# List of Church Fathers

The following is a list of Christian Church Fathers. Roman Catholics generally regard the Patristic period to have ended with the death of John of Damascus 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 Father | Date of death | Notes |
| Adrian the monk of Antioch | 5th Century (estimate) | wrote a manual on the Antiochene method of Scriptural exegesis |
| Agrippa Castor | 2nd century | |
| Alexander of Alexandria | 326 or 328 | |
| Alexander of Jerusalem | 251 | |
| Alexander of Lycopolis | 4th century | |
| Ambrose of Milan | 397 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church; strongly opposed Arianism |
| Ammonius of Alexandria | 3rd century | |
| Amphilochius of Iconium | 403 or earlier | |
| Ananias of Shirak | 685 | wrote a work on Christmas and one on Easter |
| Anastasius of Sinai | 7th century | |
| Andrew of Caesarea | 637 | commented on the Apocalypse |
| Andrew of Crete | 712, 726, or 740 | author of the 250-strophe Great Canon |
| Anthony the Great | 356 | |
| Aphraates | 345 | Mesopotamian bishop who authored 23 homilies |
| Apollinaris of Hierapolis | between 177-180 | |
| Apollinaris of Laodicea | 382 | |
| Apollinaris the Elder | 4th century | |
| Apollonius of Ephesus | after 210 | |
| Apringius of Beja | 6th century | commented on the Apocalypse |
| Archelaus (bishop of Carrhae) | 3rd century (early) | supposedly a bishop of Carchar who wrote against Manichaeism |
| Aristides the Athenian | 134 | |
| Aristo of Pella | 160 | |
| Arnobius of Sicca | 330 | author of Against the Heathen |
| Arnobius the Younger | 460 | |
| Arsenius the Great | 445 | |
| Asterius of Amasea | 410 | wrote sermons on morality including topics like divorce and covetousness, and the parables of Jesus Christ |
| Athanasius the Great of Alexandria | 373 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church |
| Athenagoras of Athens | 190 | wrote in defense of the resurrection of the dead |
| Atticus | 420s | |
| Augustine of Hippo | 430 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church (Doctor Gratiae) |
| Aurelius of Carthage | 429 | |
| Aurelius Prudentius | 413 | commented on the Psalms |
| Ausonius | 395 | |
| Avitus of Vienne | 518 | author of the five-book poem De spiritualis historiae gestis; converted King Sigismund; combated Arianism |
| Barnabas | 061 | wrote a single Epistle |
| Barsanuphius of Palestine | 540 | |
| Basil the Great of Caesarea | 379 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs; father of monachism |
| Bede | 735 | Doctor of the Church and author of Ecclesiastical History of the English People |
| Benedict of Nursia | 547 | best known for the Rule of St Benedict |
| Boethius | 520s | author of Consolation of Philosophy |
| Braulio of Zaragoza | 651 | commented on the Psalms |
| Caesarius of Arles | 542 | commented on the Apocalypse |
| Caius | 3rd century | |
| Cassiodorus | 585 | |
| Chromatius | 407 | wrote sermons on the Gospel of Matthew |
| Clement of Alexandria | 215 | |
| Clement of Rome | 099 | |
| Coelius Sedulius | 5th century | |
| Columba of Iona | 597 | |
| Commodianus | 3rd century | |
| Cyprian of Carthage | 258 | |
| Cyril of Alexandria | 444 | Doctor of the Church (Doctor Incarnationis) combated the Nestorian heresy |
| Cyril of Jerusalem | 386 | Doctor of the Church who wrote thorough instructions to catechumens and baptized Christians |
| Pope Damasus I | 384 | |
| Didymus the Blind | 398 | teacher 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 | 390 | |
| Dionysius of Corinth | 2nd century | |
| Pope Dionysius of Rome | 268 | combated Sabellianism |
| Dionysius the Areopagite | 096 | Secular scholars attribute writings in his name to Pseudo-Dionysius. |
| Pope Dionysius the Great of Alexandria | 265 | |
| Ephrem the Syrian | 373 | Doctor of the Church |
| Epiphanius of Salamis | 403 | friend of Jerome who strongly opposed Origenism and wrote a history of heresies |
| Eucherius of Lyon | 449 | |
| Eugippius | 535 | |
| Eusebius of Caesarea | 339 | |
| Eusebius of Emesa | 360 | commented on Genesis |
| Eusebius of Vercelli | 371 | |
| Firmilian | 269 | |
| Fulgentius of Ruspe | 527 or 533 | |
| Gaius Marius Victorinus | 4th century | combated Arianism |
| Gennadius of Massilia | 496 | |
| Pope Gregory I the Great | 604 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church and author of Dialogues |
| Gregory of Nazianzus | 389 | one 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 Nyssa | 395 | |
| Gregory of Tours | 594 | |
| Gregory Thaumaturgus | 270 | |
| Hegesippus of Palestine | 180 | a Jewish convert who combated Gnosticism and Marcionism |
| Hermias | 3rd century | |
| Hesychius of Jerusalem | 5th century | |
| Hilary of Poitiers | 367 | Doctor of the Church |
| Hippolytus of Rome | 235 | |
| Ignatius of Antioch | 108 | |
| Irenaeus | 2nd (end of) or beginning of 3rd century | |
| Isaac of Nineveh | 700 | ascetic author of many spiritual homilies who commented on the Psalms and contributed significantly to Syrian piety; was not Christologically Nestorian |
| Isidore of Pelusium | 450 | author of 2000 letters dealing primarily with allegorical exegesis |
| Isidore of Seville | 636 | Doctor of the Church |
| Jacob of Serugh | 521 | a.k.a. Mar Jacob |
| Jerome | 420 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Western Church |
| John Cassian | 435 | |
| John Chrysostom | 407 | one of the Four Great Doctors of the Eastern Church and one of the Three Holy Hierarchs |
| John Climacus | 649 | |
| John of Damascus | 749 | Doctor 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 Pomerius | between 499-505 | author of De Vita Contemplativa concerning Christian sanctity |
| Julius Firmicus Maternus | 4th century | |
| Justin Martyr | 165 | |
| Juvencus | 4th century | |
| Lactantius | 325 | |
| Pope Leo I the Great | 461 | Doctor of the Church |
| Leontius of Byzantium | 543 | |
| Lucian of Antioch | 312 | |
| Lucifer | 370 | combated Arianism and defended Athanasius at the Council of Milan in 354 |
| Macarius of Alexandria | 395 | |
| Macarius of Egypt | 391 | |
| Malchion | 3rd century? | played key role in the deposition of Paul of Samosata |
| Marcus Minucius Felix | 250 | author of Octavianus |
| Marius Mercator | 451 | made a compilation on Nestorianism and another on Pelagianism |
| Martin of Braga | 580 | commented on the Psalms |
| Martin of Tours | 397 | |
| Mathetes | 2nd century? | author of an Epistle to Diognetus |
| Maximus of Turin | 465 | |
| Maximus the Confessor | 662 | |
| Meletius of Antioch | 381 | |
| Melito of Sardis | 180 | author of an important sermon called On Pascha about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| Methodius of Olympus | 311 | combated Origenism |
| Moses of Chorene | 490 | author of A History of Armenia |
| Nectarius of Constantinople | 397 | |
| Nemesius | 390 | |
| Nicetas of Remesiana | 414 | the patron saint of Romania commented on the Psalms |
| Nilus of Sinai | 430 | |
| Nonnus | 5th century | |
| Novatian | 258 | commented on the Psalms |
| Oecumenius | 6th century | author of the first extant Greek commentary on the Apocalypse |
| Optatus | 4th century | combated Donatism |
| Origen of Alexandria | 254 | posthumously anathematized at Fifth Ecumenical Council (553) |
| Orosius | 418 | |
| Pachomius | 348 | Father of Christian cenobitic monasticism |
| Pacian of Barcelona | 391 | combated Novatianism |
| Palladius of Helenopolis | 420s | |
| Pamphilus of Caesarea | 309 | |
| Pantaenus | 200 | first to make the Catechetical school of Alexandria famous |
| Papias | 163 | disciple of John the Evangelist and Ariston |
| Patrick | 5th century | |
| Paulinus of Nola | 431 | |
| Peter Chrysologus | 450 | Doctor of the Church |
| Pope Peter of Alexandria | 311 | |
| Philip the priest | 5th Century (dates uncertain) | Acquaintance of Jerome, commented on the Book of Job |
| Philoxenus of Hierapolis | 6th century | author of 13 ascetic discourses who combated Nestorianism, Manichaeism, and Marcionism |
| Poemen | 450 | commented on the Psalms |
| Polycarp | 156 | Wrote a single Epistle to the Philippians |
| Proclus of Constantinople | 440s | |
| Prohaeresius | 368 | |
| Prosper of Aquitaine | 455 | |
| Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite | 6th century | author 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 Athens | 129 | wrote a non-extant apology to Emperor Hadrian |
| Quodvultdeus | 453 | |
| Rabbula | 435 | ascetic and energetic bishop of Edessa and ally of Cyril of Alexandria who opposed the heretical teachings of Nestorius |
| Rhodon | after 192 | |
| Romanus the Melodist | 556 | |
| Sahdona | 649 | commented on the Psalms |
| Salvian | 490s | Gallic author of On the government of God |
| Severian of Gabala | between 408 and 425 | commented on Genesis and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians |
| Severus of Antioch | 538 | |
| Sextus Julius Africanus | 240 | |
| Sidonius Apollinaris | 489 | |
| Socrates of Constantinople | 439 | |
| Sophronius of Jerusalem | 638 | |
| Sozomen | 450 | |
| Sulpicius Severus | 425 | disciple and biographer of Martin of Tours and author of an Ecclesiastical History |
| Synesius of Cyrene | 414 | |
| Tatian | 185 | |
| Tertullian | 240 | died a Montanist, First of the Latin Fathers |
| Theodore of Mopsuestia | 428 | commented on Acts of the Apostles and the First and Second Epistle to the Corinthians |
| Theodoret of Cyrus | 458 | continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea |
| Theodotus of Ancyra | 5th century | |
| Theophilus of Antioch | Between 183-185 | first writer known to have used the term Trinity to describe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit |
| Theotimus | 407 | |
| Tichonius | 390 | commented on the Apocalypse; his seven principles of interpretation from his Book of Rules inspired Augustine of Hippo |
| Tyrannius Rufinus | 410 | friend of Jerome and continuator of Eusebius of Caesarea who commented on the Psalms |
| Valerian of Cimiez | 460 | commented on the Psalms |
| Venantius Fortunatus | 600 or 609 | wrote a poem on Easter |
| Victor of Antioch | 5th century (late) to early 6th century | contemporary of John Chrysostom, commented on the Gospel of Mark |
| Victor of Capua | 554 | wrote the Codex Fuldensis |
| Victorinus of Pettau | 303 | author of On the Creation of the World and a Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John |
| Vincent of Lérins | 450 | |
| Zeno of Verona | 371 | |
| Pope Zephyrinus | 217 | commented on the Psalms |

## After John of Damascus

| Church Father | Date of death | Notes |
| Athanasius the Athonite | 1003 | |
| Gregory Palamas | 1359 | Pillar of Orthodoxy and defender of Hesychasm |
| Ishodad of Merv | 9th century | commented on the Book of Job |
| Innocent of Alaska | 1879 | his The Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven is often used as an Orthodox catechism |
| Mark of Ephesus | 1444 | Pillar of Orthodoxy |
| Nicholas Cabasilas | 1391 | |
| Photius the Great | 893 | Pillar of Orthodoxy and author of Bibliotheca |
| Symeon Metaphrastes | 10th century | |
| Symeon the New Theologian | 1022 | one of three Orthodox saints honored with the title "The Theologian" |
| Theodore the Studite | 826 | |
| Theophan the Recluse | 1894 | |