What is meant by the Fathers of the Church?

(1) Conceptual note: The term "father of the church" can be roughly defined as: church writers in the early days of the Christian religion, who were known for their orthodox teachings and holy lives, and who were therefore honored by the church as witnesses of the faith.

(2) The main characteristics of the Fathers: four points, namely, antiquity, orthodoxy, holiness of life, and ecclesiastical approval:

(1) The patristic period (viewed as a literary phase) begins with the first chapter of the Bible after the classical literature. The earliest surviving work, according to historical research, is probably the Epistle to Grindo or the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Clement I (92-101), written in c. 96. More difficult to determine than the beginning of the patristic era is the period of its end. The general view is that John Damascene (c. 650-750) was the last of the Eastern Fathers, and Isidor of Sevilla (c. 560-636) the last of the Western Fathers. Some, however, think that this era ended as early as the accession of Justinian I (527-565) (527); others, however, think that it should have lasted until 850. This is an open question, but it does not detract from the point of the question of the times: patristic literature is the earliest work after the biblical classics, and it bears witness to the theological (especially christological, trinitarian, and ecclesiological) views and developments of Christians in the first centuries.

(2) Superiority of orthodox doctrine. This definition actually contains three main points:

1) "Doctrine" means that theological thought is externalized in the writing of which the Fathers were writers.

2) "Orthodox" doctrine does not imply the absence of error, since the Fathers were not merely witnesses to the faith, but were mostly theologians trying to penetrate more y into the message of revelation. So to be orthodox means to be in doctrinal **** with the orthodox church. Vincent of Lerins (c. +450) thus describes the Fathers: those accredited teachers who, in their own time and place, maintained the same faith and ****ociation with the one communion." The subsequent (Gelasian Decree: an anthology of laws that reflects quite faithfully the views of the Roman Church in the sixth century) also centers on the basis of "communion".

3) Finally, "excellence" can mean originality, profundity, or completeness, as well as vigor, clarity, or excellence. It does not necessarily imply comparison (superiority over later generations), but clearly implies a degree of immortality (in relation to the author's locale).

A slight addition to this point is that many patristic or patristic theological studies include "unorthodox" Christian authors whose orthodoxy may have been questioned at one time or another (e.g., Origen, c. 185-254), and who may even have left the Church (e.g., Origen, c. 185-254). They may even have left the Church (e.g., Q.S.F. Tertullian, c. 160-23O); or, worse, patristic theology may even have included pagan writers who attacked the Faith (e.g., Celsus, second century, Porphyrius, c. 233-305). 305). It is probably fair to say that they rank among the patristic studies but are not officially patristic. It is understandable that patristic (doctrinal) studies should involve their works: for only in this way can doctrinal development be shown to bear rich theological fruit.

(3) Holiness of life: Admittedly, not all the Fathers are ranked as saints. Some were not even treated like the saints venerated by the early Church. Therefore, the so-called "holy life" refers only to the minimum Christian virtues, the constant communion with the Lord, which is concretely expressed in the harmony of life and doctrine, in the unity of faith and morals. For this is what is necessary for a more precise and deeper understanding of God's revelation and of the Christian inheritance.

(4) Ecclesiastical commendation: Ecclesiastical commendation may be formal, in the sense of an ecumenical council or a papal declaration of the doctrinal or ethical merits of an ancient author. But it can also be implicit: an ecumenical council or pope or even a liturgical commendation quoting a particular author. Finally, it can be substantive, i.e., that his theories are widely adopted by Christians in general.

(iii) Greek was the earliest language of patristic literature. But in Rome, North Africa and Gaul (Gaul) Greek did not prevail until as late as the third century. Gradually it was replaced by native languages, especially Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian, and in the West Latin came to dominate the language of the Western Fathers.

As for the later period of patristic literature, almost every patristic researcher has his own division. This phenomenon not only points to the difficulties of the later period, but also suggests its expediency, the fact that the flood of history does not allow one to make a clean break. And the three divisions enumerated here are only one of many possible approaches:

(1) Early Fathers (from the earliest Fathers until 313 (the General Theory of Milan) or the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325) : This period can be subdivided into three groups:

1) The Apostolic Fathers, so called because of the fact that they may have been in contact with, or were taught by, the Apostles, or by the disciples of the Apostles, such as the Antiochian Ignatius, the Ignatian Fathers, the Ignatians of the Antiochian Church, and the Apostles of the Apostles, who were all disciples of the Apostles. Examples include Ignatius of Antioch (c. +117), Polycarp (c. +168/169), and Clermont I. The Apostolic Fathers were the first to be named by the Apostolic Fathers, and the first to be named by the Apostolic Fathers. Though only a few in number, their works are full of a pastoral tone, emphasizing the end of days, with a distinct nostalgia for Christ, and truly reflecting the witness of the early Christians.

2) The Protectors, as a result of the Church's reaction against Gentile beliefs and Judaism, gave rise to the first Christian writers who came into contact with the outside world, such as Justin the Martyr (c. +165), Athenagoras the Athenian (second half of the second century), and so on. They fought with their own pens against the swords of kings, trying to express that the New Testament is the fullness of the Old Testament, and to set the truth of Christians against the myths of the Gentiles. Also belonging to this group were the ecclesiastical responses to Montanism and Gnosticism, of which Irenaeus (c. 140-202) was a leading example.

3) The first scholars who were truly committed to the study of theology as a whole. Their efforts were stimulated partly by controversy, but more importantly by the intellectual impetus of faith in Christians. The main centers of theological activity at that time were Alexandria in the East and Carthage in the West. The most important representatives were Clement of Alexandria, c. 140-2l7, and Orpheus. In the West there were Dertullian and Cyprian (c. 200-258). Thanks to their efforts, the patristic era was ready for its golden age.

(2) The Golden Age (from the Early Fathers to the Ecumenical Council of Gazetón in 451):

1) (The General Theory of Milan) (313) formally recognized the right of the Christian religion to exist, and allowed Christians to participate in worship and adoration in complete freedom, thus paving the way for a golden age of patristic literature. This was the era of the first four ecumenical councils of the Church, the First Council of Nicaea (325), the First Council of Constantinople (381), the First Council of Ephesus (431), and the First Council of Gazeton (451), a time of constructive creativity in Christian theology, a time of deep searching for the Church's fundamental beliefs (trinitarianism and christology in the East, salvation and ecclesiology in the West). However, it was also a time of pain and strife, and the Church unfortunately suffered time and again from the blows of Aristotelianism, Donatism, Manichaeism, Pelagianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism and Unitarianism.

2) This glorious literary and theological moment was filled with writers of the first rank, of whom this article cites only the most famous representatives: in Egypt there were the anti-Aryan Athanasius (295-373) and the anti-Nestorian Cyril of Alexandria (+444). 444). Three Cappadocians touched the pinnacle of theology in Asia Minor: Basil of Caesarea (c. 329-379), Cregory 0f Nazianzus (c. 329-390), and Gregory of Nyssa (c. 329-390). Gregory of Nyssa, c. 335-394).

In the Antiochian school, the best-known representatives were Diodore of Tarsus (+394), John Chrysostom (c. 344-407), and others.

In the West, the leading figures were as follows: Hilary of Poitiers (ca. 300- 368), Ambrosius (ca. 339-397), the biblicist Jerome (ca. 3401420), and St. Austin (ca. 3401420). Augustine (354-430).

(3) The period of decline (mid-fifth to end of the seventh century): After the Council of Gazetz, there was a certain decline in the work of the Fathers, due in particular to the following two causes:

1) The fundamental problems of the faith seemed to be solved, and the theology had reached its climax. It is a given that what goes around comes around. At a time when biblical interpretation and theoretical discernment are weakening, spirituality and worship have become the center of attention. Under these circumstances, new and creative thinking must decline; traditionalism, the attachment to the past, becomes inevitable.

2) Political and cultural factors cannot be ignored: the ravages of foreign nations in the West, the intrusion of monarchical power into the Eastern Church, the East-West divide, and the march of Moslem culture have all contributed to the lamentation of patristic literature that it is not what it used to be. But then again, this period was not without its merits. The application of Aristotle's philosophy prepared the way for medieval scholastic philosophy, and not all the figures of this period were idle, such as Boethius (480-525), the translator of Aristotle, Cregory I (590-604), and many others. etc. But, in any case, the patristic era has finally come to its end.