Church Fathers

1 Tertullian c. AD 220 Carthaginian apologist; first to use the term trinitas 3,450 2 Origen of Alexandria c. AD 253 Alexandrian theologian; produced the Hexapla and On First Principles 2,651 3 Clement of Alexandria c. AD 215 Alexandrian teacher; integrated Greek philosophy with theology 904 4 Cyprian c. AD 258 Bishop of Carthage; pre-eminent Latin rhetorician 885 5 Irenaeus c. AD 202 Bishop of Lyon; opposed Gnosticism in Against Heresies 717 6 Hippolytus of Rome c. AD 235 Prolific commentator; possible antipope and martyr 494 7 Ignatius of Antioch c. AD 108 Patriarch of Antioch; wrote letters while en route to Rome 245 8 Methodius of Olympus c. AD 311 Bishop and martyr; early ecclesiastical author 201 9 Justin Martyr c. AD 165 Apologist and philosopher; martyred under Marcus Aurelius 174 10 Victorinus of Pettau c. AD 304 Pannonian bishop and martyr; wrote scriptural commentaries 131 11 Clement of Rome c. AD 99 Bishop of Rome; author of a letter to Corinth 128 12 Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius c. AD 325 Advisor to Constantine I; called the Christian Cicero 117 13 Shepherd of Hermas c. AD 160 Second-century literary work; brother of Pope Pius I 115 14 Ammonius of Alexandria c. AD 300 Alexandrian philosopher; possibly identified with Ammonius Saccas 69 15 Novatian c. AD 258 First Roman theologian to write in Latin; antipope 62 16 Polycarp of Smyrna c. AD 155 Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of John the Apostle 56 17 Didache c. AD 100 Anonymous Greek treatise; the first known church order 54 18 Theodore Stratelates c. AD 319 Martyr and warrior saint known as the General 52 19 Dionysius of Alexandria c. AD 264 Third-century Patriarch of Alexandria; prolific correspondent 46 20 Gregory of Neocaesarea c. AD 270 Third-century bishop of Neocaesarea; called the Miracle-Worker 32 21 Peter of Alexandria c. AD 311 Patriarch of Alexandria; martyred in 311 27 22 Philo of Alexandria c. AD 50 Hellenistic Jewish philosopher; used allegory to harmonize Torah and Platonism 23

1 Augustine of Hippo c. AD 430 Bishop of Hippo; influential Doctor of Grace 7,530 2 John Chrysostom c. AD 407 Archbishop of Constantinople; renowned for his preaching 7,356 3 Jerome c. AD 420 Translator of the Latin Vulgate; biblical commentator 5,299 4 Cyril of Alexandria c. AD 444 Patriarch of Alexandria; central figure at Council of Ephesus 2,177 5 Ambrose of Milan c. AD 397 Bishop of Milan; opponent of Arianism who influenced Augustine 1,843 6 Theodoret of Cyrus c. AD 458 Bishop of Cyrrhus; Antiochene theologian and commentator 1,374 7 Ambrosiaster c. AD 384 Anonymous Latin commentator on the Pauline epistles 1,043 8 Ephrem the Syrian c. AD 373 Syriac hymnographer; founder of the School of Nisibis 764 9 Basil of Caesarea c. AD 379 Cappadocian Father; established communal monastic guidelines 690 10 Hilary of Poitiers c. AD 367 Bishop of Poitiers; called the Hammer of the Arians 625 11 Theodore of Mopsuestia c. AD 428 Bishop of Mopsuestia; leader of the Antioch School 490 12 Pelagius c. AD 418 Ascetic monk; emphasized human will and denied original sin 465 13 Gregory of Nyssa c. AD 395 Cappadocian Father; first writer to condemn all slavery 406 14 Eusebius of Caesarea c. AD 339 Father of Church history; bishop of Caesarea 393 15 Athanasius of Alexandria c. AD 373 Patriarch of Alexandria; chief opponent of Arianism 346 16 Apostolic Constitutions c. AD 380 Syrian collection of pseudo-apostolic church orders 326 17 Didymus the Blind c. AD 398 Alexandrian theologian; student of Origen 311 18 Cyril of Jerusalem c. AD 386 Bishop of Jerusalem; documented instruction of catechumens 309 19 Gregory of Nazianzus c. AD 390 Cappadocian Father; Archbishop of Constantinople 298 20 Desert Fathers c. AD 500 Egyptian hermits; founders of Christian monasticism 276 21 John Cassian c. AD 435 Monk; brought Eastern monasticism to the medieval West 261 22 Gaius Marius Victorinus c. AD 370 African rhetorician; translated Aristotle into Latin 220 23 Pseudo-Chrysostom c. AD 500 Anonymous authors of texts once attributed to Chrysostom 182 24 Pseudo-Clement c. AD 400 Pseudonymous author of a third-century Christian romance 173 25 Hilary of Arles c. AD 449 Bishop of Arles in Southern France 167 26 Leo the Great c. AD 461 Bishop of Rome; author of the Tome of Leo 160 27 Peter Chrysologus c. AD 450 Bishop of Ravenna; known as the Doctor of Homilies 140 28 Severian of Gabala c. AD 425 Syrian bishop and preacher; opponent of John Chrysostom 135 29 Diodorus of Tarsus c. AD 390 Bishop of Tarsus; founded an influential school of thought 133 30 Maximus of Turin c. AD 465 First Bishop of Turin; theological writer 115 31 Evagrius Ponticus c. AD 399 Ascetic monk from Pontus; influential desert theologian 114 32 Chromatius of Aquileia c. AD 406 Bishop of Aquileia; author of homilies and treatises 113 33 Ticonius c. AD 390 Donatist theologian; influenced Augustine's City of God 95 34 Titus of Bostra c. AD 378 Theologian and bishop of Bostra 85 35 Apollinaris of Laodicea c. AD 382 Bishop of Laodicea; opponent of Arianism 73 36 Arnobius the Younger c. AD 460 Priest in Rome; wrote mystical Psalm commentaries 72 37 Aphrahat the Persian Sage c. AD 345 Syriac author known as the Persian Sage 66 38 Julian of Eclanum c. AD 455 Bishop of Eclanum; leader of the Pelagians 59 39 Prudentius c. AD 410 Spanish Christian poet; author of the Peristephanon 59 40 Salvian the Presbyter c. AD 500 Presbyter of 5th-century Gaul; social critic 57 41 Hesychius of Jerusalem c. AD 450 Fifth-century priest and exegete from Jerusalem 56 42 Tyrannius Rufinus c. AD 411 Monk and translator of Origen into Latin 55 43 Gennadius of Constantinople c. AD 471 Patriarch of Constantinople; literalist of the Antioch school 53 44 Pacian of Barcelona c. AD 391 Spanish prelate; bishop of Barcelona 42 45 Epiphanius of Salamis c. AD 403 Bishop of Salamis; author of the Panarion 41 46 Pachomius the Great c. AD 348 Founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism 36 47 Alexander of Alexandria c. AD 328 Patriarch of Alexandria; leader of opposition to Arianism 33 48 Nilus of Sinai c. AD 451 Disciple of John Chrysostom; ascetic writer from Sinai 25 49 Nicetas of Remesiana c. AD 414 Bishop of Remesiana; theologian in Dacia Mediterranea 22 50 Aponius c. AD 500 Author of a mystical exposition on the Song of Songs 21 51 Gregory of Elvira c. AD 392 Bishop of Elvira; active in Baetica, Spain 21 52 Paulinus of Nola c. AD 431 Roman senator and poet; bishop of Nola 20

1 Bede c. AD 735 Northumbrian monk; the Father of English History 6,271 2 Gregory the Dialogist c. AD 604 Bishop of Rome; author of the Dialogues 2,896 3 Caesarius of Arles c. AD 542 Merovingian bishop; popular preacher of moral issues 449 4 Cassiodorus c. AD 585 Roman statesman; founder of the Vivarium monastery 444 5 Andreas of Caesarea c. AD 614 Cappadocian bishop; wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse 414 6 John Damascene c. AD 749 Damascene monk; defender of icons and the Assumption 201 7 Remigius of Rheims c. AD 533 Bishop of Reims; baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks 196 8 Primasius of Hadrumetum c. AD 560 African bishop; wrote a commentary on Revelation 173 9 Fulgentius of Ruspe c. AD 533 North African prelate; Bishop of Ruspe 113 10 Apringius of Beja c. AD 600 Sixth-century Latin author of a Revelation commentary 109 11 Isaac of Nineveh c. AD 700 Syriac bishop and theologian of Christian asceticism 63 12 Olympiodorus of Alexandria c. AD 600 Alexandrian commentator on Job and Ecclesiastes 48 13 Arator c. AD 544 Sixth-century Italian poet; wrote a verse history 45 14 Procopius of Gaza c. AD 528 Sophist and rhetorician of the School of Gaza 40 15 Paterius c. AD 606 Bishop of Brescia; notary and compiler of Gregory I 39 16 Severus of Antioch c. AD 538 Patriarch of Antioch; non-Chalcedonian leader 37 17 Isidore of Seville c. AD 636 Hispano-Roman scholar; author of the Etymologiae 35 18 Romanos the Melodist c. AD 555 Byzantine hymnographer; foremost composer of the Kontakion 31 19 Maximus the Confessor c. AD 662 Monk and scholar; opponent of Monothelitism 29 20 Epiphanius Scholasticus c. AD 510 Sixth-century translator; compiled the Historia Tripartita 23 21 Sahdona the Syrian c. AD 649 Seventh-century monk and bishop; known as Martyrius 20

1 Theophylact of Ohrid c. AD 1107 Byzantine Archbishop of Ohrid and biblical commentator 1,275 2 Oecumenius c. AD 990 Author of Greek New Testament commentaries 987 3 Alcuin of York c. AD 804 Carolingian scholar; architect of the Carolingian Renaissance 361 4 Thomas Aquinas c. AD 1274 Italian Dominican; synthesized Aristotle with Christianity 361 5 Glossa Ordinaria c. AD 1274 Standard medieval collection of patristic biblical glosses 308 6 Rabanus Maurus c. AD 856 Frankish Benedictine monk; author of De rerum naturis 279 7 Ishodad of Merv c. AD 850 Bishop of Hdatta; wrote Syriac biblical commentaries 173 8 Ancient Greek Expositor c. AD 1274 Anonymous Greek source cited in Aquinas's Catena Aurea 71 9 Symeon the New Theologian c. AD 1022 Byzantine monk and mystic; wrote on the divine light 61 10 Photios I of Constantinople c. AD 893 Byzantine patriarch; compiler of ancient Church Law 42 11 Nicholas of Lyra c. AD 1349 Franciscan teacher; influential medieval biblical exegete 40 12 Haimo of Auxerre c. AD 865 Benedictine monk; author of Carolingian biblical commentaries 27 13 Thietland of Einsiedeln c. AD 945 Abbot of Einsiedeln; commentator on the New Testament 24

1 Richard Challoner c. AD 1781 English prelate; revised the Douay–Rheims Bible 799 2 CS Lewis c. AD 1963 British literary scholar and Anglican lay apologist 86 3 Erasmus of Rotterdam c. AD 1536 Dutch humanist; edited the Greek New Testament 19 4 Douglas Wilson c. AD 2020 Reformed pastor; proponent of Christian nationalism 15 5 JRR Tolkien c. AD 1973 English philologist; author of high fantasy works 11

1 Pseudo-Jerome Authors of works pseudonymously attributed to Jerome 93 2 Pseudo-Augustine Collective name for authors of works falsely attributed to Augustine 37 3 Pseudo-Athanasius Anonymous writers using the name of Athanasius 28 4 Pseudo-Origen Anonymous author of Matthew commentary cited by Aquinas 11 5 Pseudo-Basil Anonymous authors of texts misattributed to Basil of Caesarea 8 6 Pseudo-Tertullian Anonymous authors of works formerly attributed to Tertullian 3 7 Book of Jubilees Jewish pseudepigraphon detailing a chronology of world history 1 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