PATROLOGY
• An introduction to patristic studies
• This introduction is meant to present the church fathers
to this generation; here we will see that the fathers were
not old schools of thoughts that belonged to far old
history. In contrast their teachings are more close to us
now than many of the modern teachings that are farther
than the teachings of Christ and the apostles of the
church. These teachings of Christ are the one always
new and always alive, for Christ is “the same yesterday,
today and forever”
• The church fathers with the bible teaching are always
renewed for every generation.
• They are the living extension of Christ voice and
his disciples.
• In every generation the fathers teachings are
handed down to the next generation mingled
with the experience of the living bible and faith of
each one of them.
• + There is that fundamental tie between the
church fathers, the disciples, apostles and the
Lord Himself Jesus Christ. In this connection we
see the body of Christ revealed in a mystical
way where the Lord Jesus is the head and the
corner stone.
• + The disciples
• They have been commissioned by the lord
Himself to go out preach and baptize on the
name of the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.
The first fruits were the 3000 in the day of
Pentecost, and then many others followed from
Judea, Jerusalem, Galilee and the surrounding
areas where they formed the first nucleus of the
church which in turn attracted all the nations
from all corners of the earth. By the end of the
apostolic generation, the gospel has already
reached most of the existing world then.
• What was their message?
• It was in accordance with the Lord’s teaching
Himself. Simple and comprehensive in 4 points:
• 1- Reveals God’s love to sinners and all
mankind.
• 2- His invitation for repentance.
• 3- Faith in Jesus Christ.
• 4- Living according to that faith.
• This simple teaching was very accommodating
to the human soul for salvation. All the teachings
of the fathers have revolved around the same
• points. The proof of this lies in all the teachings to the
catechumens who were prepared to receive baptism.
• + Two major methods they relied on; first the liturgical
mystical services like baptism or Eucharist. The work
was accomplished by the Holy Spirit who still works till
today in the church and till the end of ages.
The
second was the service of the word and the writings of
their books.
• The fathers took this talent of the apostolic tradition and
kept it and entered into many heretic battles and added
to it legitimate creeds that kept the faith alive till today,
they defended the faith even unto death.
• It is our role now to keep that treasure of their teaching
alive for us and for the generations to come.
• Who are the fathers?
• This title was used first for the fathers of the Old Testament. Like
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• Then in early Christianity we see the use of the term father to the
teachers of the church. Also it was used for the bishops. By the
fourth century the term was extended to those teachers and writers
who were not bishops like what St Augustine mention St Jerome as
a father even he was not a bishop. However not all church writers
are considered fathers, for example Tertullian and Origen , the first
is one of the great writers but he fell in the Montanan’s heresy so he
is considered a great writer but not a father. Also Origen despite his
great contributions to the church he fell in few mistakes kept him as
a writer and not a father.
• Patrology: is the study of the lives of the church fathers
and teachers at the old times. From the apostolic era to
around the sixth century
• The first book appeared in these field was the book of st
Jerome (irenemous) in 393 A.D. in his Latin book Viris
Illustribus i.e. the life of the famous men in which he
mainly relied on the book of history written by Josephus
of Caesarea.
• It is important to realize that each father had his own
unique style according to his life and or circumstances of
his time especially if he was facing certain problems or
heresies etc.
• Others were establishing new orders like monasticism.
• Acceptable fathers has certain characteristics
•
•
•
•
•
orthodoxy
holiness
Church acceptance to them.
Antiquity: varies among different churches; the
Caledonian’s determines the end of the fathers era
around the seventh or eighth century , in the west the
fathers era ends by St Gregory the great (died 604
A.D) and St Theodore Seveille (reposed 636 AD). In
the east it ends by St John of Damascus (reposed 749
AD).
While the non Caledonian churches (Coptic, Ethiopia,
Assyrian and Armenian) decided that the end of the
era lies a little after the Caledonian assembly (451
AD).
• The 4th and 5th. Century are considered the
golden era of the fathers, during that time the
church through the fathers managed to
determine and explain the apostolic faith in the
face of heresies.
• Are there still any more fathers today? The
answer to that is YES for the Holy Spirit still
works in the church till today. Every generation
has it’s challenges and its spiritual warfare. This
always brings up the fathers and the apologetics
to defend and keep the faith to the faithfuls.
• Classification of the fathers
• General:
• The apostolic fathers: those who were in contact with the apostles
during their lives. for example Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch,
Polycarp and Babiass
• The apologetics are those who defended the faith against
heathenism, critics, philosophers, early Jewish scholars. Examples
of those are St Justine the martyr, Ithenagoros, and Ireneus.
• The teachers of the church: St Athanasius of Alexandria, St Cyril the
great St Basil, St Gregory the theologos and St John Chrysostom
(from the east). St Cyprian, St Jerome, St Augustine (from the west).
• The confessors are those who suffered for the faith: as St
Dioscorous of Egypt and St Severus of Antioch.
• The fathers of monasticism are those who established the pure and
genuine faith in combination with the ascetic life : like St Antony, St
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Makari, St Bachomious, and all the late fathers of the desert that
came after.
There is also the classification by the language they wrote with.
For example; the Latin fathers, the Greek, the Coptic fathers, the
Armenian fathers the Assyrian fathers. However the largest
portions of the father’s writings were either in Greek or Latin.
The most reverend fathers by our Copt orthodox church who
wrote in Greek are
St Athanasius the twentieth pop
St Basil the great archbishop of the Cappadocian Caesarea
St Gregory the theologos Bishop of zasima
St John Chrysostom patriarch of Constantinople
St Cyril of Alexandria the 24th pope
St Dioscorous the 25th pope
St Severus of Antioch pope of Antioch.
• Another classifications are by the date i.e:
• The history of their writings
• The first era was the first 3 centuries; this time is very
important since these writers were the closest in time to
the founders of the church i.e. the apostles. Especially
teachings on the trinity, incarnation, the church infra
structure with it’s laws and original cannons.
• The second era between 300 and 430 A.D. this extends
from st Athanasius to the repose of St Cyril the great in
the east and St Augustine in the west.
• 300 to 360 A.D was concentrating on the subject of the
Trinity and determining the orthodox faith.
•
• From 360 to 430 A.D The expansion and
explanation of the previous era teachings. The
most popular writings were those of St Cyril the
great.
• From 430 AD to the 7th century.
• The first part was Christology around the nature
of Christ after establishing the dogma of the
trinity. It extended from the assembly of Ephesus
431AD to Caledonia to second Constantinople
553 AD. These era had those fathers that were
persecuted and suffered for the faith like St
Discorous and St Severus of Antioch.
• Examples of some Books of early Christianity.
• The didascalia
• 1883 published by Phelitheos bishop of Nicomedia from a Greek
manuscript dated 1057 and was kept in Jerusalem
• The title of the book was the teaching of the12 apostles”
• The shepherd by Hermes
• Written by Hermes the brother of Bio (9th bishop of Rome0
• It is an apocalyptic book of 5 visions, 10 commandments and 10
parables
• The second letter of Clement: undetermined if it is written by St
Clement of Rome or other writer. Written in the first half of the
second century, and was very popular in the Assyrian church.
• The heart of this letter revolves around an invitation to repentance
and living a holy life after baptism
• The letter of Barnaba
• Written between the year 70 and 138
• The core of the letter is “the new law of our lord Jesus Christ” (as
opposed to the law of Old Testament)
• The major books about the fathers
• -The Benedict father wrote one of the early collections of the fathers.
• - The abbe migne
• 217 volumes of the Latin fathers and 161 volume of the patrologia
graeca
• -patrologia syriaca
• -patrologia orientalis
• -library of the fathers, pusey-keble-newman oxford 45 volumes
(1838-1888 AD)
• -ante Nicene and post Nicene. About 38 volumes