Modestinus

Modestinus is a Latin given name that appears in antiquity and later periods. The most widely cited bearer is Modestinus, a Roman jurist of the late Empire. His work has not survived as a complete treatise; instead, his opinions are known through quotations in the Digest of Justinian. The fragments attributed to Modestinus cover civil law, including contracts and obligations, and are used by scholars to illustrate the tradition of classical Roman jurisprudence. While the precise dating is debated, he is generally placed in the 2nd or 3rd century CE, and his status as a jurist is supported by repeated citations by later jurists.

Modestinus is also the name of several Christian saints and martyrs, attested in various medieval martyrologies and calendar lists. Details about their lives are sparse and differ by source; in some traditions Modestinus is commemorated together with companions, and in others with different spellings of the name. Because historical records are fragmentary, little verifiable information survives about these figures.

In modern usage, Modestinus is a relatively rare Latin name. It has several linguistic descendants and variants in Romance languages, and it appears in historical sources primarily as a proper name rather than a title or office. The name itself derives from the Latin word modestus, meaning modest or restrained, and has occasionally appeared in literature and hagiography to denote rhetorical or moral qualities associated with its bearer.