DICTOMETER

CHURCH FATHER

(church father)

1. Synonyms:
   • Church Father
   • Father of the Church
   • Father
   Definitions:
   • (Christianity) any of about 70 theologians in the period from the 2nd to the 7th century whose writing established and confirmed official church doctrine
   • in the Roman Catholic Church some were later declared saints and became Doctor of the Church
   • the best known Latin Church Fathers are Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome
   • those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom