The Great Teachers
Church Fathers
Bishops, apologists, martyrs, and theologians of the early and unified Church whose witness carries the apostolic faith into every generation.
- Clement of Romed. c. 99Rome
Early bishop of Rome traditionally counted among the Apostolic Fathers.
1 Clement (to the Corinthians) - Ignatius of Antiochc. 35 – c. 108Syria
Bishop of Antioch martyred in Rome; wrote seven letters en route to his death.
Letters to Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans, Polycarp - Polycarp of Smyrnac. 69 – c. 155Asia Minor
Disciple of John the Apostle and bishop of Smyrna; martyred at extreme old age.
Letter to the Philippians · Martyrdom of Polycarp (about him) - Justin Martyrc. 100 – c. 165Rome
Philosopher-convert and Christian apologist beheaded in Rome.
First Apology · Second Apology - Irenaeus of Lyonsc. 130 – c. 202Gaul
Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp; chief opponent of Gnosticism.
Against Heresies · Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching - Augustine of Hippo354 – 430North Africa
Bishop of Hippo Regius; the towering theologian of the Latin West.
Confessions · City of God - Athanasius of Alexandriac. 296 – 373Alexandria
Deacon at Nicaea and later bishop of Alexandria; exiled five times for defending the full divinity of the Son.
On the Incarnation · Orations Against the Arians - Anthony the Greatc. 251 – 356Egypt
The father of Christian monasticism; withdrew to the Egyptian desert around 285 and drew thousands after him.
Letters (attributed) · Sayings preserved in the Apophthegmata Patrum - Basil the Greatc. 330 – 379Cappadocia
Bishop of Caesarea and eldest Cappadocian Father; framed the post-Nicene defense of the Holy Spirit's divinity.
On the Holy Spirit · Hexaemeron - Gregory of Nazianzus329 – 390Cappadocia
Archbishop of Constantinople who presided over the Council of 381; called simply 'the Theologian.'
Five Theological Orations · Letters to Cledonius - Gregory of Nyssac. 335 – 395Cappadocia
Brother of Basil and youngest Cappadocian Father; a metaphysician and mystical theologian.
Against Eunomius · On the Soul and the Resurrection - John Chrysostomc. 347 – 407Antioch / Constantinople
Patriarch of Constantinople and unrivalled preacher of the early Church; exiled for confronting imperial luxury.
Homilies on the New Testament · On the Priesthood - Cyril of Alexandriac. 376 – 444Alexandria
Patriarch of Alexandria and leading voice at the Council of Ephesus (431) against Nestorius.
On the Unity of Christ · Twelve Anathemas - Jeromec. 347 – 420Rome / Bethlehem
The most learned biblical scholar of the Latin Church; translated the Bible into Latin from Hebrew and Greek.
The Latin Vulgate · Commentaries on the prophets and gospels - Leo the Greatc. 400 – 461Rome
Pope Leo I; author of the Tome received at Chalcedon and celebrated for meeting Attila the Hun outside Rome.
Tome of Leo · Sermons - Gregory the Greatc. 540 – 604Rome
Pope, monk, and pastor; sent Augustine of Canterbury to the English and shaped medieval Western worship.
Pastoral Rule · Dialogues - Maximus the Confessorc. 580 – 662Constantinople / Rome
Monk and theologian mutilated for defending two wills in Christ; vindicated at Constantinople III (681).
Ambigua · Chapters on Love - John of Damascusc. 675 – 749Damascus / Palestine
Syrian monk under Muslim rule; foremost defender of the veneration of icons during the Iconoclast crisis.
Three Treatises on the Divine Images · The Fount of Knowledge - Cyril and Methodiusc. 826 – 869 / 815 – 885Thessaloniki / Great Moravia
Brothers from Thessaloniki sent to evangelize the Slavs; created the Glagolitic alphabet and translated the liturgy into Slavonic.
Slavonic liturgical translations · Old Church Slavonic Bible fragments - Gregory Palamas1296 – 1359Byzantium
Archbishop of Thessaloniki and Athonite monk; defender of hesychast prayer and the essence–energies distinction.
Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts · One Hundred and Fifty Chapters - Thomas Aquinas1225 – 1274Italy / Paris
Dominican friar and philosopher whose synthesis of biblical faith with Aristotelian reason shapes Catholic theology to this day.
Summa Theologiae · Summa Contra Gentiles