LI'BER PON'TIFICA'LIS (Lat.. pontifical hook). A history of the bishops of Rome pro fessing to begin with the Apostle Peter and extending to Nicholas I. (807), with an addi tion subsequently made of the times of Adrian II. and Stephen VI. (891). Anastasius, librarian of the Church under Nicolas I. and abbot of a convent in Rome, was formerly supposed by many to he the author of the hook; hut later investiga tions have shown almost certainly that it existed before his time. The oldest materials now known that were used in the emnpijation of it were furnished by a list of the popes down to Liberius, which was probably written before his death (366), The original MS. has been lost, but several copies of it, taken in the seventeenth century from other copies, are extant. Another list of the popes comes down to Felix IV. (530). 'Parts of it are almost literal copies from the former, but many additional particulars are given, drawn from various sources and having different degrees of historical value. Both lists were afterwards continued and ultimately formed the Liber Pontificals, the oldest known copy of which belongs to the end of the seventh or the beginning of the eighth century. A first con
tinuation of it extends to Gregory II., who became Pope in 714, and a second ends with sstephen Ill., 757. After this time several other continuations were made, the latest of which terminates, as has been mentioned, with Stephen VI., 891. Besides the sources already spoken of, materials for the history were furnished by traditions, written documents, buildings. inscrip tions, and other monuments. Additions to the book have been made: ( I) By three histories of the popes, the authors of which are not known, (a) from Lando (913) to Gregory VII. (1073), and belonging to the eleventh century; (b) ex tending down to the same date, and written dur ing Gregory's life; (c) from Pasehal II., in the early part of the twelfth century. (2) By a his tory written in the thirteenth century. extending from Gregory VII. to Ilonorius II. (1129). (3) Byhistories originating at the close of the twelfth century. The text is published in Migne, Patrol. Lat., exxvii.. cxxviii. (under Anastasius), but much better by I,. Duchesne (Paris, 1886-92, vol. i.), and by Mommsen in Monumenta Ger mania• Ilistoricu (Berlin, 1898, sqq.).