FONTIFEX (of doubtful derivation) was the title borne by the members of one of the two great colleges among the ancient Romans, instituted for the purpose of preserving and cultivating religious knowledge; the other was the college of augurs. See AUGURIES and AUSPICES. It is customary to speak of the college of pontiffs as a " priesthood ;" it was not, however, strictly speaking, such—that is to say, the members were not charged with the worship of any particular divinity, nor did they conduct sacrifices. Their duties embraced the regulation of all the religious rites and ceremonies (both pub lic and private) of a state—e.g.. how the gods should be worshiped, how burials should be conducted, how the souls of the dead (manes) should be appeased. To them was intrusted the care of the calendar, the proclamation of festival days, etc. They also saw that every religious and every judicial act took place on the right day. "As they had thus," says Dr. Mommsen, an especial supervision of all religious observances, it was to them in case of need (as on occasion of marriage, testament, or arrogatio) that the preliminary question was addressed, whether the matter proposed did not, in any respect, offend against divine law." In matters of religion they were the supreme authorities: from their decisions there was no appeal, and they themselves were respon sible neither to the senate nor the people; further, they had power to inflict punishment on such priests as dared to disobey their injunctions, and deviate into schismatical courses. The words of Festus are, Rerunt quce ad sacra et religiones pertinent, JUDICES
ET Their president was termed pontifex maximus.
The pontiffs, according to Roman tradition, were instituted by Numa—a mythical person, to whom the origin of nearly all the religious institutions of Rome is ascribed. But as they appear in all the Latin communities, they are regarded by Mommsen as a "thoroughly national Italian institution," and probably found a place in the earliest religious organization of the Latin race. Their number was originally four, or, includ ing the pontifex maximus, five, all of whom were taken from the patricians. In 300 B.C., the Ogulnian law raised the number to nine, four of whom were to be plebeians. The first plebeian, however, who attained the dignity of pontifex maximus was Tib. Coruncanius, :254 n.c. Sulla, in 81 B.c., again increased the number to 15, and Julius Cmsar to 16. During the empire, the functions of pontifex maximus were generally discharged by the emperors themselves; and the name survived even the establishment of Christianity, -occurring.in inscriptions of Valentinian, Valens, and Gratianus; but at length the -emperors dropped it, when it was picked up by the Christian bishops of Rome; and now this title, borrowed from a pagan cult, forms one of the sacred designations of his holi ness the pope.