Church Fathers

"With this step, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the service of truth, comes down to us. And this is the most widespread evidence that there is a single living gives faith, which is preserved in the church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth. "

Who are the Church Fathers?

Tertullian:

The term church fathers refer to Christian writers and theologians in the first eight centuries of the Christian church, especially the period of development up to 451 AD. (1) church fathers sometimes further divided into Apostolic Fathers, who wrote in the first century, and the Ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, who wrote before and after the Council of Nicea (325 AD), respectively. The period during which the church fathers wrote is known as the patristic period and the scientific study of these writers is called Patristics. Both terms come from the Latin word pater, meaning "father."

Fathers of the Church is of great importance to Christianity, because they are formulated almost all Christian doctrine, accepted by Christians today. They interpreted the Bible in light of challenges from the Greek thought and various heretical movements determined Christianity's relationship to Judaism, deepened the theological concepts as the Trinity and salvation, and established the structure and organization of the church.

The patristic period:

The earliest church fathers wrote in the last part of the first century (80-100 AD), around the time the biblical canon was closed. These authors were mainly concerned with practical issues such as faith, righteous living and church organization. Writings of this period consists primarily of letters between the churches and invitations to keep faith in the midst of persecution. These authors are known as the "Apostolic Fathers" for their close connection with the apostles, and include Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Herma, Polycarp and Papias of Hierapolis, and the unknown authors Epistle of Barnabas, Letter Diognetus, 2 Clement and the Didache.

Towards the end of the first century Christian writers began to turn its attention outward in defense of Christianity against false allegations of Roman persecution of Christians and demonstrate fairness minds trained in Greek philosophy. These writings were usually addressed to Roman emperors and other pagan critics, and their authors are known as "apologists". Among the main apologists Justin Martyr and Tertullian. Augustine's lengthy City of God is also seen as an apologetic work.

Fathers of the second and third century also directed their efforts to combat what they saw as heresy, or false interpretations of the Christian faith. After the conversion of Emperor Constantine and the end of persecution in 313 AD, Christian writers turned away from excuses to focus almost exclusively on that task. No longer threatened from outside, the church still faces threat from within. By the end of the first century AD, most Christian converts were Gentiles, not Jews. These converts brought with them many ways to understand Christianity, and often their perception of Christianity was quite different from most church leaders. Thus, the church fathers from the fourth century onwards were focused specifically on the defense of what they saw as the true Christian faith (orthodoxy) against corruption or misunderstanding (heresy).

Further complicating the situation was the conversion of imperial theology made a political issue. After Constantine's conversion, flooded many new converts into the church, for now Christianity was not only legal, it was the religion of the emperor and therefore politically advantageous. Also showed Constantine and his successors to Christianity as a means to unify the kingdom, and had no patience for what they regarded as petty doctrinal differences. Thus, Christian teachers who taught unorthodox teachings were not only excommunicated from the church, but banished from the kingdom. Not surprising success of a particular theological position was sometimes directly related to who had the ear of the emperor at the moment. Athanasius, honored by all Christians today as a strong supporter of orthodoxy, was exiled and restored no less than eight times as the political winds shifted.

Theological schools in the early church:

Three major geographical areas that emerged in the patristic period, each with a significant theological approach. These are sometimes called schools into schools of thought, not universities.

Alexandria. Alexandria was a bustling port city in northern Egypt was founded by Alexander the Great. As the birthplace of both Neoplatonism and Philo, Alexandria had already established itself as a center of Greek philosophy from the first century. Not surprising, since the Greek-speaking theology Alexandria is characterized by its close connection with the Platonic philosophy. Its Christology tendency to emphasize Christ's divinity and its interpretation of Scripture was often allegorical. Among the most prominent Alexandrian fathers are Clement, Origen and Didymus the Blind.

Antioch. Another Greek-speaking city of Antioch was an important city in the region of Cappadocia (modern Turkey). Christianity was established early here - the city itself plays a prominent role in the New Testament book of Acts. Antioch theologians tend to emphasize the moral example and humanity in Christ and to interpret Scripture in light of its historical context. The philosophy of Antioch was more influenced by Aristotle than Plato. Important Antioch fathers include Diodore of Tarsus and John Chrysostom. Also from this region is the eminent "Cappadocian Fathers": Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus.

Western North Africa. Lies primarily in modern Algeria, this region included the great city of Carthage, who for a time overtook Rome in power. North African theologians wrote in Latin, and had a tendency to be more practical than their philosophical-minded Greek colleagues. Significant theologians in this region include Cyprian, Tertullian and Augustine.