Term

Patristics

The study of literature from the early church Fathers, primarily bishops and scholars who wrote in Greek or Latin.

Filed underHistorical TheologyChurch History

Definition

The study of the large body of literature stemming from those known as the Fathers. Most of these were bishops or scholars of the church in the early centuries, and those principally studied wrote in Greek or Latin.

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Sources

  1. 1.Alan Richardson and John Bowden The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983). 431Original citation: Richardson, Alan, and John Bowden. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983, 431.

Last revised August 14, 2026