List of Church Fathers
From Textus Receptus
The following is a list of Christian Church Fathers. Catholics generally regard the Patristic period to have closed with the death of John of Damascus, a Doctor of the Church, in 749. However, Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that the Patristic period is ongoing. Therefore, the list is split into two tables.
Contents |
Until John of Damascus
| Church Father | Date of death | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian the monk of Antioch | wrote a manual on the Antiochene method of Scriptural exegesis | |
| Alexander of Alexandria | 326 | |
| Alexander of Lycopolis | 4th century | |
| Ambrose of Milan | 397 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church; strongly opposed Arianism |
| Amphilochius of Iconium | before 403 | |
| Ananias of Shirak | 7th century | wrote a work on Christmas and one on Easter |
| Anastasius Sinaita | 7th century | |
| Andrew of Caesarea | 6th century | commented on the Apocalypse |
| Andrew of Crete | 8th century | author of the 250-strophe Great Canon |
| Anthony the Great | 356 | |
| Aphraates | 367 | Mesopotamian bishop who authored 23 homilies |
| Apollinaris of Laodicea | ||
| Apollonius of Ephesus | 210 | |
| Archelaus | wrote against Manichaeism | |
| Aristides the Athenian | 134 | |
| Aristo of Pella | 2nd century | |
| Arnobius | 330 | author of Against the Heathen |
| Arsenius the Great | 445 | |
| Aspringius of Beja | commented on the Apocalypse | |
| Asterius of Amasea | 405 | wrote sermons on morality including topics like divorce and covetousness, and the parables of Jesus Christ |
| Athanasius | 373 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church |
| Athenagoras of Athens | 190 | wrote in defense of the resurrection of the dead<ref name="AI" /> |
| Atticus | 420s | |
| Augustine of Hippo | 430 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church (Doctor Gratiae) |
| Aurelius Prudentius | early 5th century | commented on the Psalms |
| Ausonius | 395 | |
| Avitus of Vienne | 523 | author of the five-book poem De spiritualis historiae gestis; converted King Sigismund; combated Arianism |
| Barnabas | 61 | |
| Basil the Great of Caesarea | 379 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs; father of monachism |
| Bede | 735 | Doctor of the Church and author of Ecclesiastical History of the English People |
| Benedict of Nursia | 547 | best known for the Rule of St Benedict |
| Boethius | 520s | author of Consolation of Philosophy |
| Braulio of Saragossa | 651 | commented on the Psalms |
| Caesarius of Arles | 542 | commented on the Apocalypse |
| Caius | 3rd century | |
| Cassiodorus | 585 | |
| Chromatius | 407 | wrote sermons on the Gospel of Matthew |
| Clement of Alexandria | 210s | |
| Pope Clement I | 101 | |
| Coelius Sedulius | 5th century | |
| Columba of Iona | 597 | |
| Commodianus | 3rd century | |
| Cyprian of Carthage | 258 | |
| Cyril of Alexandria | 444 | Doctor of the Church (Doctor Incarnationis) combated the Nestorian heresy |
| Cyril of Jerusalem | 386 | Doctor of the Church who wrote thorough instructions to catechumens and baptized Christians |
| Pope Damasus I | 384 | |
| Didymus the Blind | 398 | teacher of Jerome and Rufinus; follower of Origen; opponent of Arianism and the Macedonian heresy; works condemned at the Fifth Ecumenical Council and the Sixth Ecumenical Council |
| Diodore of Tarsus | 390 | |
| Dionysius of Corinth | 2nd century | |
| Pope Dionysius of Rome | 268 | combated Sabellianism |
| Dionysius the Areopagite | ||
| Pope Dionysius the Great of Alexandria | 265 | |
| Ephrem the Syrian | 373 | Doctor of the Church |
| Epiphanius of Salamis | 403 | friend of Jerome who strongly opposed Origenism and wrote a history of heresies |
| Eucherius of Lyon | 449 | |
| Eugippius | 6th century | |
| Eusebius of Caesarea | 339 | |
| Eusebius of Emesa | 360 | commented on Genesis |
| Eusebius of Vercelli | 371 | |
| Firmilian<ref name="OCE" /> | 269 | |
| Fulgentius of Ruspe | 6th century | |
| Gaius Marius Victorinus | 4th century | combated Arianism |
| Gennadius of Massilia | 496 | |
| Pope Gregory I the Great | 604 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church and author of Dialogues |
| Gregory of Nazianzus | 389 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church; one of three Orthodox saints honored with the title "The Theologian;" one of the Three Holy Hierarchs |
| Gregory of Nyssa | 394 | |
| Gregory of Tours | 594 | |
| Gregory Thaumaturgus | 270 | |
| Hegesippus of Palestine | 180 | a Jewish convert who combated Gnosticism and Marcionism |
| Hermias | 3rd century | |
| Hesychius of Jerusalem | 5th century | |
| Hilary of Poitiers | 367 | Doctor of the Church |
| Hippolytus of Rome | 235 | |
| Ignatius of Antioch | 107 | |
| Irenaeus | end of 2nd or beginning of 3rd century | |
| Isaac of Nineveh | 700 | ascetic author of many spiritual homilies who commented on the Psalms and contributed significantly to Syrian piety; was not Christologically Nestorian |
| Isho’dad of Mery | commented on the Book of Job | |
| Isidore of Pelusium | 449 | author of 2000 letters dealing primarily with allegorical exegesis |
| Isidore of Seville | 636 | Doctor of the Church |
| Jacob of Serugh | 521 | a.k.a. Mar Jacob |
| Jerome | 420 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church |
| John Cassian | 435 | |
| John Chrysostom | 407 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs |
| John Climacus | 606 | |
| John of Damascus | 749 | Doctor of the Church and author of An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith and ascetic and exegetical writings and hymns; Peter Lombard based his Four Books of Sentences on the works of John of Damascus and Thomas Aquinas based his Summa Theologica on Peter Lombard’s Sentences |
| Julianus Pomerius | author of De Vita Contemplativa concerning Christian sanctity | |
| Julius Firmicus Maternus | 4th century | |
| Justin Martyr | 165 | |
| Juvencus | 4th century | |
| Lactantius | 320 | |
| Pope Leo I the Great | 461 | Doctor of the Church |
| Leontius of Byzantium | 543 | |
| Lucian of Antioch | 312 | |
| Lucifer | 370 | combated Arianism and defended Athanasius at the Council of Milan in 354 |
| Macarius of Alexandria | 395 | |
| Macarius of Egypt | 391 | |
| Malchion | played key role in the deposition of Paul of Samosata | |
| Marcus Minucius Felix | author of Octavianus | |
| Marius Mercator | 451 | made a compilation on Nestorianism and another on Pelagianism |
| Martin of Bruga | 4th century | commented on the Psalms |
| Martin of Tours | 397 | |
| Mathetes | author of an Epistle to Diognetus | |
| Maximus of Turin | 465 | |
| Maximus the Confessor | 662 | |
| Meletius of Antioch | 381 | |
| Melito of Sardis | 180 | author of an important sermon called On Pascha about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| Methodius of Olympus | 311 | combated Origenism |
| Moses of Chorene | 490 | author of A History of Armenia |
| Nectarius of Constantinople | 398 | |
| Nicetas of Remesiana | the patron saint of Romania commented on the Psalms | |
| Nilus of Sinai | 430 | |
| Nonnus | 5th century | |
| Novatian | 258 | commented on the Psalms |
| Oecumenius | 6th century | author of the first extant Greek commentary on the Apocalypse |
| Optatus | 4th century | combated Donatism |
| Origen of Alexandria | 254 | posthumously anathematized at Fifth Ecumenical Council (533) |
| Orosius | 420 | |
| Pachomius | 348 | Father of Christian cenobitic monasticism |
| Pacian of Barcelona | 391 | combated Novatianism |
| Palladius of Helenopolis | 5th century | |
| Pamphilus of Caesarea | 309 | |
| Pantamus | 214 | first to make the Catechetical school of Alexandria famous |
| Papias | 155 | disciple of John the Evangelist and Ariston |
| Patrick | 5th century | |
| Paulinus of Nola | 431 | |
| Peter Chrysologus | 450 | Doctor of the Church |
| Pope Peter of Alexandria | 311 | |
| Philip the priest | commented on the Book of Job | |
| Philoxenus of Hierapolis | 6th century | author of 13 ascetic discourses who combated Nestorianism, Manichaeism, and Marcionism |
| Poemen | commented on the Psalms | |
| Polycarp | 155 | |
| Proclus of Constantinople | 440s | |
| Prohaeresius | 367 | |
| Prosper of Aquitaine | 455 | |
| Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite | author of The Divine Names, The Mystical Theology, The Celestial Hierarchy, The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and the non-extant Theological Outlines; quoted extensively in the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas | |
| Quadratus of Athens | 2nd century | wrote a non-extant apology to Emperor Hadrian |
| Rabbula | 490s | Gallic author of On the government of God |
| Severian of Gabala | 408 | commented on Genesis and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians |
| Severus of Antioch | 6th century | |
| Sextus Julius Africanus | 3rd century | |
| Sidonius Apollinaris | ||
| Socrates of Constantinople | 5th century | |
| Sophronius | 638 | |
| Sozomen | 450 | |
| Sulpicius Severus | 420 | disciple and biographer of Martin of Tours and author of an Ecclesiastical History |
| Synesius of Syrene | 414 | |
| Tatian | 185 | |
| Tertullian | 222 | died a Montanist |
| Theodore of Mopsuestia | 428 | commented on Acts of the Apostles and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians |
| Theodoret of Cyrus | 457 | continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea |
| Theodotus of Ancyra | 4th century | |
| Theophilus of Antioch | 180s | first writer known to have used the term Trinity to describe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit |
| Theotimos | 407 | |
| Tichonius | 390 | commented on the Apocalypse; his seven principles of interpretation from his Book of Rules inspired Augustine of Hippo < |
| Tyrannius Rufinus | 410 | friend of Jerome and continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea who commented on the Psalms |
| Valerian of Cimiez | commented on the Psalms | |
| Venantius Fortunatus | 600s | wrote a poem on Easter |
| Victor of Antioch | commented on the Gospel of Mark | |
| Victorinus of Pettau | 303 | author of On the Creation of the World and a Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John |
| Vincent of Lérins | 450 | |
| Zeno of Verona | 371 | |
| Pope Zephyrinus | 217 | commented on the Psalms |
After John of Damascus
| Church Father | Date of death | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Athanasius the Athonite<ref name="AI" /> | 1000 | |
| Gregory Palamas<ref name="AZK">http://www.bible.net.au</ref> | 1359 | Pillar of Orthodoxy and defender of Hesychasm |
| Innocent of Alaska | 1879 | his The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven is often used as an Orthodox catechism<ref name="AI" /> |
| Mark of Ephesus<ref name="JP" /> | 1444 | Pillar of Orthodoxy |
| Nicholas Cabasilas<ref name="JP" /> | 1391 | |
| Photius the Great<ref name="JP" /><ref name="AZK" /> | 893 | Pillar of Orthodoxy and author of Bibliotheca |
| Symeon Metaphrastes<ref name="QZ"/> | 10th century | |
| Symeon the New Theologian<ref name="AZK" /> | 1022 | one of three Orthodox saints honored with the title "The Theologian" |
| Theodore the Studite | 826 | |
| Theophan the Recluse<ref name="QZ" /> | 1894 |
Notes and References
See also
- Ante-Nicene Fathers
- Apostolic Fathers
- Cappadocian Fathers
- Church Fathers
- Desert Fathers
- Doctors of the Church
- List of early Christian writers
- Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
- Patristics
- Patrologia Graeca
- Patrologia Latina
- Patrologia Orientalis
- Three Holy Hierarchs
