Sextus Pedius
Quintus Pedius Paulus or Paullus (50–120) was a jurist of the Roman Empire. Paulus was of the gens Pedius, who were Romans of consular rank. His cognomen Paulus suggests he could be related to the gens Aemilius.
Paulus was a contemporary to the Roman Jurists Aulus Ofilius and Massurius Sabinus. He is known from the writings of Pomponius. Paulus’ original and independent ideas are only known from the quotations from the Roman jurists Julius Paulus, Domitius Ulpianus and Julian. The quotations have survived because the works were not directly accepted in the Digest.
Paulus was the legal author of extensive commentary on the edicts or proclamations on the Praetorian Guard and aedile. Paulus had written two legal publications, which were the Libri ad Edictum (which Julius Paulus quotes the twenty-fifth passage) and Libri de Stipulationibus.
In the Libri de Stipulationibus, Paulus demonstrates that he had the true, right perception and understanding of legal interpretation. At one instance, Paulus states in a passage as quoted by Julius Paulus:
- It is best not to scrutinize the proper signification of words, but mainly what the testator has intended to declare; in the next place, what is the opinion of those who live in each district.
In another passage from the Libri de Stipulationibus as quoted by Domitius Ulpianus, Paulus observes:
- That when one or two things are introduced by a lex (law), it is a good ground for supplying the rest which tends to the same useful purpose by interpretation, or at least by jurisdiction.