Patristic Literature

Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age () to either AD 451 (the date of the Council of Chalcedon) or to the Second Council of Nicaea in 787.

Eras

The Church Fathers are generally divided into the Ante-Nicene Fathers, those who lived and wrote before the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, those who lived and wrote after 325. Also, the division of the Fathers into Greek and Latin writers is also common. Some of the most prominent Greek Fathers are Justin Martyr, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, and Maximus the Confessor. Among the Latin Fathers are Tertullian, Cyprian, Jerome, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, and Gregory the Great.

There were also Church Fathers who wrote in languages other than Greek or Latin, such as Coptic, Syriac, Ge'ez, and Armenian, among others. Historically, Chalcedonian Christians have had less interest in these authors since the associated churches ended up rejecting the councils of Chalcedon (becoming Oriental Orthodox), or Ephesus (becoming the Church of the East). Recently this has begun to change, with the cooling of tensions between these branches of Christianity and the Western and Byzantine ones. There are Eastern Catholics who follow Oriental rites while remaining in communion with Rome, and at least one organization argues that Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians now share the same faith.

Locations

The major locations of the early Church fathers were Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and the area of western north Africa around Carthage. Milan and Jerusalem were also sites.

Key theological developments

Major focuses for these theologians during the period are, in chronological order, Christianity's relationship with Judaism; the establishment of the New Testament canon; apologetics (the 'defense' or 'explanation' of Christianity); and doctrinal discussions that sought to achieve consistency of faith, in particular within the Christianised Roman Empire. Following the scholar of Christianity Alister McGrath (1998), several major areas of theology can be seen to have developed during the Patristic Period: the extent of the New Testament canon, the role of tradition, the fixing of the ecumenical creeds, the two natures of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of the Church, and the doctrine of divine grace.

Key persons

* Clement of Rome () (Greek)
* Ignatius of Antioch () (Greek)
* Aristides the Athenian (d. ~140) (Greek)
* Polycarp of Smyrna () (Greek)
* Justin Martyr () (Greek)
* Tatian the Assyrian () (Greek)
* Melito of Sardis (d. 180) (Greek)
* Theophilus of Antioch (d. 184) (Greek)
* Athenagoras () (Greek)
* Irenaeus of Lyons () (Greek)
* Clement of Alexandria () (Greek)
* Tertullian () (Latin-African)
* Hippolytus of Rome () (Greek)
* Julius Africanus () (Greek-African)
* Origen () (Greek)
* Marcus Minucius Felix (d. ~250) (Latin)
* Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) (Latin-African)
* Pontius of Carthage (d. 259) (Latin-African)
* Dionysius of Alexandria (d. 264) (Greek)
* Dionysius of Rome () (Greek)
* Gregory Thaumaturgus () (Greek)
* Anatolius of Laodicea (d. 283) (Greek)

* Victorinus of Pettau (d. 304) (Greek)
* Pamphilus of Caesarea (d. 309) (Greek)
* Methodius of Olympus (died c. 311) (Greek)
* Lactantius () (Latin-African)
* Alexander of Alexandria (d. 328) (Greek)
* Arnobius of Sicca (d. 330) (Latin-African)
* Eusebius of Caesarea () (Greek)
* Eusebius of Nicomedia (d. 342) (Greek)
* Aphrahat () (Syriac)
* Pachomius the Great () (Coptic)
* Anthony the Great () (Coptic)
* Hosius of Corduba () (Latin)
* Eusebius of Emesa () (Greek)
* Eustathius of Antioch (d. 360) (Greek)
* Potamius (d. 360) (Latin)
* Hilary of Poitiers () (Latin)
*Eusebius of Vercelli () (Latin)
* Lucifer of Cagliari (d. 371) (Latin)
* Athanasius () (Greek-Coptic)
* Ephrem the Syrian () (Syriac)
* Marcellus of Ancyra (d. 374) (Greek)
* Basil of Caesarea ( – 379) (Greek)
* Zeno of Verona () (Latin-African)
* Apollinaris of Laodicea (d. 382) (Greek)
* Ambrosiaster (d. 384) (Latin)
* Cyril of Jerusalem () (Greek)
* Gregory of Nazianzus () (Greek)
* Ticonius (d. 390) (Latin-African)
* Nemesius (d. 390) (Greek)
* Diodorus of Tarsus (d. 390) (Greek)
* Pacian () (Latin)
* Gregory of Elvira (d. 392) (Latin)
* Phoebadius of Agen (d. 392) (Latin)
* Gregory of Nyssa () (Greek)
* Martin of Tours () (Latin)
* Ambrose of Milan () (Latin)
* Didymus the Blind () (Greek)
* Siricius () (Latin)
* Evagrius Ponticus () (Greek)

* Gaius Marius Victorinus (d. 400) (Latin-African)
* Optatus (d. 400) (Latin-African)
* Publilius (d. 400) (Latin-African)
* Rufinus the Syrian

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