pontiff

Pontiff or Pontificate is a title of certain religious leaders, now used principally to refer to the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.

Etymology

The term derives from the French word pontife, from the Latin pontifex, a title used for high priests of the Roman Empire. The word pontifex is commonly held to derive from the Latin root words pons, "bridge" + facere, "to do" or "to make", with a literal meaning of "bridge-builder". This, however, is disputed - it may be only a folk etymology ^[1]. See Pontifex for more details on the original Roman term.

Usage

Pontiffs were originally simply chiefs or high priests of any religion; thus writers from the 16th through to the 18th centuries referred equally to Christian pontiffs (bishops) and "Mahometan [Muslim] Pontiffs" (caliphs). Over time, however, the term became associated with the highest religious authority in the Coptic and Catholic Churches — the Pope. It was often modified by an adjective - for instance, "Alexandrian Pontiff", "Sovereign Pontiff" or "Roman Pontiff" - to distinguish from different pontiffs. ^[1] In the modern era, the modifying adjective is usually dropped, with the term being used exclusively to refer to the Popes.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007

See also

• Papacy
• Pontifex Maximus
• Primacy of the Roman Pontiff

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