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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.〔Jörg Rüpke, "Communicating with the Gods," in ''A Companion to Roman Religion'', (Blackwell, 2010), p. 226; John A. North, "The Constitution of the Roman Republic," in the same volume, p. 268 (a table showing priestly roles of Roman religion, including assignment to colleges).〕 The College of Pontiffs was one of the four major priestly colleges, the others being of the augurs (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.〔http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/7Cnuma.asp〕 Also, Varro cites this position as meaning "able to do".〔(Religions of Rome, Vol. 2, pg 195 )〕 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, Portunes, 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 obligated to perform the rites and obligations, including remaining chaste, for 30 years. ==Membership== 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 Vestal Virgins whose term was 30 years. In the early Republic, only patricians could become priests. However, the ''Lex Ogulnia'' in 300 BC opened up college to plebeians. Until the 3rd century BC, the college elected the pontifex maximus from their own number. The right of the college to elect their own pontifex maximus was returned, but the circumstances surrounding this are unclear. This changed again after Sulla, when in response to his reforms, the election of the pontifex maximus 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 automatically assume the title, following Julius Caesar’s example. The pontifex maximus 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 consulships during their time as pontifex maximus. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「College of Pontiffs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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