Church Fathers
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The '''Church Fathers''', '''Early Church Fathers''', or '''Fathers of the Church''' are the early and influential [[theology|theologians]] and writers in the [[Christian Church]], particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. The term is used of writers and teachers of the Church, not necessarily [[saint|saints]]. It is generally not meant to include the [[New Testament]] authors, though in the early Church some writing of Church Fathers were considered canonical.
[[Image:Sainta15.jpg|right|thumb|St. Athanasius, depicted with a book, an iconographic symbol of the importance of his writings.]]
==Apostolic Fathers==
{{Roman Catholicism}}
{{main|Apostolic Fathers}}
The very earliest Church Fathers, of the first two generations after the [[Twelve apostles|Apostles]] of Christ, are usually called the Apostolic Fathers. Famous Apostolic Fathers include St. [[Clement of Rome]] (''c'' 30 - ''c'' 100),<ref name="CC">[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. ''Caesar and Christ''. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972</ref> St. [[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.
===St. Clement of Rome===
{{main|Clement of Rome}}
His epistle, [[1 Clement]] (''c'' 96),<ref name="CC"/> was copied and widely read. Clement calls on the Christians of Corinth to maintain harmony and order.<ref name="CC"/> It is the earliest Christian epistle outside the New Testament. Tradition identifies him as the fourth [[Pope]] and [[Bishop of Rome]] and his epistle asserts Rome's apostolic authority over its audience, the church in Corinth.
===Ignatius of Antioch===
{{main|Ignatius of Antioch}}
Saint Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) (''c'' [[35]]-[[110]])<ref>See "Ignatius" in ''The Westminster Dictionary of Church History'', ed. Jerald Brauer (Philadelphia:Westminster, 1971) and also David Hugh Farmer, "Ignatius of Antioch" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Saints'' (New York:Oxford University Press, 1987).</ref> was the third Bishop or [[Patriarch of Antioch]] and a student of the [[John the Apostle|Apostle John]]. En route to his martyrdom in [[Rome]], Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of the [[Christian theology|theology]] of the earliest [[Christian|Christians]]. Important topics addressed in these letters include [[ecclesiology]], the [[sacrament|sacraments]], and the role of [[bishop|bishops]]. He is the second after Clement to mention Paul's epistles.<ref name="CC"/>
===Polycarp===
{{main|Polycarp}}
Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (''c'' [[69]]- ca. [[155]]) was a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[bishop]] of [[Smyrna]] (now [[İzmir]] in Turkey). It is recorded that "He had been a disciple of John." The options for this John are [[John the Apostle|John the son of Zebedee]] traditionally viewed as the author of the Fourth Gospel, or [[John the Presbyter]] (Lake 1912). Traditional advocates follow [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] in insisting that the apostolic connection of Papius was with [[John the Evangelist]], and that this John, the author of the [[Gospel of John]], was the same as the Apostle John. Polycarp, ''c'' 156, tried and failed to persuade Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, to have the West celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, as in the East. He rejected the Pope's suggestion that the East use the Western date. In 155, the Smyrnans demanded Polycarp's execution as a Christian, and he died a [[martyr]]. His story has it that the flames built to kill him refused to burn him, and that when he was stabbed to death, so much blood issued from his body that it quenched the flames around him.<ref name="CC"/> Polycarp is recognized as a [[saint]] in both the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] and [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] churches.
===Didache===
{{main|Didache}}
The Didache ([[Koine Greek]]: "Teaching"<ref>See [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/words.pl?strongs=1322&page=1&flag_full=1 Strong's G1322]</ref>) is a brief [[Early Christianity|early Christian]] [[treatise]], dated by most scholars to the early second century.<ref>[[Bruce Metzger]] Metzger, Bruce. The canon of the New Testament. 1997</ref> It contains instructions for Christian communities. The text, parts of which may have constituted the first written [[catechism]], has three main sections dealing with Christian lessons, rituals such as [[baptism]] and [[eucharist]], and Church organization. It was considered by some of the [[Church Fathers]] as part of the [[New Testament]].<ref>''Apostolic Constitutions'' "Canon 85" (approved at the Orthodox Synod of Trullo in 692); [[Rufinus]], ''Commentary on Apostles Creed 37'' (as Deuterocanonical) c. 380; [[John of Damascus]] ''Exact Exposition of Orthodox Faith'' 4.17; and the 81-book canon of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]]</ref> but rejected as [[Apocrypha#Spurious writings|spurious]] or non-canonical by others,<ref>[[Athanasius]], [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xxv.iii.iii.xxv.html ''Festal Letter 39''] (excludes them from the canon, but recommends them for reading) in 367; Rejected by 60 Books Canon and by [[Nicephorus]] in ''[[Stichometry of Nicephorus|Stichometria]]''</ref> Scholars knew of the Didache through references in other texts, but the text itself had been lost. It was rediscovered in 1873.
===Shepherd of Hermas===
{{main|Shepherd of Hermas}}
The Shepherd of Hermas (2nd century) was popular in the early church and even considered [[Bible|scriptural]] by some of the early [[Church fathers]], such as [[Irenaeus]] and [[Tertullian]]. It was written at Rome, in Greek. The Shepherd had great authority in the second and third centuries. The work comprises five visions, twelve mandates, and ten parables.
It relies on allegory and pays special attention to the Church, calling the faithful to repent of the sins that have harmed it.
==Greek Fathers==
Those who wrote in [[Greek language|Greek]] are called the Greek (Church) Fathers. Famous Greek Fathers include St. [[Irenaeus of Lyons]], [[Clement of Alexandria]], the [[heterodox]] [[Origen]], St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], St. [[John Chrysostom]], and the Three [[Cappadocian Fathers]].
===Irenaeus of Lyons===
{{main|Irenaeus}}
Saint Irenaeus, (b. 2nd century; d. end of 2nd/beginning of 3rd century) was [[bishop of Lugdunum]] in [[Gaul]], which is now [[Lyon|Lyons]], [[France]]. His writings were formative in the early development of [[Christianity|Christian]] [[theology]], and he is recognized as a [[saint]] by both the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. He was a notable early [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]]. He was also a disciple of [[Polycarp]], who was said to be a disciple of [[John the Evangelist]].
His best-known book, ''[[On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis|Against Heresies]]'' (''c'' 180) enumerated heresies and attacked them. Irenaeus wrote that the only way for Christians to retain unity was to humbly accept one doctrinal authority--episcopal councils.<ref name="CC"/> Irenaeus was the first to propose that all four gospels be accepted as canonical.
===Clement of Alexandria===
{{main|Clement of Alexandria}}
Clement of Alexandria ('''Titus Flavius Clemens''') (c.150-211/216), was the first member of the [[Christianity|Church]] of [[Alexandria]] to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. He was born about the middle of the 2nd century, and died between 211 and 216. He united Greek philosophical traditions with Christian doctrine and valued ''[[gnosis]]'' that with [[catholic|communion for all people]] could be held by common Christians. He developed a Christian [[Platonism]].<ref name="CC"/> Like Origen, he arose from Alexandria's Catechical School and was well versed in pagan literature.<ref name="CC"/> Origen succeeded Clement as head of the school.<ref name="CC"/>
===Origen===
{{main|Origen}}
Origen, or Origen Adamantius (''c'' [[185]] - ''c''[[254]]) was an [[Early Christianity|early Christian]] scholar and [[theology|theologian]]. According to tradition, he was an [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]]<ref>[[George Sarton]] (1936). "The Unity and Diversity of the Mediterranean World", ''Osiris'' '''2''', p. 406-463 [430].</ref> who taught in [[Alexandria]], reviving the [[Catechetical School of Alexandria]] where [[Clement of Alexandria|Clement]] had taught. The patriarch of Alexandria at first supported Origen but later expelled him for being ordained without the patriarch's permission. He relocated to [[Caesarea Maritima]] and died there<ref>[http://www.caesarea.landscape.cornell.edu/about.html About Caesarea<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> after being tortured during a persecution.
Using his knowledge of Hebrew, he produced a corrected [[Septuagint]].<ref name="CC"/> He wrote commentaries on all the books of the Bible.<ref name="CC"/> In ''Peri Archon'' (''First Principles''), he articulated the first philosophical exposition of Christian doctrine.<ref name="CC"/> He interpreted scripture allegorically and showed himself to be a Stoic, a Neo-Pythagorean, a Platonic, and a Gnostic.<ref name="CC"/> Like [[Plotinus]], he wrote that the soul passes through successive stages before incarnation as a human and after death, eventually reaching God.<ref name="CC"/> He imagined even demons being reunited with God. For Origen, God was not Yahweh but the First Principle, and Christ, the Logos, was subordinate to him.<ref name="CC"/> His views of a hierarchical structure in the Trinity, the temporality of matter, "the fabulous preexistence of souls," and "the monstrous restoration which follows from it" were declared [[anathema]] in the 6th century.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xii.ix.html ''The Anathemas Against Origen''], by the [[Fifth Ecumenical Council]] (Schaff, Philip, "The Seven Ecumenical Councils", ''Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers'', Series 2, Vol. 14. Edinburgh: T&T Clark)</ref><ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xii.x.html ''The Anathematisms of the Emperor Justinian Against Origen''] (Schaff, ''op. cit.'')</ref>
===Athanasius of Alexandria===
{{main|Athanasius of Alexandria}}
Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria (''c'' [[293]]-[[May 2]], [[373]]), also known as St. Athanasius the Great and St. Athanasius the Apostolic, was a [[theologian]], [[Pope of Alexandria]], a [[Church Father]], and a noted [[Egypt]]ian leader of the fourth century. He is best remembered for his role in the conflict with [[Arius]] and [[Arianism]]. At the first Council of Nicaea (325), Athanasius argued against the Arian doctrine that Christ is of a distinct substance from the Father.<ref name="CC"/>
===John Chrysostom===
{{main|John Chrysostom}}
Saint John Chrysostom (''c'' 347– ''c'' 407), [[archbishop]] of [[Constantinople]], is known for his eloquence in [[Sermon|preaching]] and [[public speaking]], his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the ''[[Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom|Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom]]'', and his [[ascetic]] sensibilities. After his death (or, according to some sources, during his life) he was given the [[Greek language|Greek]] surname ''chrysostomos'', meaning "golden mouthed", rendered in [[English language|English]] as Chrysostom.<ref>[[Pope Vigilius]], ''Constitution of Pope Vigilius'', 553</ref><ref name="NewAdvent">"St John Chrysostom" in the Catholic Encyclopedia, available [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08452b.htm online]; retrieved March 20, 2007.</ref>
Chrysostom is known within Christianity chiefly as a [[preacher]], [[theologian]] and [[liturgist]], particularly in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. Outside the Christian tradition Chrysostom is noted for eight of his sermons which played a considerable part in the history of [[Christianity and antisemitism|Christian antisemitism]], and were extensively misused by the [[Nazis]] in their ideological campaign against the Jews.<ref>Walter Laqueur, ''The Changing Face of Antisemitism: From Ancient Times To The Present Day,'' (Oxford University Press: 2006), p.48. ISBN 0-19-530429-2. 48</ref><ref>Yohanan (Hans) Lewy, "John Chrysostom" in ''[[Encyclopedia Judaica]]'' (CD-ROM Edition Version 1.0), Ed. Cecil Roth (Keter Publishing House: 1997). ISBN 965-07-0665-8. </ref>
===Cappadocian Fathers===
{{main|Cappadocian Fathers}}
The Cappadocians promoted early Christian theology, and are highly respected in both Western and Eastern churches as Saints. They were a 4th-century [[monastic]] family, led by [[Saint Macrina the Younger|St Makrina]] to provide a central place for her brothers to study and meditate, and also to provide a peaceful shelter for their mother. Abbess Makrina fostered the education and development of three men who collectively became designated the Cappadocian Fathers, [[Basil the Great]] who was the second oldest of Makrina's brothers (the first being the famous Christian jurist [[Naucratius]]) and eventually became a bishop, [[Gregory of Nyssa]] who also became eventually a bishop of the diocese associated thereafter with his name, and [[Peter]] who was the youngest of Makrina's brothers and later became bishop of Sebaste.
These scholars along with a close friend, [[Gregory Nazianzus| Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople]] set out to demonstrate that Christians could hold their own in conversations with learned Greek-speaking intellectuals and that Christian faith, while it was against many of the ideas of Plato and Aristotle (and other Greek Philosophers), was an almost scientific and distinctive movement with the healing of the soul of man and his union with God at its center- one best represented by monasticism. They made major contributions to the definition of the [[Trinity]] finalized at the [[First Council of Constantinople]] in 381 and the final version of the [[Nicene Creed]] which was formulated there.
Subsequent to the [[First Council of Nicea]], [[Arianism]] did not simply disappear. The semi-Arians taught that the Son is of like substance with the Father ([[homoiousios]]) as against the outright Arians who taught that the Son was like the Father (homoean). So the Son was held to be ''like'' the Father but not of the same essence as the Father.
The Cappadocians worked to bring these semi-Arians back to the Orthodox cause. In their writings they made extensive use of the (now orthodox) formula "three substances ([[hypostases]]) in one essence ([[ousia]])," and thus explicitly acknowledged a distinction between the Father and the Son (a distinction that Nicea had been accused of blurring), but at the same time insisting on their essential unity.
==Latin Fathers==
Those fathers who wrote in [[Latin]] are called the Latin (Church) Fathers. Famous Latin Fathers include the [[Montanism|Montanist]] [[Tertullian]], St. [[Cyprian of Carthage]], St. [[Gregory the Great]], St. [[Augustine of Hippo]], St. [[Ambrose of Milan]], and St. [[Jerome]].
===Tertullian===
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (''c'' 160 - ''c'' 225), who was converted to Christianity before 197, was a prolific writer of [[Christian apologetics|apologetic]], theological, controversial and ascetic works. <ref name ="Oxford:Tertullian">Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, article ''Tertullian''</ref> He was the son of a Roman centurion.
Tertullian denounced Christian doctrines he considered [[heretical]], but later in life adopted views that themselves came to be regarded as heretical. He wrote three books in Greek and was the first great writer of [[Latin]] Christianity, thus sometimes known as the "Father of the Latin Church"<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/readfirst.htm] Vincent of Lerins in 434AD, ''Commonitorium'', 17, describes Tertullian as 'first of us among the Latins' (Quasten IV, p.549)</ref>. He was a notable lawyer in Rome during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.{{fact|date=March 2008}} ([[Marcus Aurelius]] died in 180, when Tertullian may have been not even twenty years old.) He is said to have introduced the Latin term "trinitas" with regard to the Divine ([[Trinity]]) to the Christian vocabulary<ref>''A History of Christian Thought'', [[Paul Tillich]], Touchstone Books, 1972. ISBN 0-671-21426-8 (p. 43)</ref> (but [[Theophilus of Antioch]] (c. 115 - c. 183) already wrote of "the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom"), <ref>[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/theophilus-book2.html To Autolycus, Book 2, chapter XV]</ref> and also probably the formula "three Persons, one Substance" as the Latin "tres [[Persona]]e, [[Consubstantial|una Substantia]]" (itself from the [[Koine Greek]] "treis [[Hypostasis (religion)|Hypostases]], [[Ousios|Homoousios]]"), and also the terms "vetus testamentum" ([[Old Testament]]) and "novum testamentum" ([[New Testament]]).
In his [[Apologeticus]], he was the first Latin author who qualified Christianity as the "vera religio", and systematically relegated the classical [[Roman Empire]] religion and other accepted cults to the position of mere "superstitions".
Later in life, Tertullian joined the [[Montanism|Montanists]], a heretical sect that appealed to his rigorism.<ref name ="Oxford:Tertullian"/>
===Cyprian===
Saint Cyprian (Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus) (died [[September 14]], [[258]]) was [[bishop]] of [[Carthage]] and an important early [[Christianity|Christian]] writer. He was probably born at the beginning of the [[3rd century]] in [[North Africa during the Classical Period|North Africa]], perhaps at Carthage, where he received an excellent classical ([[Paganism|pagan]]) education. After converting to Christianity, he became a bishop ([[249]]) and eventually died a [[martyr]] at Carthage.
===Ambrose===
Saint Ambrose<ref>Known in [[Latin]] and [[Low Franconian]] as ''Ambrosius'', in [[Italian language|Italian]] as ''Ambrogio'' and in [[Lombard language|Lombard]] as ''Ambroeus''.</ref> (c. 338 – [[4 April]] [[397]]), was a [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan|bishop of Milan]] who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century. He is counted as one of the four original [[doctors of the Church]].
===Jerome===
Saint Jerome (''c'' [[347]] – [[September 30]], [[420]]) is best known as the translator of the [[Bible]] from [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] into [[Latin]]. He also was a [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]]. Jerome's edition of the Bible, the ''[[Vulgate]]'', is still an important text of the [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic Church]]. He is recognised by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] as a [[Doctor of the Church]].
===Augustine===
Saint Augustine ([[November 13]], [[354]] – [[August 28]], [[430]]), Bishop of Hippo, was a philosopher and theologian. Augustine, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, is one of the most important figures in the development of [[Western Christianity]]. Augustine was radically influenced by Platonism.<ref>Cross, F. L., ed. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church''. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005, article ''Platonism''</ref> He framed the concepts of [[original sin]] and [[just war]] as they are understood in the West. When Rome fell and the faith of many Christians was shaken, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual [[City of God]], distinct from the material City of Man.<ref name="CC"/> Augustine's work defined the start of the [[medieval]] [[worldview]], an outlook that would later be firmly established by [[Pope Gregory I|Pope Gregory the Great]].<ref name="CC"/>
Augustine was born in present day [[Algeria]] to a Christian mother, [[Monica of Hippo|Saint Monica]]. He was educated in [[North Africa]] and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. He lived as a pagan intellectual, took a concubine, and became a [[Manichaeism|Manichean]]. He later converted to Christianity, became a bishop, and opposed heresies, such as the belief that people can deserve salvation by being good ([[Pelagianism]]). His works—including ''[[Confessions (St. Augustine)|The Confessions]]'', which is often called the first Western [[autobiography]]—are still read around the world. In addition he believed in [[Papal supremacy]]. <ref>"Carthage was also near the countries over the sea, and distinguished by illustrious renown,so that it had a bishop of more than ordinary influence, who could afford to disregard a number of conspiring enemies because he saw himself joined by letters of communion to the Roman Church, in which the supremacy of an apostolic chair has always flourished" [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102043.htm Letter 43 Chapter 9]</ref>
===Gregory the Great===
Saint Gregory I the Great (c. [[540]] – [[March 12]], [[604]]) was [[pope]] from [[September 3]], [[590]] until his death.
He is also known as '''Gregorius Dialogus''' (''Gregory the Dialogist'') in [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] because of the ''[[Dialogue|Dialogues]]'' he wrote. He was the first of the Popes from a [[monastic]] background. Gregory is a [[Doctor of the Church]] and one of the four great [[Latin Fathers]] of the Church (the others being [[Ambrose]], [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]], and [[Jerome]]). Of all popes, Gregory I had the most influence on the [[early medieval]] church.<ref>[http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwgreg1.htm Pope St. Gregory I] at [[about.com]]</ref>
==Apologetic Fathers==
In the face of criticism from Greek philosophers and facing persecution, the [[Apologetics|Apologetic Fathers]] wrote to justify and defend Christian doctrine. Important Fathers of this era are St. [[Justin Martyr]], [[Tatian]], [[Athenagoras of Athens]], [[Hermias (apologist)|Hermias]] and [[Tertullian]].
==Other Fathers==
The [[Desert Fathers]] were early [[monastic|monastics]] living in the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] desert; although they did not write as much, their influence was also great. Among them are St. [[Anthony the Great]] and St. [[Pachomius]]. A great number of their usually short sayings is collected in the ''[[Apophthegmata Patrum]]'' ("Sayings of the Desert Fathers").
A small number of Church Fathers wrote in other languages: [[Ephrem the Syrian|Saint Ephrem]], for example, wrote in [[Syriac language|Syriac]], though his works were widely translated into Latin and Greek.
==Modern positions==
In the [[Roman Catholic Church]], St. [[John of Damascus]], who lived in the 8th century, is generally considered to be the last of the Church Fathers and at the same time the first seed of the next period of church writers, [[scholasticism]]. [[Bernard of Clairvaux|St. Bernard]] is also at times called the last of the Church Fathers.
The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] does not consider the age of Church Fathers to be over and includes later influential writers, even up to the present day, in the term. Among the Orthodox, the Church Fathers, or as they call them, ''Holy Fathers'' do not have to all agree on every detail, much less be infallible. Rather, Orthodox doctrine is determined by the [[consensus]] of the Holy Fathers—those points on which they do agree. This consensus guides the Church in questions of [[dogma|faith]], the correct [[exegesis|interpretation of Scripture]], and to distinguish the authentic [[Sacred Tradition]] of the Church from false teachings.<ref>{{Citation
| last =Pomazansky
| first =[[Protopresbyter]] Michael
| author-link =
| last2=
| first2=
| author2-link=
| contribution =
| year =1973, in Russian
| publication-date=1984. English trans.
| title =Orthodox Dogmatic Theology
| editor-last =
| editor-first =
| editor-link=
| edition=
| volume =
| series =
| pages =37, ff
| place =Platina CA
| publisher =Saint [[Herman of Alaska]] Brotherhood
| id =
| isbn =
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</ref>
Though much [[Protestant]] religious thought is based on ''[[Sola Scriptura]]'' (the principle that the Bible itself is the ultimate authority in doctrinal matters), the first Protestant reformers, like the Catholic and Orthodox churches, relied heavily on the theological interpretations of scripture set forth by the early Church Fathers. The original [[Lutheran]] ''[[Augsburg Confession]]'' of [[1531]], for example, and the later ''[[Formula of Concord]]'' of [[1576]]-[[1584]], each begin with the mention of the doctrine professed by the Fathers of the [[First Council of Nicea]]. [[John Calvin]]'s ''French Confession of Faith'' of [[1559]] states, "And we confess that which has been established by the ancient councils, and we detest all sects and heresies which were rejected by the holy doctors, such as St. Hilary, St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose and St. Cyril."<ref>[[Henry Beveridge]], trans. ''Calvin's Tracts'' (Calvin Translation Socieity, Edinburgh. 1849)</ref> The ''[[Scots Confession]]'' of [[1560]] deals with general councils in its 20th chapter. The [[Thirty-nine Articles]] of the [[Church of England]], both the original of [[1562]]-[[1571]] and the American version of [[1801]], explicitly accept the Nicene Creed in article 7. Even when a particular Protestant confessional formula does not mention the Nicene Council or its creed, its doctrine is nonetheless always asserted, as, for example, in the [[Presbyterian]] ''[[Westminster Confession]]'' of [[1647]]. Many Protestant [[seminary|seminaries]] provide courses on [[Patristics]] as part of their curriculum and many historic Protestant churches emphasize the importance of Tradition and of the Fathers in Scriptural interpretation. Such an emphasis is even more pronounced in certain streams of Protestant thought, such as [[Paleo-Orthodoxy]].
==Patristics==
{{main|Patristics}}
The study of the Church Fathers is known as "Patristics".
Works of fathers in [[early Christianity]], prior to [[Nicene Christianity]], were translated into English in a 19th century collection ''[[Ante-Nicene Fathers]]''. Those of the [[First Council of Nicaea]] ([[325]] AD) and continuing through the [[Second Council of Nicea]] ([[787]]) are collected in ''[[Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers]]''.
==References==
{{reflist}}
== See also ==
*[[Doctors of the Church]]
*[[List of Church Fathers]]
Defined as an early writer of Christian doctrine; a Christian writer of the pre-8th century group of scholars who established the doctrines and practices of Christianity in their work (usually used in the plural).
== External links ==
*[http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/church_fathers.htm Chart of Church Fathers at ReligionFacts.com]
*[http://www.ccel.org/fathers.html Church Fathers' works in English] edited by [[Philip Schaff]], at the [[Christian Classics Ethereal Library]]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ Church Fathers at Newadvent.org]
*[http://www.seanmultimedia.com/Pie_homepage.html Church Fathers at the Patristics In English Project Site]
*[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ Early Church Fathers Additional Texts] Part of the Tertullian [[corpus]].
*[http://www.geocities.com/hashanayobel/christwrit/defensor.htm Excerpts from Defensor Grammaticus]
*[http://www.geocities.com/hashanayobel/christwrit/otherfathers.htm Excerpts from the Church Fathers]
*[http://tcrnews2.com/vonbalthasarfathers.html The Fathers, the Scholastics, and Ourselves by von Balthasar]
*[http://www.faulkner.edu/academics/artsandsciences/humanities/patristics.asp Faulkner University Patristics Project] A growing collection of English translations of patristic texts and high-resolution scans from the comprehensive ''Patrologia'' compiled by J. P. Migne.
*[http://www.cin.org/users/jgallegos/cfathers.htm Primer on the Church Fathers at Corunum]
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8074.asp Writtings from the church fathers at www.goarch.com.]
*[http://www.orthodox.cn/patristics/frchurchnewtrans_en.htm The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation], by Ludwig Schopp, founder and editorial director. Works hosted at the [[Internet Archive]]
* Migne Patrologia [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/25_10_MPL.html Latina] and [http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/25_20_MPG.html Graeca]: a free digital edition of almost all the original texts.
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[[Category:Church Fathers| ]]
[[Category:Patristics]]
[[Category:Late Antiquity]]
[[Category:Ancient Christian controversies]]
[[Category:Ancient Christian church councils]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman Christians]]
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[[ru:Отцы Церкви]]
[[sco:Kirk Faithers]]
[[sk:Cirkevný otec (stredovek)]]
[[sl:Cerkveni očetje]]
[[sr:Црквени оци]]
[[fi:Kirkkoisä]]
[[sv:Kyrkofader]]
[[uk:Отці Церкви]]
[[zh:教会父老]]