Early Church Fathers/Doctors of the Church

Knowing something about the Early Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Church is significant in understanding what we believe in because the teachings of our Church were based on the Holy Scriptures and the Sacred Deposit of Faith which includes the early Christian writings of our Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church and the saints.

WHO ARE THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS?

The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, Patriarchs of the Church or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops who formulated the basic doctrines, maintained discipline, and defended the Faith from heresies. The term is used of writers and teachers of the Church, not necessarily "saints." 

One classification groups them into three composite eras: 

1. The earliest Church Fathers, usually called the Apostolic Fathers who lived at the time of the Apostles or within two generations of the Twelve Apostles of Christ (ending in mid-second century). 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.

2. Apologists from Schools of Alexandria and Antioch who presented doctrines with pertinent clarity (2nd and 3rd centuries).

3. Golden Age when hermeneutics and exegesis flourished, and the Bible as we it today formed (4th and 5th centuries).

Four criteria distinguish a Patriarch:

1. antiquity
2. orthodoxy of doctrine
3. personal holiness
4. Church approval. 

Their teachings demonstrate the fullness of truth in the Church as many Converts - like John Henry Newman, G. K. Chesterton, Ronald Knox, Louis Bouyer, Steve Ray, Scott Hahn, Tim Staples, Thomas, Howard, George Rutler, Peter Kreeft, Marcus Grodi - in search of authentic Early Christianity discovered.

Sources:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Fathers 
- Catholic Soul, Concise Essays in Catholic Apologetics by Edgardo C. de Vera

To know more about the Early Church Fathers and read the works of our Early Church Fathers, visit:   

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Church_Fathers

WHO ARE THE DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH?

Doctor of the Church (Latin doctor, teacher, from Latin docere, to teach) is a title given by a variety of Christian churches to individuals whom they recognize as having been of particular importance, particularly regarding their contribution to theology or doctrine.

In the Catholic Church, this title is given to a saint from whose deep insights on the mystery of Jesus Christ and broad learning on Faith matters have been fundamental in development of Church Doctrines. They were champions of orthodoxy who chartered the Church's intellectual path whose concise writings are safe guides for knowing the Faith. With clarity of teaching they provided timeless answers to questions, honed in truth by prayer.

Three requisites apply to qualify as Doctor: 

1. exemplary holiness in life
2. importance, orthodoxy of teachings
3. Church recognition.  

This honor is given rarely, and only after canonization. No ecumenical council has yet exercised the prerogative of proclaiming a Doctor of the Church

Original Doctors of the Church who were named in 1298:

1. Saint Ambrose
2. Saint Augustine
3. Saint Jerome
4. Pope Gregory I 

They are known collectively as the Great Doctors of the Western Church.  

The four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church who were recognized in 1568 by Pope St. Pius V:

1. John Chrysostom (Doctor of the Eucharist)
2. Basil the Great
3. Gregory of Nazianzus
4. Athanasius of Alexandria (Doctor of Orthodoxy) .

The Doctors' works vary greatly in subject and form. Some, such as:

• Pope Gregory I and Ambrose were prominent writers of letters and short treatises.
• Catherine of Siena and John of the Cross (Doctor of Mystical Theology) wrote mystical theology. 
• Augustine (Doctor of Grace) and Bellarmine defended the Church against heresy. St. Augustine was first to be recognized and considered the greatest Doctor. His theology was first formulated in the course of countering the popular heresies of the day: Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagianism. He moulded the basis for most of Christian doctrine up to the 13th century with his clear, concise, and forceful teaching that earned him the title Doctor of Doctors. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People provides the best information on England in the early Middle Ages. 
• Systematic theologians include the Scholastic philosophers Anselm, Albertus Magnus, and Thomas Aquinas. Aguinas (Angelic Doctor) and Bonaventure (Seraphic Doctor) hedged on the Immaculate Conception.

Until 1970, no woman had been named a doctor in the church, but since then three additions to the list have been women: 

1. Saints Teresa of Avila (St. Teresa of Jesus - Doctor of Prayer),
2. Catherine of Siena by Pope Paul VI
3. Therese de Lisieux (St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face - Doctor of the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood), "the Little Flower" by Pope John Paul II.

Saints Teresa and Therese were both Discalced Carmelites.


Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_the_Church
- Catholic Soul, Concise Essays in Catholic Apologetics by Edgardo C. de Vera

To know about the Doctors of the Church visit:

http://www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com/

http://doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com/

To see the List and basic information of the Doctors of the Church visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_the_Church