The title Father of the Church, which has its origin in the name of .. Father" given to bishops 1 as early as the second century, was commonly used in the fifth century to designate the old ecclesiastical writers - ordinarily bishops - who died in the faith and in communion with the Church. According to modern theologians, the title applies only to those writers who have the four following qualifications: orthodoxy of doctrine, holiness of life, ecclesiastical satlctiotJ, and antiquity. Practically, however, it is given to many others who do not possess the first three requisites. Nobody,...
The title Father of the Church, which has its origin in the name of .. Father" given to bishops 1 as early as the second century, was commonly used in...