Saints LightWho Were the Church Fathers?
The Church Fathers are the early teachers whose writings show that bishops, the Mass and belief in the Real Presence go back to the generation after the apostles.
What this lesson teaches
- The Church Fathers are the great teachers of the early centuries who handed on the apostles' faith.
- Ignatius of Antioch, around 107, is the first known writer to say 'the Catholic Church'.
- Ignatius and Justin Martyr show belief in the Real Presence and a recognizable Mass in the second century.
- The Fathers' common witness carries weight, though individual Fathers could be wrong.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 8
- CCC 688
- CCC 830
- CCC 1345
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: 1 Corinthians 10:16.
A sample question from this lesson
Why are the Church Fathers important for answering 'Catholics invented this later'?
- They wrote the four Gospels
- They show bishops, the Mass and the Real Presence already in the second century
- They were all popes whose words are infallible
- They lived in the Middle Ages and explained new doctrines
Show the answer
They show bishops, the Mass and the Real Presence already in the second century. Ignatius and Justin Martyr, writing in the 100s, describe bishops, the Eucharist and a recognizable Mass.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Church Fathers
- Holy and learned writers of the early centuries, mostly bishops, whose teaching the Church recognizes as faithful witness to the apostles.
- Catholic
- Universal; the Church that has the fullness of the faith and is sent to the whole world.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Who Were the Church Fathers?" is lesson 4 of Two Thousand Years in Twelve Lessons. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints (The Creed, free)