The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come. The term is used of writers and teachers of the Church, not necessarily "saints", though most are honoured as saints in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Anglican Churches, as well as in some other Christian groups; notably, the heretics Origen and Tertullian are generally reckoned as Church Fathers.
The earliest Church Fathers, (within two generations of the Twelve apostles of Christ) are usually called the Apostolic Fathers since they were taught directly by the twelve. Important Apostolic Fathers include Clement of Rome,Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna. In addition, the Didache and Shepherd of Hermas are usually placed among the writings of the Apostolic Fathers although their authors are unknown; like the works of Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp, they were first written in Koine Greek.
View MoreIt’s gotta be something in the water. How else to explain the plethora of A-list twins on Hollywood screens lately? In the last few months alone, we’ve had Robert Pattinson, Theo James and the great Robert De Niro playing opposite each other on screen. But now we have by far the most creatively ambitious, culturally layered,...
By STEFANIE DAZIO, FANNY BRODERSEN and MARKUS SCHREIBER SCHLEIFE, Germany (AP) — Anke Hanusch dips her tool into dark blue wax and dots it precisely on a yellow-dyed Easter egg in her hand. Back and forth, wax to egg, egg to wax, as the honeycomb pattern grows. The intricate motif means the egg will ultimately be a gift from a...
The father previously told authorities that his son had threatened his life. ......
By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thirty years after a truck bomb detonated outside a federal building in America’s heartland, killing 168 people in the deadliest homegrown attack on U.S. soil, deep scars remain. From a mother who lost her first-born baby, a son who never got to know his father, and a young...