Extract

Iulius Paulus, a celebrated Roman lawyer whose origin is unknown. Taught by *Cervidius Scaevola, he was active in Rome as advocate, teacher, and writer. Under *Septimius Severus he was assessor to *Aemilius Papinianus as praetorian prefect and became a member of the emperor's council (see consilium principis) and perhaps head of the records office (a memoria). He was thus able to publish reports of cases decided by Severus (Imperiales sententiae, Decreta), in which he shows his sturdy independence. Though the matter is disputed, he was possibly made praetorian prefect by *Elegabalus in ce 219, when the emperor married Iulia Cornelia Paula, whose name suggests that she was the lawyer's daughter. The marriage was dissolved in 220. Paulus was banished but was recalled by M. *Aurelius Severus Alexander (222–35), whom he served as counsellor while continuing to write.His output in some five decades came to over 300 books (libri), including 16 on the civil law (Ad Sabinum) and 78 on the praetor's edict (Ad edictum praetoris), besides notes on earlier writers and dozens of monographs on particular topics.