Pontiff - Wikipedia Pontiff From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search "Pontifex" redirects here. For other uses, see Pontifex (disambiguation). A pontiff (from Latin pontifex) was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs.[1][2] The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in Roman Catholic ecclesiastical usage, to a bishop and more particularly to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope or "Roman Pontiff".[3] Look up pontiff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Ancient Rome 3 Biblical Usage 4 Catholicism 5 Other religions 6 See also 7 References Etymology[edit] The English term derives through Old French pontif[3][4] from Latin pontifex, a word commonly held to come from the Latin root words pons, pont- (bridge) + facere (to do, to make), and so to have the literal meaning of "bridge-builder", presumably between mankind and the deity/deities. The role of bridges in ancient religions, associated with resurrection, redemption and the Judgement Day is already well known.[according to whom?] Uncertainty prevailing, this may be only a folk etymology,[1] but it may also recall ancient tasks and magic rites associated with bridges.[5] Ancient Rome[edit] Main article: College of Pontiffs There were four chief colleges of priests in ancient Rome, the most illustrious of which was that of the pontifices.[2] The others were those of the augures, the quindecimviri sacris faciundis, and the epulones.[5] The same person could be a member of more than one of these groups.[2] Including the pontifex maximus, who was president of the college, there were originally three[5] or five[2] pontifices, but the number increased over the centuries, finally becoming 16 under Julius Caesar.[2][5] By the third century B.C., the pontiffs had assumed control of the state religious system.[5] Biblical Usage[edit] Inspiration for the Christian use of the name "pontiff" for a bishop could be found in the use of the same word (in Latin, pontifex, not "pontifex maximus") for the Jewish High Priest in the Vulgate Latin translation of the Scriptures, where it appears 59 times. For example, in the Vulgate Mark 15:11, "pontifices" (plural) is the Latin term used for "The Chief Priests",[6] and in the Letter to the Hebrews "pontifex" (singular) is repeatedly used with reference to the Jewish High Priest and analogously to Jesus as the High Priest of Christians. Catholicism[edit] The word "pontiff", though now most often used in relation to a pope, technically refers to any bishop. The phrase "Roman Pontiff" is therefore not tautological, but means "Bishop of Rome".[1] In the same way, a Pontifical Mass is a mass celebrated by a bishop, not necessarily a pope. Note also "the Pontifical" (the liturgical book containing the prayers and ceremonies for rites used by a bishop)[7] and "pontificals", the insignia of his order that a bishop uses when celebrating Pontifical Mass.[8] While the pontificals primarily belong to bishops, they have also been granted by papal favour or legally established Church custom to certain presbyters (e.g., abbots). Other religions[edit] The word has been employed in English also for caliphs (Islam) and swamis and jagadgurus (Hinduism).[1] See also[edit] Pontifex Maximus College of Pontiffs References[edit] ^ a b c d "Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 ^ a b c d e William Smith, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, article Pontifex, pp. 939-942 ^ a b Pontiff, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ^ In modern French the corresponding term is pontife ^ a b c d e Encyclopædia Britannica, article Roman religion ^ Marcus 15:11 ^ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Pontifical ^ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press 2005 ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article pontificals Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pontiff&oldid=1027825847" Categories: Ancient Roman titles Religious leadership roles Christian terminology Catholic ecclesiastical titles Papal titles Hidden categories: All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from August 2019 Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Català Eesti Español Esperanto Français Hrvatski Ido Italiano Nederlands Plattdüütsch Polski Português Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 10 June 2021, at 06:54 (UTC). 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