Questions tagged [church-fathers]
Theologians and church leaders of the post-apostolic period up to the 7th century.
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What is the role and power of the Woman in Genesis3:15 according to Divine Plan of Salvation?
After the Fall of Adam and Eve, we can see in Genesis3:14, that God immediately cursed the serpent, showing that the serpent had done an action contrary to the Will of God, and since angel have superb ...
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When did the Catholic Church first introduce the veneration of Mary?
There does not appear to be any evidence for Marian veneration during the first and second century. As far as I am aware, the Didache (also known as The Teachings of the Apostles) and the Epistle of ...
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What did St. Gregory of Nazianzus mean by forbidden knowledge and the need to conceal knowledge gained within the Church?
In Oration 40, towards the end, a translation from newadvent.org is as follows:
But not yet perhaps is there formed upon your soul any writing good or
bad; and you want to be written upon today, and ...
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Help locating this reference to St. Augustine?
I am looking for a reference to St. Augustine that seems archaic and doesn't correspond to what I'm finding in my search. The reference is from Fr. James L. Meagher's 1906 book How Christ Said the ...
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Has any Church Father compared the priest, deacon, and subdeacon in a Solemn High Mass to the Three Divine Persons of the Trinity?
Has any Church Father compared the priest, deacon, and subdeacon in a Solemn High Mass to the Three Divine Persons of the Trinity?
Solemn High Mass with the priest, deacon, and subdeacon at the altar:
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How do we know when the early church fathers lived?
When it comes to determining when an early church father lived, how do we know the range of years when they lived? As far as I know, even for popular church fathers like Irenaeus or Papias, we don't ...
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Which works of the Church Fathers name Jacob the Just as the leader of the Ebionites?
I’m having trouble finding the sources that would backup unsourced claims on the Wikipedia article about the Ebionites that they revered Jacob the Just and considered him the successor of the movement ...
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Which Church Fathers were martyred?
I understand that Foxe's Book of Martyrs (first published in English in 1563) is an exhaustive account of Christian martyrs, both pre- and post-Reformation. However, at a daunting 1,570 pages in ...
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What was Athanasius's view on the Millennium?
I have heard some theologians coming from both amillennial and premillianial perspectives claiming Athanasius as one of their own. As is often the case with modern readers of the Church Fathers, there ...
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Which Desert Father is known to have undone his work at the end of the day?
I once heard a story of a desert father who would do some work, maybe construction of some type, and then proceed to undo it all at the end of the day, repeating the next day in order to highlight the ...
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Was the "Gospel of Hebrews" ever considered to be inspired?
The "Gospel of the Hebrews" has several quotations from early church fathers. Did they ever believe it to be Inspired and equal to the traditional four gospels? Or did they view it as ...
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Did any of the early church fathers believe that God formed the universe out of formless matter?
Christians are starting to accept natural theology as a way of God using the observable world in order to create the universe. In the deuterocanonical books, it says that God formed the universe out ...
user64489
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Did Justin Martyr believe Jesus was a "second God"?
In Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho Chapter 56:
Justin: I shall attempt to persuade you, since you have understood the Scriptures, [of the truth] of what I say, that there is, and that there is ...
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Who Were the First Successors of the Apostles in the Churches They Founded?
I suppose this question is a bit twofold: I'm wondering what Churches the Apostles are historically held to have founded, and in what places; and I'm also wondering who are the men historically held ...
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Did Early Church acknowledge the Holy Spirit as Feminine?
Did the Early Church acknowledge the Holy Spirit as Feminine?
An article recently titled “ The Holy Spirit as feminine: Early Christian testimonies and their interpretation”
note that the early Church ...
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Were there any lay Christian writers in the Early Church?
Were there any lay Christian writers/theologians as prominent as Church Fathers in the Early Church? Also, why was there a lack of laity representation in bible studies and theology?
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What are some common church fathers cited for patristic dispensational premillennialism?
What are some common church fathers cited as believers in dispensational premillennialism?
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Did any Church fathers reject Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch?
Are there any church father who rejected Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch?
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Which theologian advised Theodosius?
This question is based on chapter 23 of the 1988 book by R.P.C. Hanson - The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318-381. "RH" in the quotes below refers to this ...
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The Apostolic Fathers on "the Gates of Hell" (Matt. 16:18)
According to Britannica:
Apostolic Father, any of the Greek Christian writers, several unknown, who were authors of early Christian works dating primarily from the late 1st and early 2nd centuries. ...
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Was Nestorius a Nestorian?
In classes earlier on in my life I was taught that Nestorius was a false teacher since he taught what some have called the "two board" theory. In this theory, There's two Jesuses (what's the ...
user24895
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How Many Fathers of the Catholic Church are There; and Where to Find a Reliable List?
Does anyone know for sure how many Church Fathers have been so declared by the Catholic Church (assuming that the last one is St. John Damascene); and where I may find a reliable list of them?
Thank ...
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Church Fathers Who Have Commented on Matthew 18:20
Matt. 18:20 (D-R):
For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Does anyone know of any Fathers of the Catholic Church whom have commented on this ...
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Church Fathers on the Authority of Ecumenical Councils
This post is somewhat related to On the End of the Patristic Era as Considered by the Catholic Church
The First Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church was the Council of Nicea in 325.
Did any of ...
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On the End of the Patristic Era as Considered by the Catholic Church
Does the Catholic Church officially consider the end of the Patristic era to have occurred with the death of St. John Damascene in the eighth century? I have read that some consider St. Bernard of ...
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Early Church Fathers' Commentary on Luke 10:16
According to Wiki:
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the ...
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Church Fathers on life beyond the earth?
Are there any church fathers or medieval Christian writers who gave their opinion on extraterrestrial lives?
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Did any of the Early Church Fathers believe that Revelation 12:1-5 is about the Virgin Mary?
The doctrine of the queenship of Mary, is the belief that once Mary had passed away and ascended to heaven, that she was crowned as the queen of heaven and given a special and exalted role as the ...
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Do any of the Church Fathers or any Orthodox theologian state that you should not call spiritual leaders “father” or “teacher?”
Did any of the Church Fathers or any other significant theologian in Eastern Orthodoxy state that we should not call spiritual leaders “father” or “teacher?”
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Did Matthew or the Church Fathers know the rabbinical tradition that Rahab was Joshua's wife and the mother of several prophets? (Mt.511)
Matthew lists Rahab the prostitute of Jericho as one of Jesus' ancestors. I've sometimes wondered why. Yes, she risked her life to save the spies sent by Joshua to Jericho. But would that be enough ...
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Which interpretation(s) of the book of Revelation did the church fathers who accepted it into the canon hold?
The well-researched answer to BH.SE Question What historical reasons resulted in Revelation being included in most Christian canons? referenced a few early church fathers that "voted yes" (...
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According to Catholicism, did the Apostles enjoy the prerogative of infalliblity?
According to Catholicism, did the Apostles enjoy the prerogative of infallibility?
The doctrine of papal infallibility was defined by Pope Pius IX in 1870! Does the Catholic Church recognize that the ...
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Does Papias’ vine statement impact on his reliability?
Papias was a church father from 60-130 AD. It is often said that he represents an authentic chain of tradition back to the original apostles as he has connections to either John, or elders related to ...
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According to Catholicism, why did Jesus tell His disciples to buy a sword?
According to Catholicism, why did Jesus tell His disciples to buy a sword?
36 But they said: Nothing. Then said he unto them: But now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip; and ...
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Did any of the Church Fathers believe in natural theology?
As Christians we are called to study the works of the Lord (Psalms 111:2), but did any of the Early Church Fathers between 50-800 AD, believe in natural laws theology/law? (i.e. that knowledge or ...
user60738
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Do Catholic anathemas apply to people who lived before it was codified?
For example: Do the anathema issued by the Council of Trent regarding the canon of the scripture applies to the Church Fathers who believed in different canons in the early church before the Council ...
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What was the Early Church's view on slavery? [duplicate]
Slavery exist in both the Old and the New Testament with God even regulating slavery in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:20-21, Deuteronomy 23:15) and St. Paul advocating for the freeing of slaves saying ...
user60738
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Did any Church Fathers specifically reject Darwinian Evolution?
Another user made the comment:
What is undisputed is that the Fathers left no room for evolution.
Now, the Church Fathers for the most part believed that Earth was Created some time between about 3,...
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Did any Church Fathers specifically reject Common Descent?
Another user made the comment:
What is undisputed is that the Fathers left no room for evolution.
I'm aware that the Church Fathers for the most part believed that Earth was Created some time ...
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Why do some Church Fathers say that Jesus exterminated the Amalekites?
“As therefore,” I say, “while Moses was still among men, God took of the spirit which was in Moses and put it on Joshua, even so God was able to cause [the spirit] of Elijah to come upon John; in ...
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Besides Augustine and Origen, did any church fathers reject a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-2:4?
Augustine allegorically interpreted the first creation account in Genesis 1 - 2:4 but seems to have literally interpreted the second creation account in Genesis 2:5-3:24. Origen allegorically ...
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Was there any early church fathers who affirmed the Death Penalty? [duplicate]
The death penalty is clearly supported in the scriptures (Genesis 9:6, Exodus 21:12, Numbers 35:30-31, Deuteronomy 17:6, Job 19:29, Romans 13:1-4) but was there any Early Church Fathers between 80 AD ...
user60738
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Did Philo influence the contents of the New Testament?
Internet Encyclopedia (IE) article on Philo claims that Philo “laid the foundations for the development of Christianity … as we know it today.” It says, “Philo’s primary importance is in the ...
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Why is it significant that Arius taught two Wisdoms? Was this a deviation of some kind?
Both Athanasius noted that Arius taught two Wisdoms. Athanasius wrote that in Arius’ theology,
“There are … two Wisdoms, one God's own who has existed eternally with
God, the other the Son who was ...
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Death of animals before the fall - what did the early church fathers believe?
I recall somewhere in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology he mentions that it is possible that animals died before the fall (I don't recall the exact page or quote but it's not directly relevant to my ...
user52135
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Seeking full text of St. John Chrysostom's homily "On the Cemetery's Name and the Cross"
I became aware of a homily by St. John Chrysostom entitled "On the Cemetery's Name and the Cross" from a blog post by John Sanidopoulos. In the post, Sanidopoulos indicates that this sermon &...
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Did any early church fathers view the Creation account in Genesis as being allegorical?
In the first chapter of Genesis, it gives us a description of God creating the heavens and earth and it says that on the seventh day he had finished his word and had rested (Genesis 2:2-3), but did ...
user60738
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Was "peace be with you" a common greeting in the Early Church?
In the Old and the New Testament "peace be with you" was a common greeting among Jesus Christ and the prophets (Genesis 43:23, Judges 19:20, Luke 24:36, John 20:19) but was "peace be ...
user60738
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Did the Early Church Fathers believe in exorcisms?
Both Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe in exorcism (ie the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person), but did the ...
user60738
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Did the early church believe that Jesus was celibate?
Jesus Christ in the gospels was never married nor did he ever have children and it is believed historically that Jesus himself was celibate but did any of the Early Church Fathers believe that Jesus ...
user60738