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College of Pontiffs

The College of Pontiffs (Latin: Collegium Pontificum; see collegium) was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion. The college consisted of the pontifex maximus and the other pontifices, the rex sacrorum, the fifteen flamens, and the Vestals.[1] The College of Pontiffs was one of the four major priestly colleges; originally their responsibility was limited to supervising both public and private sacrifices, but as time passed their responsibilities increased.[2] The other colleges were the augures (who read omens), the quindecimviri sacris faciundis ("fifteen men who carry out the rites"), and the epulones (who set up feasts at festivals).

The title pontifex comes from the Latin for "bridge builder", a possible allusion to a very early role in placating the gods and spirits associated with the Tiber River, for instance.[3] Also, Varro cites this position as meaning "able to do".[4]


The pontifex maximus was the most important member of the college. Until 104 BC, the pontifex maximus held the sole power in appointing members to the other priesthoods in the college.


The flamens were priests in charge of fifteen official cults of Roman religion, each assigned to a particular god. The three major flamens (flamines maiores) were the flamen Dialis, the high priest of Jupiter; the flamen Martialis, who cultivated Mars; and the flamen Quirinalis, devoted to Quirinus. The deities cultivated by the twelve flamines minores were Carmenta, Ceres, Falacer, Flora, Furrina, Palatua, Pomona, Portunus, Volcanus (Vulcan), Volturnus, and two whose names are lost.


The Vestal Virgins were the only female members of the college. They were in charge of guarding Rome's sacred hearth, keeping the flame burning inside the Temple of Vesta. Around age 6 to 10, girls were chosen for this position and were required to perform the rites and obligations for 30 years, including remaining chaste.

Role in the Roman State[edit]

During the Kingdom of Roman history, the pontiffs were primarily concilia (advisers) of the kings, but after the expulsion of the last Roman King in 510 BC, the College of Pontiffs became religious advisers to the Roman Senate. As the most important of the four priestly colleges, the College of Pontiffs’ duties involved advising the Senate on issues pertaining to the gods, the supervision of the calendar and thus the supervision of ceremonies with their specific rituals, and the appeasement of the gods upon the appearance of prodigies.


One of their most important duties was their guardianship of the libri pontificales (pontifical books). Among these were the acta, indigitamenta (lists of invocations or names of deities), ritualia, commentarii, fasti, and annales (yearly records of magistrates and important events). These items were under the sole possession of the College of Pontiffs and only they were allowed to consult these items when necessary.


The Lex Acilia de intercalando bestowed power on the College to manage the calendar. Thus, they determined the days which religious and political meetings could be held, when sacrifices could be offered, votes cast, and senatorial decisions brought forth.


The College of Pontiffs came to occupy the Regia (the old palace of the kings) during the early Republican period. They came to replace the religious authority that was once held by the king. A position, the rex sacrorum, was even created to replace the king for purposes of religious ceremonies.


When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Pope Leo I began using the title pontifex maximus around 440 to emphasize the authority of the pope. The term "chief priests" in the New Testament (e.g. Mark 15:11) is translated as Pontifices in the Latin Vulgate and "high priest" as Pontifex in Hebrews 2:17.

Pontifex minor[edit]

The pontiffs were assisted by pontifical clerks or scribes (scribae), a position known in the earlier Republican period as a scriba pontificius but by the Augustan period as a pontifex minor.[8] A pontifex minor assisted at the rite (res divina) for Juno performed each Kalends, the first day of the month. He took up a position in the Curia Calabra, a sacred precinct (templum) on the Capitoline Hill, to observe the new moon.[9]

Beard, Mary. "Roman Priesthoods", in Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1988.

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities II. p. lxxiii. Loeb Classical Library, , Cambridge Massachusetts.

Harvard University Press

Szemler, G.J., The Priests of the Republic: A Study of the Interactions between Priesthoods and Magistracies. Collection Latomus. 127 (1972)

. Archived from the original on 2011-03-18. Retrieved on 2013-01-16.

Pontifex maximus and the college of pontiffs

Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, article "Pontifex"