Page "Pontifex Maximus" Paragraph 3

According to the usual interpretation, the term pontifex literally means " bridge-builder " ( pons + facere ); " maximus " literally means " greatest ".

This was perhaps originally meant in a literal sense: the position of bridge-builder was indeed an important one in Rome, where the major bridges were over the Tiber, the sacred river ( and a deity ): only prestigious authorities with sacral functions could be allowed to " disturb " it with mechanical additions.

However, it was always understood in its symbolic sense as well: the pontifices were the ones who smoothed the " bridge " between gods and men ( Van Haeperen ).