pontifex

He probably didn’t meet a druid, but amazingly described them playing the same role he did as Pontifex Maximus.

Btw, the Romans had leap days before Julius Caesar, but they were added ad hoc by the Pontifex Maximus.

For a while the Pharaoh did actually reside in Rome, starting with Caesar Augustus (who was also Pontifex Maximus).

It’s funny that Pharaoh died out with the rise of christianity, but Pontifex lived on.

I guess if Caesar was borrowing from the Pontifex Maximus, that title must pre-date those based on his name.

I hadn't known that Bruce Schneier created Pontifex for the book as I didn't know who he was back in the 90's.

Caesar happened to be the Pontifex Maximus (an office you hold for life once elected to), but he wasn't in Rome much to do that job.

That was kind of his job (as pontifex maximus), tho.

I wonder if Pontifex Maximus is the oldest title still in use.

I've done Pontifex from Cryptonomicon on a Commodore 64 for fun.

> wonder if Pontifex Maximus is the oldest title still in use The titles Kaiser and Czar literally derive from Cæsar.

It's true there were usually pairs of consuls and censors, but there were powerful magistracies that were awarded to individuals, like pontifex maximus and the tribune of the plebs, the former being a lifetime appointment.

A sibling commentator points out that the Catholic church still uses the term “Pontifex Maximus” to refer to their pope.

And the official Vatican account, @Pontifex, went back to being attributed to Francis, after briefly being named "Apostolica Sedes Vacans".

The pope does hold a title, "pontifex maximus", that is older than Christianity itself and goes back to the foundation of Rome.

Among the Emperor's titles was "Pontifex Maximus", a pagan title still in use today.

Pontifex maximus was an honorific title before Caesar's name became one.

Probably the same places 'Pontifex Maximus' is still in use.

Ernest Pontifex, in Samuel Butler's Way of All Flesh, after he had had a few glimpses of real life, looked back on his public school and university education and found it a 'sickly, debilitating debauch'.