Herennius Modestinus
Encyclopedia
Herennius Modestinus, or simply Modestinus, was a celebrated Roman jurist
, a student of Ulpian
who flourished about 250.
He appears to have been a native of one of the Greek
-speaking provinces, probably Dalmatia
. In Valentinian
's Law of Citations he is classed with Papinian, Paulus, Gaius
and Ulpian
, as one of the five jurists whose recorded views were considered decisive.
He is mentioned in a rescript of Gordian III
in the year 240 in connection with a responsum which he gave to the party to whom the rescript was addressed. No fewer than 345 passages in the Digest of the Corpus Juris Civilis
are taken from his writings.
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
, a student of Ulpian
Ulpian
Gnaeus Domitius Annius Ulpianus , anglicized as Ulpian, was a Roman jurist of Tyrian ancestry.-Biography:The exact time and place of his birth are unknown, but the period of his literary activity was between AD 211 and 222...
who flourished about 250.
He appears to have been a native of one of the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
-speaking provinces, probably Dalmatia
Dalmatia (Roman province)
Dalmatia was an ancient Roman province. Its name is probably derived from the name of an Illyrian tribe called the Dalmatae which lived in the area of the eastern Adriatic coast in Classical antiquity....
. In Valentinian
Valentinian III
-Family:Valentinian was born in the western capital of Ravenna, the only son of Galla Placidia and Flavius Constantius. The former was the younger half-sister of the western emperor Honorius, and the latter was at the time Patrician and the power behind the throne....
's Law of Citations he is classed with Papinian, Paulus, Gaius
Gaius (jurist)
Gaius was a celebrated Roman jurist. Scholars know very little of his personal life. It is impossible to discover even his full name, Gaius or Caius being merely his personal name...
and Ulpian
Ulpian
Gnaeus Domitius Annius Ulpianus , anglicized as Ulpian, was a Roman jurist of Tyrian ancestry.-Biography:The exact time and place of his birth are unknown, but the period of his literary activity was between AD 211 and 222...
, as one of the five jurists whose recorded views were considered decisive.
He is mentioned in a rescript of Gordian III
Gordian III
Gordian III , was Roman Emperor from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of Antonia Gordiana and an unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor Gordian I and younger sister of Emperor Gordian II. Very little is known on his early life before his acclamation...
in the year 240 in connection with a responsum which he gave to the party to whom the rescript was addressed. No fewer than 345 passages in the Digest of the Corpus Juris Civilis
Corpus Juris Civilis
The Corpus Juris Civilis is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Eastern Roman Emperor...
are taken from his writings.