Church Fathers
From Textus Receptus
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are ancient and generally influential Christian theologians, some of whom were eminent teachers and great bishops. I Catholicism, the term is used of writers or teachers of the Church not necessarily ordained and not necessarily "saints"—Origen Adamantius and Tertullian are often considered Church Fathers but are not saints owing to their views later deemed heretical —although most are honored as saints in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran churches, and other churches and groups. By 700 A.D. all of these church fathers had died.
While western churches regard only early teachers of Christianity as Fathers, the Orthodox Church honors as "Fathers" many saints far beyond the early centuries of church history, even to the present day.
The importance of the Church Fathers is in inestimable, due to their writings in which they used quotations of the New Testament, Old Testament, and other historical works relating to the bible and Christianity. It is estimated that there are one million early Church Father quotations of the bible in many different languages. The majority or these verses reveal they used the Byzantine type text.
Great Fathers
In each of Western and Eastern Christianity, four Fathers are called the "Great Church Fathers" as follows:
- Western Church: Ambrose (340–397), Jerome (347–420), Augustine (354–430) and Saint Gregory the Great (540–604)
- Eastern Church: Basil (c. 329–379), Athanasius (c. 296–373), Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – c. 389) and John Chrysostom (347–407)
In the Roman Catholic Church, they are also called the "Eight Doctors of the Church".
Apostolic Fathers
- See Main Article Apostolic Fathers
The earliest Church Fathers, (within two generations of the Twelve Apostles of Christ) are usually called the Apostolic Fathers since tradition describes them as having been taught by the twelve. Important Apostolic Fathers include Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna. In addition, the Didache and Shepherd of Hermas are usually placed among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers although their authors are unknown; like the works of Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp, they were first written in Koine Greek.
