PAULUS (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 served as magister memoriae, member of the consilium principis, and finally praefectus praetorio under Alexander Severus, likely alongside Ulpian (v.).
Of this indefatigable writer, though not endowed with great originality, 317 books are known, either directly or through citation. Among these, particular mention should be made of the 16 books *Ad Sabinum* (a general treatment of ius civile based, in addition to Sabinus, on the works of other jurists, especially Pomponius); the 78 books *Ad edictum* (a broad exposition of ius honorarium, supplemented by discussions on dowry, guardianship, manumissions, usucapion, and possession); 25 books of *Quaestiones*, 23 of *Responsa*, 10 *Ad legem Iuliam et Papiam*, as well as a large number of minor monographs or *libri singulares* and summaries of the works of earlier jurists (Alfenus Varus, Labeo, etc.).
P. is also credited with a small work in five books, the *Receptae sententiae* (most of which is reproduced in the *Lex Romana Wisigothorum*, while other passages are found 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 prevailing opinion, extracted from P.’s works by a scholar of the time of Diocletian. P. was, together with Ulpian, one of the most extensively used writers in the compilation of Justinian’s *Digesta*; he is among the five jurists of the so-called law of citations (v.).