What Does “Fathers of the Church” Mean in the Bible?
Title
The great Christian teachers of the first centuries, like Saint Augustine, Saint Ambrose, or Saint Jerome.
It can mean
- Why they matter: they are witnesses to the Tradition of the apostles. The Catechism quotes them often.
- A source of the Catechism: the Catechism rests on the Bible, the Fathers of the Church, the liturgy, and the teaching of the Church.
- An example: Saint Basil taught that each believer has at his side an angel who protects and guides him.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Fathers of the Church”; Catechism 11, 336 and 688