Church Fathers
Since the sixteenth century , modern historiography calls Fathers of the Church of ecclesiastical authors, generally (but not exclusively) of bishops , whose writings, actions and moral example have helped to establish and defend the doctrine Catholic. So these are characters who commend themselves by four characteristics or "notes":
- 1 the length,
- 2 holiness
- 3 orthodoxy
- 4 ecclesiastical approval.
Authors heretics like Arius or Marcion or schismatics, as Novatian , do not form part of the Fathers of the Church, as some poets (such as Prudence ) and historians (such as Gregory of Tours ), Christian authors of books who are not dogmatic. The foundations of faith were established through training of these Fathers in theological schools ( theological school of Antioch , theological school of Alexandria ).
It arranges frequently with the Fathers of the Church some important authors like Origen whose study is indispensable to specialists of the Fathers of the Church. This broad meaning of the term, which defines an area of study, may be called scientific or university, he oversaw the establishment of the list below.
We can classify the Fathers of the Church according to their age (Apostolic), the nature of their writings (apologists), style of thinking (Eastern or Western, the school of Alexandria and that of Antioch) their language (Latin, Greek or Syriac), their living environment (of the Christian empire), etc..
Knowledge of the Church Fathers and their writings called patristic (theological analysis) or Patristics (historical analysis).
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Position of Churches on the Fathers
Contrary to the list of Doctors of the Church , the Fathers of the Church is not "officially" established by the churches.
The Catholic Church tends to assign a term to a "patristic period" and to consider Jean Damascene and Isidore of Seville as the later Fathers. However, the tradition believes that there are four Fathers of the Church of the West:
- Ambrose ,
- St. Augustine ,
- Gregory ,
- St. Jerome.
The Orthodox Church does not see things the same way and believes that fatherhood does not imply antiquity. It further considers that the Father is not necessarily a writer. It tends to be regarded as fathers of the Church Fathers and the great deserts of teachers of the monastic life of asceticism as their work of spiritual direction is highly doctrinal.
Some authors have noted the remarks hostile to the Jews in the writings of some Church Fathers. However, the most reliable sources are fragmentary and incomplete, and occurrences of these expressions are limited in the vast patristic corpus The Fathers antnicens (until 325 ) The apologists Anti-heretical literature Greek fathers Latin fathers Greek fathers Latin fathers Syrian Fathers Greek fathers prior to the iconoclastic crisis Greek fathers defenders of sacred images Latin fathers Fathers unique to Orthodox Church The medieval theologians unique to Catholic Church The Apostolic Fathers
The Fathers of the second century
The Fathers of the third century
The golden age of patristic ( 325 - 451 )
The fathers who fought the Arian
The Cappadocian Fathers and St John Chrysostom
Other Fathers who lived during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th councils ( V century )
The Fathers of Chalcedonian tradition (after 451 )
The Fathers specific to a single Christian denomination
See also
Bibliography
External Links
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