Domitius Modestus (''floruit'' 358–377) was a politician of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

. He held appointments under the emperors

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germani ...

, Julian, and

Valens Valens ( grc-gre, Ουάλης, Ouálēs; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the eastern half of ...

, and was

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 372. Previously a pagan, he converted to

Arianism Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

under Valens, and was sent by Valens to mediate between the Arian and Nicene factions with

Basil of Caesarea Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...

Life

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

origin, Modestus was ''

comes Orientis The Diocese of the East ( la, Dioecesis Orientis; el, ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia. During late Antiquity, it was one of the majo ...

'' from 358 to 362, succeeding to

Nebridius :''"Nebridius" was also the name of a close friend of Augustine of Hippo, who is mentioned in his letters.'' Saint Nebridius ( ca, Nebridi, es, Nebridio) was bishop of Egara (Terrassa) (516–527) and then bishop of Barcelona from 540 to aroun ...

and serving under the Emperors

and Julian. In 359 he was the president of a commission at Scythopolis, and in this office he judged with cruelty the defendants. While he was in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, Julian appointed Modestus as ''

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

'' of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, an office he held from 362 to 363. Under Emperor

he was

Praetorian prefect of the East The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into whic ...

(369-377) and consul in 372. During his office as Praetorian prefect he completed the building of the ''Cisterna Modestiaca'' (a cistern identified with Sarrâdshchane), whose building was begun by the architect Helpidius in 363, while Modestus was ''praefectus urbi''. In 371 was appointed president of a commission that was to judge some high officers who had been accused of practicing magic, in particular of having consulted a soothsayer to learn the name of the successor of Emperor Valens. Modestus acted very cruelly, torturing innocent people, thus extorting confessions from them. His consulate, the following year, was probably a reward for his handling of the process. Despite the fact that he was strongly connected with the pagan officers and had been a pagan under the pagan Emperor Julian, under Valens he converted to

, the Emperor's religion. Valens sent Modestus to meet the Nicene bishop

, to mediate between the two opposing

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faiths, but Basil refused. Modestus was then ordered by Valens to use violence against the bishop, but he did not. He is the addressee of 37 letters by

Libanius Libanius ( grc-gre, Λιβάνιος, Libanios; ) was a teacher of rhetoric of the Sophist school in the Eastern Roman Empire. His prolific writings make him one of the best documented teachers of higher education in the ancient world and a criti ...

References

Sources

* Burns, Paul (ed.), ''Butler's Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition January''. The Liturgical Press. . * Jones, Arnold Hugh Martin, John Robert Martindale, John Morris, ''

Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire ''Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire'' (abbreviated as ''PLRE'') is a work of Roman prosopography published in a set of three volumes collectively describing many of the people attested to have lived in the Roman Empire from AD 260, the date ...

'', volume 1, Cambridge University Press, 1992, , pp. 605-08 {{s-end 4th-century Arabs 4th-century Romans 4th-century Arian Christians 4th-century Roman consuls Arab Christians Arabs in the Roman Empire Arian Christians Comites Orientis Correspondents of Libanius

Modestus Modestus was a Roman cognomen. It may refer to: * Julius Modestus (1st century BC), Roman freedman and grammarian * Marcus Mettius Modestus (procurator) (1st century AD), Roman governor of Egypt * Aufidius Modestus (1st century AD), Roman philo ...

Imperial Roman consuls Praetorian prefects of the East Urban prefects of Constantinople