57:
546:
626:. 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
595:
However, after 44 BC the pontiffs, as with the other official priests of Rome, lost their political influence. Martha
Hoffman Lewis could only find four instances where the pontiff's advice was asked: before Augustus' marriage to Livia; in 37 BC when they ordered the removal of the body of one of the
575:
was once again placed in the hands of an assembly of seventeen of the twenty-five tribes. However, the
College still controlled which candidates the assembly voted on. During the Empire, the office was publicly elected from the candidates of existing pontiffs, until the Emperors began to
342:. 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. The other colleges were the
674:
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.
492:
Membership in the various colleges of priests, including the
College of Pontiffs, was usually an honor offered to members of politically powerful or wealthy families. Membership was for life, except for the
665:(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.
596:
proscribed from the Campus; they made expiatory sacrifices on the day the emperor
Claudius married Agrippina; and their advice was sought concerning reforms of the discipline of the
584:
was a powerful political position to hold and the candidates for office were often very active political members of the
College. Many, such as Julius Caesar, went on to hold
519:. Nevertheless, even in the late Republic it was still believed that the auspices ultimately resided with patrician magistrates, and certain ancient priesthoods: the
538:
The number of members in the
College of Pontiffs grew over time. Originally consisting of three members, the number was increased to nine by the third century BC;
275:
820:, "The Constitution of the Roman Republic," in the same volume, p. 268 (a table showing priestly roles of Roman religion, including assignment to colleges).
484:. 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.
480:
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
571:
was returned, but the circumstances surrounding this are unclear. This changed again after Sulla, when in response to his reforms, the election of the
817:
635:
369:
comes from the Latin for "bridge builder", a possible allusion to a very early role in placating the gods and spirits associated with the
614:
268:
989:
760:
1014:
117:
35:
780:
146:
261:
391:
were priests in charge of fifteen official cults of Roman religion, each assigned to a particular god. The three major
249:
999:
542:
increased the number to fifteen; Augustus increased the number even further, perhaps to as many as twenty-five.
941:
350:
107:
17:
242:
670:
619:
56:
969:
498:
311:
239:
73:
686:. They came to replace the religious authority that was once held by the king. A position, the
862:
218:
977:
The
Priests of the Republic: A Study of the Interactions between Priesthoods and Magistracies
736:
213:
466:
246:
8:
1019:
408:
993:
470:
462:
151:
545:
843:
450:
442:
423:
187:
766:
715:. The term "chief priests" in the New Testament (e.g. Mark 15:11) is translated as
433:
418:
413:
397:
384:
held the sole power in appointing members to the other priesthoods in the college.
316:
182:
167:
920:
809:
786:
481:
223:
683:
293:
192:
131:
1008:
774:
692:, was even created to replace the king for purposes of religious ceremonies.
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609:
577:
553:
494:
403:
197:
177:
92:
700:
696:
688:
623:
328:
307:
172:
925:
The Roman
Calendar from Numa to Constantine: Time, History, and the Fasti
503:
373:, for instance. Also, Varro cites this position as meaning "able to do".
370:
704:
597:
1000:
Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, article "Pontifex"
474:
302:
622:
in 510 BC, the College of Pontiffs became religious advisers to the
790:
746:
567:
from their own number. The right of the college to elect their own
549:
516:
438:
428:
356:
102:
770:
633:
One of their most important duties was their guardianship of the
458:
454:
446:
365:
339:
322:
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was the most important member of the college. Until 104 BC, the
585:
334:
126:
97:
61:
679:
539:
344:
141:
136:
87:
310:
state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the
916:
773:, the first day of the month. He took up a position in the
733:
The pontiffs were assisted by pontifical clerks or scribes
712:
627:
959:
Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome
741:, a position known in the earlier Republican period as a
861:
Beard, Mary; North, John; Price, Simon (June 28, 1998).
867:. Cambridge University Press – via Google Books.
831:
The Official Priests of Rome under the Julio-Claudians
497:
whose term was 30 years. In the early Republic, only
618:(advisers) of the kings, but after the expulsion of
563:Until the 3rd century BC, the College elected the
354:("fifteen men who carry out the rites"), and the
1006:
860:
682:(the old palace of the kings) during the early
938:A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome
612:of Roman history, the pontiffs were primarily
711:around 440 to emphasize the authority of the
269:
990:Pontifex maximus and the college of pontiffs
649:(lists of invocations or names of deities),
678:The College of Pontiffs came to occupy the
719:in the Latin Vulgate and "high priest" as
603:
576:automatically assume the title, following
276:
262:
864:Religions of Rome: Volume 2, A Sourcebook
639:(pontifical books). Among these were the
544:
996:on 2011-03-18. Retrieved on 2013-01-16.
431:. The deities cultivated by the twelve
14:
1007:
507:in 300 BC granted the right to become
968:. p. lxxiii. Loeb Classical Library,
961:. 3 vols. New York: Scribner's, 1988.
957:Beard, Mary. "Roman Priesthoods", in
833:(Rome: American Academy, 1955), p. 7
812:, "Communicating with the Gods," in
699:became the official religion of the
535:were never opened to the plebeians.
501:could become priests. However, the
24:
360:(who set up feasts at festivals).
250:Glossary of ancient Roman religion
25:
1031:
983:
726:
979:. Collection Latomus. 127 (1972)
477:, and two whose names are lost.
314:. The college consisted of the
55:
927:(Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), p. 24.
1015:Ancient Roman religious titles
942:Johns Hopkins University Press
930:
910:
897:
884:
871:
854:
844:"Internet History Sourcebooks"
836:
823:
803:
351:quindecimviri sacris faciundis
108:Quindecimviri sacris faciundis
13:
1:
816:, (Blackwell, 2010), p. 226;
814:A Companion to Roman Religion
796:
487:
964:Dionysius of Halicarnassus,
905:The Official Priests of Rome
892:The Official Priests of Rome
879:The Official Priests of Rome
27:High priests of ancient Rome
7:
10:
1036:
972:, Cambridge Massachusetts.
951:
671:Lex Acilia de intercalando
829:Martha W. Hoffman Lewis,
531:, and the college of the
970:Harvard University Press
240:Religion in ancient Rome
604:Role in the Roman State
707:began using the title
560:
348:(who read omens), the
297:
936:Lawrence Richardson,
757:assisted at the rite
588:during their time as
548:
407:, the high priest of
214:Virgo Vestalis Maxima
992:. Archived from the
966:Roman Antiquities II
777:, a sacred precinct
306:) was a body of the
298:Collegium Pontificum
247:Gallo-Roman religion
620:the last Roman King
529:Quirinalis flamines
290:College of Pontiffs
103:Septemviri epulonum
743:scriba pontificius
636:libri pontificales
561:
152:Sodales Augustales
116:Other colleges or
789:, to observe the
723:in Hebrews 2:17.
684:Republican period
580:’s example. The
424:flamen Quirinalis
417:, who cultivated
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188:Flamen Quirinalis
16:(Redirected from
1027:
945:
944:, 1992), p. 102.
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565:pontifex maximus
558:pontifex maximus
434:flamines minores
414:flamen Martialis
398:flamines maiores
382:pontifex maximus
378:pontifex maximus
317:pontifex maximus
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183:Flamen Martialis
168:Pontifex maximus
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787:Capitoline Hill
769:performed each
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490:
482:Temple of Vesta
282:
245:
224:Regina sacrorum
132:Fratres Arvales
67:
49:of ancient Rome
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312:state religion
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689:rex sacrorum
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173:Rex Sacrorum
82:
65:(AD 250–260)
64:
848:fordham.edu
745:but by the
655:commentarii
608:During the
586:consulships
504:Lex Ogulnia
401:) were the
371:Tiber River
206:Priestesses
47:Priesthoods
1020:Pontifices
1009:Categories
921:Jörg Rüpke
810:Jörg Rüpke
797:References
761:res divina
717:Pontifices
705:Pope Leo I
598:haruspices
552:depicting
509:pontifices
499:patricians
488:Membership
473:(Vulcan),
421:; and the
363:The title
338:, and the
323:pontifices
118:sodalities
83:Pontifices
628:prodigies
525:Martialis
517:plebeians
475:Volturnus
303:collegium
994:original
881:, pp. 8f
791:new moon
747:Augustan
721:Pontifex
651:ritualia
615:concilia
550:Denarius
471:Volcanus
467:Portunus
439:Carmenta
429:Quirinus
366:pontifex
357:epulones
127:Fetiales
98:Flamines
93:Vestales
74:colleges
37:a series
34:Part of
952:Sources
919:22.57;
785:on the
781:templum
771:Kalends
737:scribae
663:annales
610:Kingdom
513:augures
459:Palatua
455:Furrina
447:Falacer
409:Jupiter
393:flamens
389:flamens
345:augures
340:Vestals
335:flamens
160:Priests
147:Luperci
88:Augures
661:, and
521:Dialis
463:Pomona
411:; the
326:, the
300:; see
72:Major
62:Flamen
40:on the
695:When
680:Regia
659:fasti
540:Sulla
533:Salii
451:Flora
443:Ceres
437:were
294:Latin
142:Titii
137:Salii
917:Livy
767:Juno
765:for
753:. A
713:pope
668:The
641:acta
527:and
511:and
419:Mars
387:The
376:The
288:The
556:as
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923:,
846:.
793:.
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600:.
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292:(
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20:)
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