Church Fathers

1 Tertullian d. AD 220 Carthaginian apologist; first to use the term trinitas 2,722 2 Origen of Alexandria d. AD 253 Alexandrian theologian; produced the Hexapla and On First Principles 2,618 3 Clement of Alexandria d. AD 215 Alexandrian teacher; integrated Greek philosophy with theology 872 4 Irenaeus d. AD 202 Bishop of Lyon; opposed Gnosticism in Against Heresies 681 5 Cyprian d. AD 258 Bishop of Carthage; pre-eminent Latin rhetorician 649 6 Hippolytus of Rome d. AD 235 Prolific commentator; possible antipope and martyr 431 7 Methodius of Olympus d. AD 311 Bishop and martyr; early ecclesiastical author 201 8 Ignatius of Antioch d. AD 108 Patriarch of Antioch; wrote letters while en route to Rome 200 9 Justin Martyr d. AD 165 Apologist and philosopher; martyred under Marcus Aurelius 159 10 Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius d. AD 325 Advisor to Constantine I; called the Christian Cicero 114 11 Shepherd of Hermas AD 160 Second-century Christian work, by a Hermas said to be Pope Pius I's brother 110 12 Victorinus of Pettau d. AD 304 Pannonian bishop and martyr; wrote scriptural commentaries 106 13 Clement of Rome d. AD 99 Bishop of Rome; author of a letter to Corinth 93 14 Ammonius of Alexandria d. AD 300 Alexandrian philosopher; possibly identified with Ammonius Saccas 69 15 Novatian d. AD 258 First Roman theologian to write in Latin; antipope 61 16 Dionysius of Alexandria d. AD 264 Third-century Patriarch of Alexandria; prolific correspondent 46 17 Didache AD 100 Anonymous Greek treatise; the first known church order 38 18 Gregory of Neocaesarea d. AD 270 Third-century bishop of Neocaesarea; called the Miracle-Worker 31 19 Peter of Alexandria d. AD 311 Patriarch of Alexandria; martyred in 311 27

1 Augustine of Hippo d. AD 430 Bishop of Hippo; influential Doctor of Grace 7,399 2 John Chrysostom d. AD 407 Archbishop of Constantinople; renowned for his preaching 7,204 3 Jerome d. AD 420 Translator of the Latin Vulgate; biblical commentator 5,067 4 Cyril of Alexandria d. AD 444 Patriarch of Alexandria; central figure at Council of Ephesus 2,028 5 Ambrose of Milan d. AD 397 Bishop of Milan; opponent of Arianism who influenced Augustine 1,821 6 Theodoret of Cyrus d. AD 458 Bishop of Cyrrhus; Antiochene theologian and commentator 1,374 7 Ambrosiaster d. AD 384 Anonymous Latin commentator on the Pauline epistles 1,042 8 Ephrem the Syrian d. AD 373 Syriac hymnographer; founder of the School of Nisibis 753 9 Basil of Caesarea d. AD 379 Cappadocian Father; established communal monastic guidelines 646 10 Hilary of Poitiers d. AD 367 Bishop of Poitiers; called the Hammer of the Arians 583 11 Theodore of Mopsuestia d. AD 428 Bishop of Mopsuestia; leader of the Antioch School 490 12 Pelagius d. AD 418 Ascetic monk; emphasized human will and denied original sin 465 13 Gregory of Nyssa d. AD 395 Cappadocian Father; first writer to condemn all slavery 391 14 Eusebius of Caesarea d. AD 339 Father of Church history; bishop of Caesarea 380 15 Athanasius of Alexandria d. AD 373 Patriarch of Alexandria; chief opponent of Arianism 342 16 Didymus the Blind d. AD 398 Alexandrian theologian; student of Origen 303 17 Cyril of Jerusalem d. AD 386 Bishop of Jerusalem; documented instruction of catechumens 302 18 Apostolic Constitutions AD 380 Syrian collection of pseudo-apostolic church orders 282 19 Gregory of Nazianzus d. AD 390 Cappadocian Father; Archbishop of Constantinople 280 20 John Cassian d. AD 435 Monk; brought Eastern monasticism to the medieval West 258 21 Gaius Marius Victorinus d. AD 370 African rhetorician; translated Aristotle into Latin 220 22 Pseudo-Chrysostom AD 500 Anonymous authors of texts once attributed to Chrysostom 182 23 Hilary of Arles d. AD 449 Bishop of Arles in Southern France 166 24 Leo the Great d. AD 461 Bishop of Rome; author of the Tome of Leo 159 25 Pseudo-Clement AD 400 Pseudonymous author of a fourth-century Christian romance 158 26 Peter Chrysologus d. AD 450 Bishop of Ravenna; known as the Doctor of Homilies 139 27 Desert Fathers AD 500 Egyptian hermits; founders of Christian monasticism 137 28 Severian of Gabala d. AD 425 Syrian bishop and preacher; opponent of John Chrysostom 135 29 Diodorus of Tarsus d. AD 390 Bishop of Tarsus; founded an influential school of thought 133 30 Evagrius Ponticus d. AD 399 Ascetic monk from Pontus; influential desert theologian 114 31 Chromatius of Aquileia d. AD 406 Bishop of Aquileia; author of homilies and treatises 113 32 Maximus of Turin d. AD 465 First Bishop of Turin; theological writer 113 33 Ticonius d. AD 390 Donatist theologian; influenced Augustine's City of God 95 34 Apollinaris of Laodicea d. AD 382 Bishop of Laodicea; opponent of Arianism 73 35 Arnobius the Younger d. AD 460 Priest in Rome; wrote mystical Psalm commentaries 72 36 Aphrahat the Persian Sage d. AD 345 Syriac author known as the Persian Sage 66 37 Julian of Eclanum d. AD 455 Bishop of Eclanum; leader of the Pelagians 59 38 Prudentius d. AD 410 Spanish Christian poet; author of the Peristephanon 59 39 Salvian the Presbyter d. AD 500 Presbyter of 5th-century Gaul; social critic 57 40 Hesychius of Jerusalem d. AD 450 Fifth-century priest and exegete from Jerusalem 56 41 Gennadius of Constantinople d. AD 471 Patriarch of Constantinople; literalist of the Antioch school 53 42 Theodore of Heraclea d. AD 355 Fourth-century bishop of Heraclea in Thrace; fragments of his Gospel commentaries survive 52 43 Tyrannius Rufinus d. AD 411 Monk and translator of Origen into Latin 52 44 Titus of Bostra d. AD 378 Theologian and bishop of Bostra 46 45 Pacian of Barcelona d. AD 391 Spanish prelate; bishop of Barcelona 42 46 Pachomius the Great d. AD 348 Founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism 36 47 Epiphanius of Salamis d. AD 403 Bishop of Salamis; author of the Panarion 35 48 Alexander of Alexandria d. AD 328 Patriarch of Alexandria; leader of opposition to Arianism 32 49 Nilus of Sinai d. AD 451 Disciple of John Chrysostom; ascetic writer from Sinai 25 50 Nicetas of Remesiana d. AD 414 Bishop of Remesiana; theologian in Dacia Mediterranea 22 51 Aponius d. AD 500 Author of a mystical exposition on the Song of Songs 21 52 Gregory of Elvira d. AD 392 Bishop of Elvira; active in Baetica, Spain 21 53 Paulinus of Nola d. AD 431 Roman senator and poet; bishop of Nola 20

1 Bede d. AD 735 Northumbrian monk; the Father of English History 6,231 2 Gregory the Dialogist d. AD 604 Bishop of Rome; author of the Dialogues 2,650 3 Caesarius of Arles d. AD 542 Merovingian bishop; popular preacher of moral issues 448 4 Cassiodorus d. AD 585 Roman statesman; founder of the Vivarium monastery 441 5 Andreas of Caesarea d. AD 614 Cappadocian bishop; wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse 413 6 Oecumenius d. AD 550 Sixth-century author of the earliest surviving Greek commentary on Revelation 377 7 John Damascene d. AD 749 Damascene monk; defender of icons and the Assumption 198 8 Remigius of Rheims d. AD 533 Bishop of Reims; baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks 182 9 Primasius of Hadrumetum d. AD 560 African bishop; wrote a commentary on Revelation 173 10 Fulgentius of Ruspe d. AD 533 North African prelate; Bishop of Ruspe 113 11 Apringius of Beja d. AD 600 Sixth-century Latin author of a Revelation commentary 107 12 Isaac of Nineveh d. AD 700 Syriac bishop and theologian of Christian asceticism 63 13 Olympiodorus of Alexandria d. AD 600 Alexandrian commentator on Job and Ecclesiastes 48 14 Arator d. AD 544 Sixth-century Italian poet; wrote a verse history 45 15 Procopius of Gaza d. AD 528 Sophist and rhetorician of the School of Gaza 40 16 Paterius d. AD 606 Bishop of Brescia; notary and compiler of Gregory I 39 17 Severus of Antioch d. AD 538 Patriarch of Antioch; non-Chalcedonian leader 37 18 Isidore of Seville d. AD 636 Hispano-Roman scholar; author of the Etymologiae 35 19 Romanos the Melodist d. AD 555 Byzantine hymnographer; foremost composer of the Kontakion 31 20 Epiphanius Scholasticus d. AD 510 Sixth-century translator; compiled the Historia Tripartita 23 21 Maximus the Confessor d. AD 662 Monk and scholar; opponent of Monothelitism 22

1 Theophylact of Ohrid d. AD 1107 Byzantine Archbishop of Ohrid and biblical commentator 1,244 2 Pseudo-Oecumenius AD 990 Compiler of Greek comments on Acts and the Epistles once credited to Oecumenius 604 3 Alcuin of York d. AD 804 Carolingian scholar; architect of the Carolingian Renaissance 359 4 Thomas Aquinas d. AD 1274 Italian Dominican; synthesized Aristotle with Christianity 351 5 Glossa Ordinaria AD 1150 Standard medieval collection of patristic biblical glosses 285 6 Rabanus Maurus d. AD 856 Frankish Benedictine monk; author of De rerum naturis 260 7 Ishodad of Merv d. AD 850 Bishop of Hdatta; wrote Syriac biblical commentaries 173 8 Symeon the New Theologian d. AD 1022 Byzantine monk and mystic; wrote on the divine light 60 9 Photios I of Constantinople d. AD 893 Byzantine patriarch; compiler of ancient Church Law 42 10 Nicholas of Lyra d. AD 1349 Franciscan teacher; influential medieval biblical exegete 40 11 Haimo of Auxerre d. AD 865 Benedictine monk; author of Carolingian biblical commentaries 27 12 Thietland of Einsiedeln d. AD 945 Abbot of Einsiedeln; commentator on the New Testament 24

1 Richard Challoner d. AD 1781 English prelate; revised the Douay–Rheims Bible 798 2 CS Lewis d. AD 1963 British literary scholar and Anglican lay apologist 48 3 Erasmus of Rotterdam d. AD 1536 Dutch humanist; edited the Greek New Testament 19 4 Douglas Wilson AD 2020 American Reformed pastor and author in Moscow, Idaho 6 5 JRR Tolkien d. AD 1973 English philologist; author of high fantasy works 6

1 Philo of Alexandria d. AD 50 Hellenistic Jewish philosopher; used allegory to harmonize Torah and Platonism 23 2 Josephus d. AD 100 Roman-Jewish historian; author of The Jewish War 9 3 Book of Biblical Antiquities AD 100 Anonymous history of Israel; falsely attributed to Philo 1 4 Book of Jubilees Jewish pseudepigraphon detailing a chronology of world history 1

1 Pseudo-Jerome Authors of works pseudonymously attributed to Jerome 92 2 Ancient Greek Expositor Anonymous Greek source cited in Aquinas's Catena Aurea 66 3 Pseudo-Augustine Collective name for authors of works falsely attributed to Augustine 35 4 Pseudo-Athanasius Anonymous writers using the name of Athanasius 28 5 Pseudo-Origen Anonymous author of Matthew commentary cited by Aquinas 11 6 Pseudo-Basil Anonymous authors of texts misattributed to Basil of Caesarea 8 7 Pseudo-Tertullian Anonymous authors of works formerly attributed to Tertullian 3 8 Pseudo-Cyril Anonymous author of a letter commenting on Numbers 1 9 Pseudo-Hippolytus Anonymous author of On the End of the World 1 10 Pseudo-Justin Anonymous author of works falsely attributed to Justin Martyr 1