The
Church Fathers or
Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the
Christian church, particularly those of the first five centuries
CE. Those who wrote in
Latin are called the Latin (Church) Fathers, and those who wrote in
Greek the Greek (Church) Fathers. Famous Latin Fathers include
Saint Augustine of Hippo, the
Montanist Tertullian, and
Saint Jerome, the translator of the
Vulgate; famous Greek Fathers include the heterodox
Origen,
Saint Irenaeus,
Saint Clement of Alexandria, and
Saint John Chrysostom. The Desert Fathers were monastics living in the Egyptian desert; although they did not write as much, their influence was also great. Among them are
Saint Anthony and
Saint Pachomius. A small number of other Fathers wrote in other languages:
Saint Ephraem, for example, wrote in
Syriac, but his works were widely translated into Latin and Greek.
Many of their works have been translated into English and made available to read online or download and print, at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
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