College of Pontiffs
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In ancient Rome, the College of Pontiffs or Collegium Pontificum was a body whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the polytheistic state religion. At its head was the Pontifex Maximus. Augustus is a well-known member of the College. Today the Roman Catholic Pope holds the title of Pontifex Maximus among other titles, alluding to the many parallels that the organization of the Roman Catholic Church has with ancient Roman State Religion.
Of the four colleges of priests that existed in Rome, the College of Pontiffs was the most important in terms of the State. The college, besides the Pontifex Maximus, also includes the Rex Sacrorum, and the Flamines (the priests who were dedicated to the worship of one god or goddess of whicht here were three majores and twelves minores). The Vestal Virgins were also associated with the College of Pontiffs, though not all six of the Vestal Virgins were necessarily members of the college at a given point.
[edit] Role of the College of Pontiffs
The College of Pontiffs were not a religious body as we would associate the term today. Of the different positions within the College, only the flamines were dedicated to the worship of a sole deity. The main purpose of the Pontiffs was to make sure the gods were happy with the state. The pontiffs were responsible for the calendar, which was critical for the proper observance of rituals, festivals, and business. Roman religiosity dictated that everything that happened was tied into some aspect of the divine. During the Regal Period of Roman history, the pontiffs were primarily concilia (advisors) of the kings, but after the expulsion of the last Roman King Lucius Tarquinius Superbus in 510 BC, the College of Pontiffs became religious advisors to the Roman Senate.
It is an interesting note that the College of the Pontiffs came to occupy the Regia (the old palace of the kings) during the early Republican Period. The College of Pontiffs came to replace the religious authority that was once held by the king. A position, the Rex Sacrorum, was even created to replace the king in terms of ceremonial responsibiltiy. This is not to mislead the reader into thinking that the Rex Sacrorum held the same authority as was once held by the kings, and in fact history tells us that the position of Rex Sacrorum was rather unpopular.
