noun
- 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 Latin Church Fathers are Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Jerome; those who wrote in Greek include Athanasius, Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom. (.
- synonyms: Church Father, Father
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). father of the church. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/father_of_the_church/definitions/1275714 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "father of the church" http://smartdefine.org/father_of_the_church/definitions/1275714 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, father of the church, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/father_of_the_church/definitions/1275714>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "father of the church" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/father_of_the_church/definitions/1275714> |