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Lesson 3

The Age of the Fathers of the Church

The Fathers of the Church are men who had a profound and lasting impact on the life and growth of the early Church because of their writings, orthodoxy, and personal holiness. There are eight great Fathers of the Church.

Catechism Connections

Lesson Topics
Creeds Heresies Saints The Church
Essential Lessons
Lesson Vocabulary

  • Chi-Rho
    :
    (n.): An early Christian symbol made up of the first two Greek letters of the word Christ superimposed on one another to resemble a cross. Seen in a vision by the Emperor Constantine, he ordered his soldiers' banners marked with it before entering a pivotal battle to unify the Roman Empire.
  • Constantinople
    :
    (n.): The ancient city Byzantium, named after the Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 330, and one of the five patriarchies of early Church. The capital of the Eastern Empire ( or Byzantine Empire) until 1453 when it was conquered by the Muslim armies of the Ottoman Empire, which declined after World War I. The city is now called Istanbul, the capital of modern-day Turkey.
  • Basilica
    :
    (n.) A Roman form of architecture employed in buildings intended for public use, with a long nave and circular apse. This building type was adapted by Christians as churches with the addition of a perpendicular transept making the structure look like a cross from above.
  • Relic
    :
    (n.): An artifact of the saints and their holy lives worthy of veneration, such as their bodies, something they owned, or other items closely associated with them. While a relic does not give us grace directly, we believe they can be vessels for grace that bring us closer in relationship to God.
  • Donatism
    :
    (n.): The name given to a heresy of the early Church which asserted that the validity and effectiveness of a clergyman’s prayers and ministry depended on his personal holiness.
  • Arianism
    :
    (n.): An influential heresy of the early Church that taught that Jesus, the Son of God, was created by God the Father, and therefore not truly equal to Him or of the same substance.
  • Council of Nicaea
    :
    (n.): The first ecumenical council of the Church, called by Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 325, which taught that Jesus is consubstantial with the Father, and which initially drafted what would become the Nicene Creed.
  • Consubstantial
    :
    (adj.): Of the same substance. This word is used to describe how God the Father and God the Son are both fully God, or of the same divine substance. This teaching was definitively set forth in the Nicene Creed to combat false teachings about Jesus and affirm the Truth of His human and divine natures.
  • Nicene Creed
    :
    (n.): The Profession of Faith set forth by the Councils of Nicaea (AD 325) and Constantinople (AD 381), and typically recited at Sunday Mass, which affirms the essential tenets of the Christian Faith and belief in the Holy Trinity.
  • Fathers of the Church
    :
    (n.): The bishops and teachers of the early Church
  • Trinitarian Theology
    :
    (n.): The study, by means of reason and revelation, of the mystery of the Trinity- that God is three divine Persons in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • Hermit
    :
    (n.): A person who lives a eremitic life - a solitary life dedicated to prayer and meditation.
  • The Confessions
    :
    (n.): The autobiographical work written by St. Augustine of Hippo in AD 397, in which he explains his conversion to the faith in
  • Manichaeism
    :
    (n.): A heresy that combined elements of Zoroastrian, Christian, and Gnostic thought and was opposed by the imperial Roman government, Neoplatonist philosophers, and orthodox Christians. Adherents believed that material things were intrinsically evil and spiritual things intrinsically good.
  • Neo-Platonism
    :
    (n.): The modern term for 2nd-5th century Greco-Roman philosophy derived from the thought of Plato and Hellenistic tradition.
  • Catechumenate
    :
    (n.): The period of instruction in the Faith before converts are baptized and made members of the Church.
  • The City of God
    :
    (n.): The fifth century work by St. Augustine in which he responded to accusations that Christianity had caused the Fall of Rome, and contrasted between the City of Man, which is focused on earthly success and the City of God, which focuses on man's true en which is Heaven. Its complete title is On the City of God against the Pagans
  • Vulgate
    :
    (n.): The 4th century Latin translation of the Bible that was mostly completed by St. Jerome. It became the official Latin translation of the Bible for the Catholic Church in the 16th century. The Latin word vulgata means “commonly used.”
  • Lombards
    :
    (n.): A Germanic people who invaded Italy in 568 and ruled most of the region until 774.
  • Aramaic
    :
    (n.): A Semitic language primarily spoken by the Jews (including Jesus) during His lifetime.
  • Patriarchies
    :
    (n.): Territories ruled by a patriarch, or a bishop of special dignity. In the East, patriarchies are organizations of those following the Eastern Catholic Rotes. In the early Church there were five primary patriarchies: Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople.

    • Plan

    Chapter Powerpoint
    pptx
    Vocabulary Review
    pdf
    Vocabulary Review Answer Key
    pdf

    Teach

    Constantine’s Vision and the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (ninth-century)
    jpg

    Extend

    Pope Francis Invites Prayers for People Persecuted for Their Religion

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