Church Fathers

The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are ancient and generally influential Christian theologians, some of whom were eminent teachers and great bishops. The term is used of writers or teachers of the Church not necessarily ordained and not necessarily "saints"—Origen Adamantius and Tertullian are often considered Church Fathers but are not saints owing to their views later deemed heretical —although most are honored as saints in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran churches, and other churches and groups. By 700 A.D. all of these church fathers had died.

While western churches regard only early teachers of Christianity as Fathers, the Orthodox Church honors as "Fathers" many saints far beyond the early centuries of church history, even to the present day.

Great Fathers

In each of Western and Eastern Christianity, four Fathers are called the "Great Church Fathers" as follows: