PAOLO (Iulius Paulus). – Roman jurist of the 3rd century A.D., whose place of origin and dates of birth and death are unknown. Probably a pupil of Cervidius Scaevola and assessor to Papinian (v.) when the latter was praefectus praetorio, he was magister memoriae, a member of the consilium principis, and finally praefectus praetorio under Alexander Severus, probably together with Ulpian (v.).
Of this indefatigable writer, although not endowed with great originality, 317 books are known, either directly or through citation. Among these, particular mention should be made of 16 books ad Sabinum (a general treatment of the ius civile based, in addition to Sabinus’s works, on those of other jurists, especially Pomponius); 78 books ad edictum (a broad exposition of the ius honorarium, to which treatments concerning dowry, guardianship, manumission, usucapion, and possession are added); 25 books of quaestiones, 23 of responsa, and 10 ad legem Iuliam et Papiam, in addition to a large number of short monographs or libri singulares and summaries of the works of earlier jurists (Alfenus Varus, Labeo, etc.).
P. is also credited with a short work in five books, the Receptae sententiae (most of which is reproduced in the lex Romana Wisigothorum, while other passages are contained in the Digesta, the Collatio legum Mosaicarum et Romanarum, and the Fragmenta Vaticana); in reality, the Sententiae, a collection of maxims compiled for practical use, were, according to the prevailing view, extracted from P.’s works by a scholar of the age of Diocletian. Together with Ulpian, P. was one of the writers most extensively used in the compilation of the Justinianic Digesta; and he is among the five jurists of the so-called « law of citations » (v.).