Pontiff
(Redirected from
Pontifices
)A pontiff (from
Roman Catholic ecclesiastical usage, to bishops, especially the Pope, who is sometimes referred to as the Roman Pontiff or the Supreme Pontiff.[3]
Look up pontiff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Etymology
The English term derives through Old
Ancient Rome
There were four chief
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 BC the pontiffs had assumed control of the state religious system.[5]
Biblical usage
Inspiration for the Catholic use of the name pontiff for a bishop comes from the use of the same word for the Jewish High Priest in the original Latin translation of the Bible, the
Jesus Christ
as the ultimate high priest.
Catholicism
The word "pontiff", though now most often used in relation to a
pontificals", the insignia of his order that a bishop uses when celebrating Pontifical Mass.[10] 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).[citation needed
]
Other religions
The word has been employed in English also for
See also
- Papal titles
- Shaman
References
- ^ 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 | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ In modern French the corresponding term is pontife
- ^ a b c d e "Roman religion". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ "Internet History Sourcebooks". fordham.edu.
- ISBN 9780521456463– via Google Books.
- ^ "Marcus 15:11". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article Pontifical
- ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3), article pontificals