Church Fathers

The Church Fathers, an 11th-century Kievan Rus' miniature from Svyatoslav's Miscellany

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The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. There is no definitive list.^[1] The historical period during which they flourished is referred to by scholars as the Patristic Era ending approximately around AD 700 (John of Damascus died in 749 AD, Byzantine Iconoclasm began in 726 AD^[2][3]).

In the past, the Church Fathers were regarded as authoritative and more restrictive definitions were used which sought to limit the list to authors treated as such. However, the definition has widened as scholars of patristics, the study of the Church Fathers, have expanded their scope.^[4]