing the ius respondendi; he is one of the five Law of Citations (v.).
Among his works, all elementary in character and intended for teaching and practice, are 12 books of pandectae, 10 of regulae, 9 of differentiae, and 19 of responsa. He also wrote many singulares books (de testamentis, de manumissionibus, de ritu nuptiarum, etc.); six books de excusationibus in the Greek language are also attributed to him.
BIBL.: P. Krüger, Geschichte der Quellen und Literatur des röm. Rechts, 2nd ed., Leipzig 1912, p. 253 ff.; P. de Francisci, Storia del diritto romano, II, 1, Milan 1938, p. 517 f. Rodolfo Danieli