Fathers of the Church

FATHERS OF THE CHURCH


The following list is of those leaders in the early Church who were celebrated for their learning. Another word for the Fathers is the ‘Patristics’. scholars are those who have studied Latin and Greek and other classical languages and are able to read the works of the Fathers in their original language and comment upon them. Since many of these Fathers wrote at a time in the history of Christianity when Christians were not a majority and were being persecuted by the political authorities, for example, by being fed to lions in the Colosseum and other circuses, the Fathers were often called upon to answer difficult moral and theological questions for the young Christian community.

In the early period of Church history the two most important Sees were Rome and Constantinople. In Rome the language was Latin, while in Constantinople, the language was Greek. Hence the Fathers are divided into Greek and Latin groups. The word ‘See’ comes from the Latin word (sedes) for seat or chair, referring to the chair of the Bishop, or in the case of Rome, the chair of the Pope. The expression, ‘the See of Peter’ is thus a synonym for the Papacy.

Many of the original copies of the works of the Fathers are kept in the Vatican libraries and may be inspected by scholars there. The most important works have been translated into modern languages, but many remain untranslated. The following is a list of the Fathers and a brief statement of their importance for the development of the Catholic tradition. For more information one can go to the New Catholic Encyclopaedia in which there is an entry on each of the Fathers.


LATIN FATHERS


ST. AMBROSE, Bishop of Milan (340-97)
St. Ambrose was born around 340. His father was the Prefect of the Praetorium in Gaul which meant that not only was France under his jurisdiction, but also parts of Italy and Germany, the 5 Roman provinces of Britain, 8 in Spain and Mauritania Tingitana in Africa. St. Ambrose became bishop of Milan where he was renowned for his oratory and skill in fighting heresy. He was influential in the conversion of St. Augustine and fostered the vocations of many nuns. His written works are important sources of ideas about the vocation of consecrated virginity.


ARNOBIUS, apologist (d.327)
According to St. Jerome, Arnobius was a distinguished rhetorician at Sicca in proconsular Africa, who numbered Lactantius, another Church father, among his pupils. His most important work, Adversus nationes, a criticism of paganism, is an important source of historical information on pagan religions.


ST. AUGUSTINE, Bishop of Hippo (354-430).
St. Augustine is one of the most illustrious of all the Church fathers. He was the son of St. Monica and the bishop of Hippo. He wrote many important works against the heresies of his day, including Manicheanism, Pelagianism, and Donatism. His most famous works include his Confessions, City of God, On the Trinity, On Christian Doctrine, and On Music. His most important theological contributions relate to the theology of grace, and the Trinity.


ST. BENEDICT, Founder of Monasticism in the Western World (480-546).
Founder of the Abbeys of Monte Cassino and Subiaco and his own monastic rule. He is one of the patron saints of Europe, and the brother of St. Scholastica.


ST. CEASARIUS, Archbishop of Arles (470-542).
Renowned for his collection of Sermons which cover the themes of the Trinity, redemption, grace, penance, purgatory, monasticism and political philosophy.


ST. JOHN CASSIAN, Abbot (360-435).
His three principal works are: De Institutis coenobiorum et de octo principalium vitiorum remediis libri XII which contains important details of early monastic life, including the clothing of the monks, their hours of prayer, and the organisation of their common life; Collationes XXIV which contains ideas about spiritual perfection, vocations, angels, and the relationship between grace and liberty; and De Incarnatione Domini contra Nestorium libri VII which deals with the heresy of Nestorianism. St. John Cassian also defended the title Theotokos (Mother of God) for Mary.


ST. CELESTINE I, Pope (d. 432).
St. Celestine promoted St. Augustine’s theology of grace and fought against the heresy of Nestorianism.


ST. CORNELIUS, Pope (d.253).
St. Cornelius’ papacy was dominated by the problems created by Novatian who argued that the Church did not have the authority to forgive mortal sin.


ST. CYPRIAN, Bishop of Carthage (d.258).
81 of St. Cyprian’s letters remain to provide a valuable source of information about life in Carthage. His most famous surviving speech is De Ecclesiae catholicae unitate.


ST. DAMASUS I, Pope (d.384).
St. Damasus was the first Pope to refer to the See of Rome as the Apostolic See. It was under his Pontificate that Latin became the principal liturgical language, and the catacombs of the martyrs were restored and redecorated.


ST. DIONYSIUS, Pope (d.268).
St. Dionysius is remembered for his summary of the Church’s Christological teaching, that is, the teaching about the nature of Christ.


ST. ENNODIUS, Bishop of Pavia (473-521).
Author of biographies of St. Epiphanius of Pavia and St. Antony of Lerins and of a work called the Eucharisticon in which he gives an account of his conversion.


ST. EUCHERIUS, Bishop of Lyons (d.449).
St. Eucherius is renowned for his preaching. Two of his letters have been preserved: De laude eremi (in praise of the ascetic life) addressed to St. Hilary of Arles, and De contempu mundi, addressed to a pagan relative called Valerian.


ST. FULGENTIUS, Bishop of Ruspe (468-533).
The writings of St. Fulgentius were directed against the Arian doctrines of the Vandal rulers of Africa and against Pelagianism. His Contra Arianos is a reply to ten questions proposed to King Thrasamund. His De Fide ad Petrum is a compendium of the dogmatic theology attributed to St. Augustine.


ST. GREGORY OF ELVIRA (died after 392).
Bishop of Alvira and opponent of Arianism at the Council of Rimini. His homilies are marked by a strong interest in the work of the Holy Spirit.


ST. GREGORY THE GREAT, Pope (540-604)
The 14 books of Gregory’s Letters are a source of information on his Pontificate. They deal with the Church, the Empire, the Germanic invaders, bishops, monasticism, and the missionary and social aspects of the Church. His Book of Morals is an exposition of the book of Job. He wrote dialogues on the life and miracles of the Italian saints, at least 40 homilies on the Gospel, and 22 homilies on the prophet Ezechial.


ST. HILARY, Bishop of Poitiers (315-68).
St. Hilary’s De Trinitate is the first extensive study of the doctrine of the Trinity in Latin. He was the first of the Latin fathers to bring a knowledge of Greek theology to the Western Church. His principal works were directed against Arianism. St. Hilary was also responsible for the introduction of the singing of hymns into Western Christendom.


ST. INNOCENT I, Pope (d.417).
36 Letters from the papacy of St. Innocent I survive. They were addressed to Western Eastern and African bishops. Many deal with the prohibition against marriage for bishops, priests and deacons, the affirmation of the authority of the See of St. Peter, and arguments against Pelagianism. The following statement of St. Innocent represents an early account of the teaching authority of the Papacy:
Each time a problem has to do with a question of doctrine I consider that the bishops, our brothers, should refer it to Peter, the founder of the episcopate, to provide for the common good of all the churches throughout the whole world.


ST. IRENAEUS, Bishop of Lyons (130-200).
St. Irenaeus was a critic of the heresy of Gnosticism. His most famous work is called Adversus haereses.


ST. ISIDORE, Archbishop of Seville (560-636).
St. Isidore emphasised both the allegorical and moral interpretations of Scripture. His Etymologiae is his longest work. It is an encyclopaedia of all knowledge accessible in the seventh century. He deals with grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, medicine, laws, books and offices of the Church, god, angels, the lay and clerical life, languages, animals, geography, architecture, weights and measures, agriculture, war, games, boats, clothing, food and drink, household utensils and agricultural tools. His De differentiis verborum is a grammatical lexicon that explains the nuances of the Latin language. His primary aim was to preserve the knowledge of the classical civilisations for its practical value to his countrymen.


ST. JEROME, Translator of the Vulgate (343-420).
The greatest of the Church’s Scripture scholars. He produced letters dealing with individual Hebrew words untranslatable in the Latin version of the Scriptures, for example, Hosanna, alleluia, and amen. He revised the Old Latin version of the New Testament and published a new translation of all the books of the Old Testament. He wrote commentaries on Isaiah, Ezechial, Jeremiah and the Psalms. He is often depicted in art working at his desk beside a pet lion. According to tradition he once helped the lion by removing a thorn from its paw, and it remained friendly towards him thereafter.


LACTANTIUS FIRMIANUS, apologist (240-320).
A pupil of Arnobius who was the most classical of the early Church fathers. He makes frequent reference to Cicero, Lucretius and Vergil in his letters. St. Jerome said of him that his writing is like a ‘stream of Ciceronian eloquence’.


ST. LEO THE GREAT, Pope (390-461).
96 Sermons and 173 Letters of St. Leo survive. In these he follows through themes in the liturgical cycle of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. There are also surviving reflections on the Feasts of St. Peter and St. Lawrence.


MARIUS MERCATOR, Latin polemicist (early fifth century).
A friend of St. Augustine who composed works against the Pelagians and Nestorianism. He made the works of St. Augustine known in the East.


MARIUS VICTORINUS, Roman rhetorician (fourth century).
A publisher of works on grammar and rhetoric and the translator of Aristotle’s tracts on logic. He composed several theological essays against Arianism, and the first Latin commentaries on the Epistles of St. Paul.


MINUCIUS FELIX, apologist (second or third century).
A Roman lawyer and apologist. His Octavius was addressed to educated pagans. It is written in the form of a Ciceronian dialogue.

NOVATIAN, the schismatic (200-62).
A schismatic writer during the Papacy of St. Cornelius who did not believe it possible to forgive the sin of apostasy. Apostasy means denying the faith. This happened frequently in Roman times when people would rather deny their faith than be burnt to death or fed to wild animals. It also continues to happen in modern times in countries where Catholics are persecuted, such as in modern China.


ST. OPTATUS, Bishop of Mileve (late fourth century).
A writer who influenced St. Augustine’s understanding of the Church and its sacraments and who wrote a treatise against the Donatist heresy.


ST. PACIAN, Bishop of Barcelona (fourth century).
The author of a sermon to catechumens on baptism who is renowned for his phrase: ‘my name is Christian; but my surname, Catholic’.


ST. PAMPHILUS, priest (240-310).
The founder of a school in Caesarea and restorer of Origen’s library. He wrote 5 books of an apology for Origen, to which Eusebius added a 6th. He was beheaded early in AD 310.



ST. PAULINUS, Bishop of Nola (353-431).
Known for his poetry and his letters which contain valuable information on ecclesiastical architecture. His poetry was written for an annual festival of St. Felix. He is also remembered for his building of hospitals.


ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, Archbishop of Ravenna (400-50).
Known for his homilies and the eradication of pagan customs from his archdiocese.


ST. PHOEBADIUS, Bishop of Agen (d.395).
Remembered for his refutations of the Arian heresy.


ST. PROSPER OF AQUITAINE, theologian (390-463).
The author of a number of poems and essays against Pelagianism.


RUFINUS, Latin translator of Greek theology (345-410).
An associate of St. Jerome who founded a monastery in Jerusalem in 381. His many translations of Greek theological works into Latin aided Western asceticism.


SALVIAN, priest (400-80).
Remembered for his epistles addressed to the monks of LŽrins. His chief work was De Gubernatione Dei in which he expounds the thesis that Divine Providence brings unfaithful Christians to their knees.


ST. SIRICIUS, Pope (334-99).
Remembered for his Letters which contain an excellent source of information about Church discipline during his reign; including details about liturgical ritual, the age of those ordained, and rules pertaining to the relationship of clerics to women.


TERTULLIAN, Apologist (160-223).
An outstanding polemicist who produced the earliest exposition of the Lord’s prayer and the first treatise on Baptism. He wrote seminal works on the Trinity (Against Praxeus) and Christology (On the Flesh of Christ).


ST. VINCENT OF LERINS, priest and monk (d.450).
Under the pseudonym ‘Peregrinus’ Vincent wrote two Commonitoria or Notebooks (434) in which he opposed St. Augustine’s doctrine of grace.



GREEK FATHERS


ST. ANASTASIUS SINAITA, Apologist and monk (d.700).
A monk of Mt. Sinai who wrote tracts against the Monophysites and Nestorianism.


ST. ANDREW OF CRETE, Archbishop of Gortyna, (660-740).
A famous orator from whom 22 homilies survive. He was one of the principal hymn writers of the Eastern Church.


APHRAATES, Syriac monk (early fourth century).
The earliest known Christian writer in Persia. 23 of his sermons have survived, one of which contains an ancient profession of belief in the Real Presence.


ST. ARCHELAUS, Bishop of Cascar (d.282).


ST. ATHANASIUS, Archbishop of Alexandria (c.297-373).
Renowned for his contribution to the battle against Arianism and defence of the Nicean Creed. Although he took no part in the proceedings of the Council of Nicea (325) as secretary to Alexander his notes and encyclicals written on behalf of his bishop had an important effect on the outcome.


ATHENAGORAS, Apologist (second century).
The founder of a Christian philosophical school at Alexandria. He wrote An Embassy for the Christians addressed to Marcus Aurelius and a trestise on the Resurrection of the Dead. The wealth of detail he supplied concerning pagan worship makes his work a principle source of knowledge of ancient Greek cults and for the sculpture and painting that was to adorn them. He defended Christians against charges of atheism, cannibalism and promiscuity.


ST. BASIL THE GREAT, Archbishop of Caesarea (329-79).
Friend of Gregory of Nazianzus and disciple of Origen who integrated Origen into orthodoxy. His compilation of Origen’s works is called the Philocalia. He drew on Stoic and Platonic philosophy, especially the work of Plotinus.


ST. CAESARIUS OF NAZIANZUS (330-69).
A physician who was the son of two saints ( St. Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus and St. Nonna) and the brother of two saints (St. Gorgonia and St. Gregory of Nazianzus).


ST. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, theologian (150-215).
After Origen, the principal representative of the theological school of Alexandria. Eusebius asserts that Origen was a disciple of St. Clement. One of his most important themes is that of the relation of Christianity to Hellenism.


ST. CLEMENT I, Pope (30-101).
Remembered for his Epistle to the Corinthians which contains details of the life of St. Peter and St. Paul, juridical contents, including distinctions between clergy and laity, and the liturgy of the early Church in Rome.


ST. CYRIL, Bishop of Jerusalem (315-86).
The author of Catecheses, lectures which contain an exposition of the ancient Creed of Jerusalem and details on the preparation of candidates for baptism.


ST. CYRIL, Patriarch of Alexandria (376-444).
A prolific writer who opposed Nestorianism and Arianism and played an important role in the Council of Ephesus 431, the development of Christology and Mariology.


DIDYMUS THE BLIND, Theologian (313-98).
An Alexandrian theologian whose dogmatic writings include a tract Against the Manichees, a treatise on the Holy Spirit which St. Jerome translated into Latin, and three books on the Trinity.


DIODORE, Bishop of Tarsus (d.392).
A teacher of St. John Chrysostom, accused of Nestorianism.


DIONYSIUS THE PSEUDO-AREOPAGITE, Mystical theologian (late fifth century).
A Syrian writer who had a significant impact on medieval theology. His Celestial Hierarchy describes the mediation by angels of God to man, the Divine Names is on the attributes of God, and The Ecclesiastical hierarchy describes the sacraments and the ‘three ways’ of spiritual life.


ST. DIONYSIUS THE GREAT, Archbishop of Alexandria (190-264).
A scholar associated with the catechetical school of Origen who, among many heroic deeds during a period of persecution, defended the divinity of Christ against the heretical bishop of Samosata.


ST. EPIPHANIUS, Bishop of Salamis, (315-403).
Remembered for his Ancoratus, a compendium of the doctrine of the Church which includes several baptismal creeds. He denied any right or place in the church to Greek learning.


EUSEBIUS, Bishop of Caesarea, (260-340).
A biblical exegete and disciple of Pamphilus remembered for his Ecclesiastical History which was a vindication of Christianity against the pagans, and his Chronicle, which was a summary of world history down to 303. His Preparatio evangelica explains why Christians accept the Hebrew tradition.


ST. EUSTATHIUS, Bishop of Antioch (fourth century).
One of the most relentless opponents of Arianism. He was deposed as Bishop of Antioch and sent into exile by the Emperor Constantine.


ST. FIRMILLIAN, Bishop of Caesarea (260-340).
A friend of Origen and St. Cyprian who took part in various synods.


GENNADIUS I, Patriarch of Constantinople (634-733).
A theologian opposed to Alexandrian Christology. He wrote commentaries on Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Psalms and the Pauline Epistles.


ST. GERMANUS, Patriarch of Constantinople (634-733).
An opponent of various heresies, including iconoclasm, credited with important homilies witnessing the development of Marian doctrines.

ST. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, Bishop of Sasima (329-90).
Renowned for his Orations. Many provide an exposition of the Nicene Creed and elucidations of Trinitarian doctrine. His works had a profound influence on the Eastern Church and are found in Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Slavonic and Arabic versions.


ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA (330-95).
A Cappadocian father known as ‘The Philosopher and Mystic’. (St. Basil is known as ‘The Administrator’ and St. Gregory of Nazianzus, ‘The Theologian’). His father was St. Basil the Elder, his sister St. Macrina and his brothers, St. Basil of Caesarea and St. Peter of Sebaste. A number of his writings were concerned with refutations of heresies, particularly in relation to the Trinity. Chief of these is the Contra Eunomium - written against the ideas of the Arian Bishop Eunomius. Another major work Oratio catechetica magna is a summary of Catholic teaching, presented in contrast to the teaching of the Jews and the pagans. The De anima et resurrectione is a dialogue with his dying sister Macrina. He maintained that the ultimate purpose of Scripture is not its historical teaching but the elevation of the soul to God.


ST. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, Bishop of Neocaesarea (213-70).
A disciple of Origen at Caesarea. The word ‘thaumaturgus’ means a miracle worker. Accounts of his miracles are recorded in Greek, Latin, Armenian and Syriac. His reputation for sanctity was fostered by St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nyssa.

HERMAS, Author of The Shepherd (second century).
The historical records are not clear but it seems that Hermas was a Roman slave who gained his freedom. His work, known as the Shepherd of Hermas, is an apocalyptic work divided into three sections: it comprises 5 visions, 12 mandates and 10 Parables. In the first 4 visions, Hermas sees the Church as an elderly matron who grows progressively younger as he carries out her orders. In the vision the elderly matron shows him a vision of a tower, representing the Church, in process of being built. The different stones in the building typify varieties of Christians, and stones rejected by the builders may ultimately be used, provided that they repent before the tower is finished. In the 5th vision, an angel appears dressed as a shepherd who dictates 12 mandates. These mandates show a strong Jewish influence and include such practices as fasting and patience. In the Parables, Hermas continues to receive teaching from the angel in which there is much allegorical detail.


ST. HIPPOLYTUS, Martyr (170-236).
Author of important works against Gnosticism and one time anti-pope who was reconciled before his martyrdom.

ST. IGNATIUS, Bishop of Antioch (35-107).
A martyr during the reign of Trajan (98-117). While travelling as a Roman prisoner from Antioch to Rome, he wrote important epistles which emphasised the sacramental character of the Church, and thus that the bishops and priests represent Christ and the Apostles.


ST. ISIDORE OF PELUSIUM, Abbot, (c. 360-450).
A monk who lived in a monastery on a hill not far from Pelusium, Egypt. Some 2,000 letters of Isidore have been preserved in 5 books.


ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Patriarch of Constantinople, (347-407).
The most distinguished of the Greek preachers. Chrysostomos means ‘golden-mouthed’.


ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, monk (579-649).
Mystic monk of Sinai known for his book Ladder of Paradise in which each step describes a particular monastic virtue or vice. Step 30 is called Faith, Hope and Charity where the monk receives the crown of glory from Christ.


ST. JOHN DAMASCENE, Defender of sacred images (675-749).
Theologian who served as a representative of the Christians in the court of the caliph of Damascus and later entered the monastery of St. Sabas near Jerusalem. He defended the use of icons and wrote The Fount of Wisdom or (Sources of Knowledge) which defended the orthodox faith and analysed heresies. In 1890 Leo XIII declared John to be a ‘Doctor of the Church’.


ST. JULIUS I, Pope. (d. 352).
Presided over the Church during the difficult period of the Nicene theological crisis and was a strong defender of St. Athanasius.


ST. JUSTIN MARTYR, Apologist (100-65).
Most outstanding of the early Christian apologists whose works are an important source of information on the details of early Christian liturgies.


ST. LEONTIUS OF BYZANTIUM, Theologian (sixth century).
An anti-monophysite theologian.


ST. MACARIUS THE GREAT, Monk (300-90).
One of the most famous of the desert fathers.


ST. MAXIMUS, Abbot and confessor (580-662).
Theological and ascetic writer, member of the old Byzantine aristocracy and opponent of monothelitism. He argued that the purpose of history was the Incarnation of the Son of God and the divinization of man, which consisted in the restoration of the Image impaired by Original Sin.


ST. MELITO, Bishop of Sardis, (d. 190).
Details of the life of St. Melitus are not well documented but he is reputed to have written an apology addressed to Marcus Aurelius and a treatise on baptism, as well as influencing the theology of Ireneaus and Tertullian.


ST. METHODIUS, Bishop of Olympus (d.311).
A martyr during the Diocletian persecutions. His Symposium of the Ten Virgins extols the excellence of virginity, at the end of which is a hymn to Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church.


ST. NILUS THE ELDER, Priest and Monk (d.430).
A hermit on Mt. Sinai whose writings deal with ascetic and moral subjects. 1061 of his letters have survived.


ORIGEN, Head of the Catechetical school in Alexandria (184-254).
Alexandrian theologian who established the famous school at Caesarea (231). The most important of Origen’s theological works is the ‘De Principiis’ which covers a wide range of doctrinal topics in 4 books treating of God, Scripture, and free will. Essentially a biblical scholar who recognised a triple sense in biblical literature: literal, moral and allegorical.


ST. POLYCARP, Bishop of Smyrna (69-155).
An important transitional figure between the Apostolic and Patristic Age who was martyred by being burnt to death.


ST. PROCLUS, Patriarch of Constantinople (d.446).
Renowned preacher who defended the title Theotokas.


ST. SERAPION, Bishop of Thumis (died after 362).
Associated with the catechetical school of Alexandria.


ST. SOPHRONIUS, Patriarch of Jerusalem (560-638).
Opponent of monothelitism. Shortly before his death he witnessed the capture of Jerusalem by the Saracens under Caliph Omar in 637.


TATIAN THE ASSYRIAN, Apologist and theologian (120-80).
Christian apologist and pupil of St. Justin Martyr. Wrote attacks on Greek civilisation. Among his literary opponents were: St. Ireneaus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, St. Hippolytus and Origen.


THEODORE, Bishop of Mopsuestia (350-428).
Theologian and biblical exegete and friend of St. John Chrysostom. He rejected the Alexandrian use of allegorical interpretations of Scripture. His doctrine of the Incarnation was condemned at the Councils of Ephesus (431) and Constantinople (533).


THEODORET, Bishop of Cyrrhus (393-458).
Remembered for his historical works which include a ‘Religious History’ which is a collection of biographies of monks, a ‘Church history’ which continues the work of Eusebius down to 428 and a Compendium of Heretical tables which provides important material on Arianism, Nestorianism and Eutychianism. His exegetical works deal with a large number of Old Testament books.


ST. THEOPHILUS, Bishop of Antioch (late second century).
Christian apologist who sought to demonstrate the superiority of the doctrine of creation over the immoral myths of the Olympian religion

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