| Noun | 1. | Father of the Church - (Christianity) any of about 70 theologians in the period from the 2nd to the 7th century whose writing established and confirmed official church doctrine; in the Roman Catholic Church some were later declared saints and became Doctor of the Church; the best known Lation Church Fathers are Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome; those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John ChrysostomChristian religion, Christianity - a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior Ambrose, Saint Ambrose, St. Ambrose - (Roman Catholic Church) Roman priest who became bishop of Milan; the first Church Father born and raised in the Christian faith; composer of hymns; imposed orthodoxy on the early Christian church and built up its secular power; a saint and Doctor of the Church (340?-397) Augustine, Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustine, St. Augustine - (Roman Catholic Church) one of the great fathers of the early Christian church; after a dramatic conversion to Christianity he became Bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa; St. Augustine emphasized man's need for grace (354-430) John Chrysostom, St. John Chrysostom - (Roman Catholic Church) a Church Father who was a great preacher and bishop of Constantinople; a saint and Doctor of the Church (347-407) | |