CHURCH FATHERS Until John of Damascus :

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Adrian the monk of Antioch wrote a manual on the Antiochene method of Scriptural exegesis[1]

 

Alexander of Alexandria[2]326 

 

Alexander of Lycopolis4th century 

 

Ambrose of Milan397one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church; strongly opposed Arianism

 

Amphilochius of Iconium[1][2]403 or earlier 

 

Ananias of Shirak[2][3]7th centurywrote a work on Christmas and one on Easter

 

Anastasius Sinaita[1][2]7th century 

 

Andrew of Caesarea[1]6th centurycommented on the Apocalypse

 

Andrew of Crete[2]8th centuryauthor of the 250-strophe Great Canon

 

Anthony the Great[1]356 

 

Aphraates367Mesopotamian bishop who authored 23 homilies[1]

 

Apollinaris of Hirapolis2nd century 

 

Apollinaris of Laodicea390 

 

Apollonius of Ephesus210 

 

Apringius of Beja6th centurycommented on the Apocalypse[4]

Archelaus supposedly a bishop of Carchar who wrote against Manichaeism

 

Aristides the Athenian[1][2]134 

 

Aristo of Pella[1]2nd century 

 

Arnobius[1]330author of Against the Heathen

 

Arsenius the Great445 

 

Asterius of Amasea[2]405wrote sermons on morality including topics like divorce and covetousness, and the parables of Jesus Christ

 

Athanasius373one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church

 

Athenagoras of Athens[1]190wrote in defense of the resurrection of the dead[2]

 

Atticus[1]420s 

 

Augustine of Hippo430one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church (Doctor Gratiae)

 

Aurelius Prudentius[1][2]early 5th centurycommented on the Psalms[5]

 

Ausonius395 

 

Avitus of Vienne[1]523author of the five-book poem De spiritualis historiae gestis; converted King

Sigismund; combated Arianism

 

Barnabas[2]061 

 

Barsanuphius of Palestine540 

 

Basil the Great of Caesarea379one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs; father of monachism

 

Bede[1]735Doctor of the Church and author of Ecclesiastical History of the English People

 

Benedict of Nursia[1][2]547best known for the Rule of St Benedict

 

Boethius[2]520sauthor of Consolation of Philosophy

 

Braulio of Zaragoza651commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Caesarius of Arles[1]542commented on the Apocalypse

 

Caius3rd century 

 

Cassiodorus[1][2]585 

 

Chromatius[2]407wrote sermons on the Gospel of Matthew

 

Clement of Alexandria210s 

 

99 AD - Clement of Rome

1 Epistle of Clement -

2 Epistle of Clement -

1 Epistle on Virginity - how can they be 99AD if they contain the chapter/verse numerals only added 

quote "The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. "

2 Epistle on Virginity - Two "Epistles on Virginity" were traditionally attributed to Clement, but now there exists almost universal consensus that Clement was not the author of those two epistles.[25] so in that case that proves "church tradition" fallible.

The False Decretals - A 9th-century collection of church legislation known as the False Decretals, which was once attributed to Saint Isidore of Seville, is largely composed of forgeries. All of what it presents as letters of pre-Nicene popes, beginning with Clement, are forgeries, as are some of the documents that it attributes to councils;[26] and more than forty falsifications are found in the decretals that it gives as those of post-Nicene popes from Pope Sylvester I (314–335) to Pope Gregory II (715–731). The False Decretals were part of a series of falsifications of past legislation by a party in the Carolingian Empire whose principal aim was to free the church and the bishops from interference by the state and the metropolitan archbishops respectively.[27][28][29]

Main article: Pseudo-Isidore

quote "Clement is included among other early Christian popes as authors of the Pseudo-Isidoran (or False) Decretals, a 9th-century forgery. These decrees and letters portray even the early popes as claiming absolute and universal authority.[30] Clement is the earliest pope to whom a text is attributed." In other words.... they are forgeries designed to falsify that early Popes claimed the false authority as present ones, AND their false church structure of so called authority...

quote

""These early documents were designed to show that by the oldest traditions and practice of the Church no bishop might be deposed, no Church councils might be convened, and no major issue might be decided, without the consent of the pope. Even the early pontiffs, by these evidences, had claimed absolute and universal authority as vicars of Christ on Earth." Durant, Will. The Age of Faith. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1972. p. 525"

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Coelius Sedulius[1]5th century 

 

Columba of Iona[1][2]597 

 

Commodianus3rd century 

 

Cyprian of Carthage[1]258 

 

Cyril of Alexandria444Doctor of the Church (Doctor Incarnationis) combated the Nestorianheresy

 

Cyril of Jerusalem386Doctor of the Church who wrote thorough instructions to catechumens and baptized Christians[1]

 

Didymus the Blind[1]398teacher of Jerome and Rufinus; follower of Origen; opponent of Arianism and the Macedonian heresy; works condemned at the Fifth Ecumenical Council and the Sixth Ecumenical Council

 

Diodore of Tarsus[1]390 

 

Dionysius of Corinth[1]2nd century 

 

Dionysius the Areopagite1st centuryWritings attributed to him are thought to have been faked by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.

 

Ephrem the Syrian373Doctor of the Church

 

Epiphanius of Salamis403friend of Jerome who strongly opposed Origenism and wrote a history of heresies

 

Eucherius of Lyon[1][2]449 

 

Eugippius[3]6th century 

 

Eusebius of Caesarea339 

 

Eusebius of Emesa360commented on Genesis[6]

 

Eusebius of Vercelli[1]371 

 

Firmilian[1]269 

 

Fulgentius of Ruspe6th century 

 

Gaius Marius Victorinus4th centurycombated Arianism[1]

 

Gennadius of Massilia[1]496 

 

Gregory of Nazianzus389one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church; one of three Orthodoxsaints honored with the title "The Theologian;" one of the Three Holy Hierarchs

 

Gregory of Nyssa394 

 

Gregory of Tours[2]594 

 

Gregory Thaumaturgus270 

 

Hegesippus of Palestine[1]180a Jewish convert who combated Gnosticism and Marcionism

 

Hermias[2]3rd century 

 

Hesychius of Jerusalem5th century 

 

Hilary of Poitiers367Doctor of the Church

 

Hippolytus of Rome[1][2]235 

 

Ignatius of Antioch107 

 

Irenaeusend of 2nd or beginning of 3rd century 

 

Isaac of Nineveh700ascetic author of many spiritual homilies who commented on the Psalms[5] and contributed significantly to Syrian piety; was not Christologically Nestorian[7]

 

Isidore of Pelusium449author of 2000 letters dealing primarily with allegorical exegesis[1]

 

Isidore of Seville[1][2]636Doctor of the Church

 

Jacob of Serugh[3][5][8]521a.k.a. Mar Jacob

 

Jerome420one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church

 

John Cassian[1][8]435 

 

John Chrysostom407one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three

Holy Hierarchs

 

John Climacus[8]606 

 

John of Damascus749Doctor of the Church and author of An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith and ascetic and exegetical writings and hymns; Peter Lombardbased his Four Books of Sentences on the works of John of Damascus and Thomas Aquinas based his Summa

Theologica on Peter Lombard's Sentences

 

Julianus Pomerius[1]5th centuryauthor of De Vita Contemplativaconcerning Christian sanctity

 

Julius Firmicus Maternus4th century 

 

Justin Martyr165 

 

Juvencus[1]4th century 

 

Lactantius320 

 

Leontius of Byzantium[1]543 

 

Lucian of Antioch[1]312 

 

Lucifer[1]370combated Arianism and defended Athanasius at the Council of Milan in 354

 

Macarius of Alexandria[8]395 

 

Macarius of Egypt[8]391 

 

Malchion3rd century?played key role in the deposition of Paul of Samosata

 

Marcus Minucius Felix[1][8]250author of Octavianus

 

Marius Mercator451made a compilation on Nestorianismand another on Pelagianism[1]

 

Martin of Bruga4th centurycommented on the Psalms[5]

 

Martin of Tours[8]397 

 

Mathetes2nd century?author of an Epistle to Diognetus

 

Maximus of Turin[1]465 

 

Maximus the Confessor[1][8]662 

 

Meletius of Antioch[8]381 

 

Melito of Sardis180author of an important sermon called On Pascha about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

 

Methodius of Olympus[1][8]311combated Origenism

 

Moses of Chorene490author of A History of Armenia

 

Nectarius of Constantinople[8]398 

 

Nicetas of Remesiana414the patron saint of Romania commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Nilus of Sinai430 

 

Nonnus5th century 

 

Novatian[1]258commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Oecumenius6th centuryauthor of the first extant Greekcommentary on the Apocalypse[4]

 

Optatus4th centurycombated Donatism[1]

 

Origen of Alexandria254posthumously anathematized at Fifth Ecumenical Council (533)

 

Orosius[1]420 

 

Pachomius[1][8]348Father of Christian cenobitic monasticism

 

Pacian of Barcelona[8]391combated Novatianism

 

Palladius of Helenopolis[1][8]5th century 

 

Pamphilus of Caesarea309 

 

Pantamus214first to make the Catechetical school of Alexandria famous[1]

 

Papias[8]155disciple of John the Evangelist and Ariston[1]

 

Patrick[8]5th century 

 

Paulinus of Nola[8]431 

 

Peter Chrysologus450Doctor of the Church

 

Philip the priest commented on the Book of Job

 

Philoxenus of Hierapolis[3]6th centuryauthor of 13 ascetic discourses who

combated Nestorianism, Manichaeism, and Marcionism

 

Poemen450commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Polycarp155 

 

Pope Damasus I384 

 

Pope Dionysius of Rome[1]268combated Sabellianism

 

Pope Dionysius the Great of Alexandria265 

 

Pope Gregory I the Great604one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church and author of Dialogues

 

Pope Leo I the Great461Doctor of the Church

 

Pope Peter of Alexandria311 

 

Pope Zephyrinus217commented on the Psalms

 

Proclus of Constantinople440s 

 

Prohaeresius[1]367 

 

Prosper of Aquitaine[1]455 

 

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite6th centuryauthor of The Divine Names, The Mystical Theology, The Celestial Hierarchy, The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and the non-extant Theological Outlines; quoted extensively in the Summa Theologicaof Thomas Aquinas

 

Quadratus of Athens[1]129wrote a non-extant apology to Emperor Hadrian

 

Rabbula[3][9]435ascetic and energetic bishop of Edessa and ally of Cyril of Alexandria who opposed the heretical teachings of Nestorius

 

Romanos the Melodist[9]556

 

Sahdona649commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Salvian[1][9]490sGallic author of On the government of God

 

Severian of Gabala408commented on Genesis[6] and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians

 

Severus of Antioch[3][9]538 

 

Sextus Julius Africanus[1][8]240 

 

Sidonius Apollinaris[1][9]489 

 

Socrates of Constantinople5th century 

 

Sophronius[9]638 

 

Sozomen450 

 

Sulpicius Severus[9]425disciple and biographer of Martin of Tours and author of an Ecclesiastical History[1]

 

Synesius of Syrene[1][9]414 

 

Tatian185 

 

Tertullian222died a Montanist

 

Theodore of Mopsuestia[1]428commented on Acts of the Apostlesand the First and Second

Epistle to the Corinthians

 

Theodoret of Cyrus457continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea[1]

 

Theodotus of Ancyra4th century 

 

Theophilus of Antioch[1]180sfirst writer known to have used the term Trinity to describe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

 

Theotimos407 

 

Tichonius390commented on the Apocalypse; his seven principles of interpretation from his Book of Rules inspired Augustine of Hippo [4]

 

Tyrannius Rufinus410friend of Jerome and continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea[1] who commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Valerian of Cimiez460commented on the Psalms[5]

 

Venantius Fortunatus7th centurywrote a poem on Easter

 

Victor of Antioch commented on the Gospel of Mark[1]

 

Victorinus of Pettau303author of On the Creation of the Worldand a Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John

 

Vincent of Lérins450 

 

Zeno of Verona