Pontiff

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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]

Etymology

The English term derives through Old

Tiber River, for instance.[6] Also, Varro cites this position as meaning "able to do".[7]

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

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007
  2. ^ a b c d e William Smith, A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, article Pontifex, pp. 939-942
  3. ^ a b "Pontiff | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  4. ^ In modern French the corresponding term is pontife
  5. ^ a b c d e "Roman religion". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  6. ^ "Internet History Sourcebooks". fordham.edu.
  7. – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Marcus 15:11". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  9. ), article Pontifical
  10. ), article pontificals