DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

Definition and List

 

by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Ph.D., Catholic Theologian and Speaker

  

Unlike the popular title “Father of the Church,” the title “Doctor of the Church” is an official honor that is bestowed by the Pope in recognition of the outstanding contribution a person has made to the understanding and development of Christian doctrine. 

 

As of 2005, there are thirty-three Doctors of the Church who hail from all ages of the Church’s history.  Of these, three are women (Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux) and  twenty-four are quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (The eight who are not quoted are Saints Ephraem, Isidore, “the Venerable” Bede, Albert the Great, Anthony of Padua, Peter Canisius, Robert Bellarmine, and Lawrence of Brindisi).

 

There are three requirements that must be fulfilled by a person in order to merit being included in the ranks of the 

 

 “Doctors of the Church”:

1) holiness that is truly outstanding, even among saints;

2) depth of doctrinal insight; and

3) an extensive body of writings which the church can recom­mend as an expression of the authentic and life-giving Catholic Tradition.

 

During the "golden age of the Fathers,” (300-600), eight Doctors of the Church particularly stand out and are called “Ecumenical Fathers” because of their widespread influence.  Bronze statues of several of these eight are to be found in St. Peter’s Basilica.  Four of these Doctors of the Church hailed from the Western (Latin-speaking) half of the Roman Empire.

·        St. Ambrose, 340-397

·        St. Jerome, 345-420

·        St. Augustine, 354-430

·        St. Gregory the Great (Pope), 540-604

 

Four of the Ecumenical Fathers who were Doctors of the Church came from the Eastern (Greek-speaking) Roman Empire:

·        St. Athanasius, 295-373

·        St. Basil the Great, 330-379

·        St. Gregory of Nazianzus, 330-390

·        St. John Chrysostom, 345-407

 

There are eight other Doctors of the Church from the patristic period:

·        St. Ephraem the Deacon, 306-373 (Syriac)

·        St. Hilary, 315-368 (Latin)

·        St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-387 (Greek)

·        St. Cyril of Alexandria, 376-444 (Greek)

·        St. Leo the Great (Pope), 390-461 (Latin)

·        St. Peter Chrysologus, 400-450 (Latin)

·        St. Isidore of Seville (last of the Latin Fathers), 560-636

·        St. John Damascene (last of the Greek Fathers), 676-749