PAPINIANUS (Aemilius Papinianus). – A Roman jurist, born probably in Syria, died in Rome in 212. He pursued a brilliant career in imperial administration: assessor to the praetorian prefect during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, under Septimius Severus he held the office of magister libellorum, later rising to the position of praetorian prefect. In 212 he was put to death by order of Caracalla, reportedly for refusing to justify the killing of Caracalla’s brother, Geta.
His major works include 37 books of *Quaestiones* (containing practical cases and dogmatic expositions), and 18 books of *Responsa*; he also wrote two short treatises *De adulteriis*, two books of *Definitiones*, and possibly a treatise in Greek (Ἀστυνομίας μονόβιβλος) on the functions of certain magistrates (ἀστύνομος) responsible for urban roads and public buildings. His writings are distinguished by keen judgment and solutions always inspired by morality and equity. He enjoyed great renown in postclassical schools, as evidenced by the special position attributed to him among the five jurists under the so-called Law of Citations (v.).