Aemilius Papinianus

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Aemilius Papinianus (142-212) was a celebrated Roman jurist. He was put to death by the emperor Caracalla after refusing to vindicate his conduct in murdering his brother.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopaedia.

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Roman jurist, was magister libellorum and afterwards praetorian, as well as, prefect under Septimius Severus. He was an intimate friend of the emperor and accompanied him to Britain. Before his death Severus specially commended his two sons to his charge.

Papinian tried to keep peace between the brothers, but with no better result than to excite the hatred of Caracalla to which he felt victim in the general slaughter of Geta's friends which followed the fratricide of A.D. 212. The details are variously related, and have undergone legendary embellishment, but the murder of Papinian, which took place under Caracalla's own eyes, was one of the most disgraceful crimes of that tyrant.

Little more is known about Papinian. He was perhaps of Syrian birth, for he is said to have been a kinsman of Severus's second wife, Julia Domna. He is presumed to have studied law with Severus under Scaevola.

Refer to Roman Law. In Valentinian's Law of Citations he is classed with Gaius, Paulus, Modestinus, and Ulpian, as one of the five jurists whose recorded views were considered decisive. He is one of the five jurists together with Gaius, Paulus, Modestinus, and Ulpian that is a primary source for the Theodosian Codex Civilis and Justinian Codex Civilis. All secondary sources were to be quoted by the five in order to be valid and only thirty-five jurists were. His view was to prevail if the other four were not congruent.

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