List of Church Fathers


The following is a list of Christian Church Fathers. Roman Catholics generally regard the Patristic period to have closed with the death of John of Damascus, a Doctor of the Church, in 749. However, Orthodox Christians believe that the Patristic period is ongoing. Therefore, the list is split into two tables.

Until John of Damascus

Church FatherDate of deathNotes
Adrian the monk of Antioch 5th Century wrote a manual on the Antiochene method of Scriptural exegesis
Alexander of Alexandria326 or 328
Alexander of Lycopolis4th century
Ambrose of Milan397one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church; strongly opposed Arianism
Amphilochius of Iconium403 or earlier
Ananias of Shirak685wrote a work on Christmas and one on Easter
Anastasius Sinaita7th century
Andrew of Caesarea637commented on the Apocalypse
Andrew of Crete712, 726, or 740author of the 250-strophe Great Canon
Anthony the Great356
Aphraates345Mesopotamian bishop who authored 23 homilies
Apollinaris of Hierapolisbetween 177-180
Apollinaris of Laodicea382
Apollonius of Ephesus210
Archelaus 3rd century supposedly a bishop of Carchar who wrote against Manichaeism
Aristides the Athenian134
Aristo of Pella160
Arnobius330author of Against the Heathen
Arsenius the Great445
Apringius of Beja6th centurycommented on the Apocalypse
Asterius of Amasea410wrote 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 Athens190wrote in defense of the resurrection of the dead
Atticus420s
Augustine of Hippo430one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church
Aurelius Prudentius413commented on the Psalms
Ausonius395
Avitus of Vienne518author of the five-book poem De spiritualis historiae gestis; converted King Sigismund; combated Arianism
Barnabas061wrote a single Epistle
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
Bede735Doctor of the Church and author of Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Benedict of Nursia547best known for the Rule of St Benedict
Boethius520sauthor of Consolation of Philosophy
Braulio of Zaragoza651commented on the Psalms
Caesarius of Arles542commented on the Apocalypse
Caius3rd century
Cassiodorus585
Chromatius407wrote sermons on the Gospel of Matthew
Clement of Alexandria215
Clement of Rome099
Coelius Sedulius5th century
Columba of Iona597
Commodianus3rd century
Cyprian of Carthage258
Cyril of Alexandria444Doctor of the Church combated the Nestorian heresy
Cyril of Jerusalem386Doctor of the Church who wrote thorough instructions to catechumens and baptized Christians
Pope Damasus I384
Didymus the Blind398teacher 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 Tarsus390
Dionysius of Corinth2nd century
Pope Dionysius of Rome268combated Sabellianism
Dionysius the Areopagite96Writings attributed to him are thought to have been faked by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Pope Dionysius the Great of Alexandria265
Ephrem the Syrian373Doctor of the Church
Epiphanius of Salamis403friend of Jerome who strongly opposed Origenism and wrote a history of heresies
Eucherius of Lyon449
Eugippius535
Eusebius of Caesarea339
Eusebius of Emesa360commented on Genesis
Eusebius of Vercelli371
Firmilian269
Fulgentius of Ruspe527 or 533
Gaius Marius Victorinus4th centurycombated Arianism
Gennadius of Massilia496
Pope Gregory I the Great604one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church and author of Dialogues
Gregory of Nazianzus389one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church; one of three Orthodox saints honored with the title "The Theologian;" one of the Three Holy Hierarchs
Gregory of Nyssa395
Gregory of Tours594
Gregory Thaumaturgus270
Hegesippus of Palestine180a Jewish convert who combated Gnosticism and Marcionism
Hermias3rd century
Hesychius of Jerusalem5th century
Hilary of Poitiers367Doctor of the Church
Hippolytus of Rome235
Ignatius of Antioch108
Irenaeus2nd or beginning of 3rd century
Isaac of Nineveh700ascetic author of many spiritual homilies who commented on the Psalms and contributed significantly to Syrian piety; was not Christologically Nestorian
Isidore of Pelusium450author of 2000 letters dealing primarily with allegorical exegesis
Isidore of Seville636Doctor of the Church
Jacob of Serugh521a.k.a. Mar Jacob
Jerome420one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church
John Cassian435
John Chrysostom407one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs
John Climacus649
John of Damascus749Doctor of the Church and author of An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith and ascetic and exegetical writings and hymns; Peter Lombard based 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 Pomeriusbetween 499-505author of De Vita Contemplativa concerning Christian sanctity
Julius Firmicus Maternus4th century
Justin Martyr165
Juvencus4th century
Lactantius325
Pope Leo I the Great461Doctor of the Church
Leontius of Byzantium543
Lucian of Antioch312
Lucifer370combated Arianism and defended Athanasius at the Council of Milan in 354
Macarius of Alexandria395
Macarius of Egypt391
Malchion3rd century?played key role in the deposition of Paul of Samosata
Marcus Minucius Felix250author of Octavianus
Marius Mercator451made a compilation on Nestorianism and another on Pelagianism
Martin of Braga580commented on the Psalms
Martin of Tours397
Mathetes2nd century?author of an Epistle to Diognetus
Maximus of Turin465
Maximus the Confessor662
Meletius of Antioch381
Melito of Sardis180author of an important sermon called On Pascha about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Methodius of Olympus311combated Origenism
Moses of Chorene490author of A History of Armenia
Nectarius of Constantinople397
Nicetas of Remesiana414the patron saint of Romania commented on the Psalms
Nilus of Sinai430
Nonnus5th century
Novatian258commented on the Psalms
Oecumenius6th centuryauthor of the first extant Greek commentary on the Apocalypse
Optatus4th centurycombated Donatism
Origen of Alexandria254posthumously anathematized at Fifth Ecumenical Council
Orosius418
Pachomius348Father of Christian cenobitic monasticism
Pacian of Barcelona391combated Novatianism
Palladius of Helenopolis420s
Pamphilus of Caesarea309
Pantaenus200first to make the Catechetical school of Alexandria famous
Papias163disciple of John the Evangelist and Ariston
Patrick5th century
Paulinus of Nola431
Peter Chrysologus450Doctor of the Church
Pope Peter of Alexandria311
Philip the priest 5th Century Acquaintance of Jerome, commented on the Book of Job
Philoxenus of Hierapolis6th centuryauthor of 13 ascetic discourses who combated Nestorianism, Manichaeism, and Marcionism
Poemen450commented on the Psalms
Polycarp156Wrote a single Epistle to the Philippians
Proclus of Constantinople440s
Prohaeresius368
Prosper of Aquitaine455
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 Theologica of Thomas Aquinas
Quadratus of Athens129wrote a non-extant apology to Emperor Hadrian
Rabbula435ascetic and energetic bishop of Edessa and ally of Cyril of Alexandria who opposed the heretical teachings of Nestorius
Romanos the Melodist556
Sahdona649commented on the Psalms
Salvian490sGallic author of On the government of God
Severian of Gabalabetween 408 and 425commented on Genesis and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Severus of Antioch538
Sextus Julius Africanus240
Sidonius Apollinaris489
Socrates of Constantinople439
Sophronius638
Sozomen450
Sulpicius Severus425disciple and biographer of Martin of Tours and author of an Ecclesiastical History
Synesius of Syrene414
Tatian185
Tertullian240died a Montanist, First of the Latin Fathers
Theodore of Mopsuestia428commented on Acts of the Apostles and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Theodoret of Cyrus458continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea
Theodotus of Ancyra5th century
Theophilus of AntiochBetween 183-185first 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
Tyrannius Rufinus410friend of Jerome and continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea who commented on the Psalms
Valerian of Cimiez460commented on the Psalms
Venantius Fortunatus600 or 609wrote a poem on Easter
Victor of Antioch 5th century to early 6th centurycontemporary of John Chrysostom, commented on the Gospel of Mark
Victorinus of Pettau303author of On the Creation of the World and a Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John
Vincent of Lérins450
Zeno of Verona371
Pope Zephyrinus217commented on the Psalms

After John of Damascus

Church FatherDate of deathNotes
Athanasius the Athonite1003
Gregory Palamas1359Pillar of Orthodoxy and defender of Hesychasm
Ishodad of Merv9th centurycommented on the Book of Job
Innocent of Alaska1879his The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven is often used as an Orthodox catechism
Mark of Ephesus1444Pillar of Orthodoxy
Nicholas Cabasilas1391
Photius the Great893Pillar of Orthodoxy and author of Bibliotheca
Symeon Metaphrastes10th century
Symeon the New Theologian1022one of three Orthodox saints honored with the title "The Theologian"
Theodore the Studite826
Theophan the Recluse1894