2.24 What are Church Fathers?
The Church Fathers were people who lived in the first centuries after Christ and reflected deeply on the Christian faith as it had been taught by Jesus to their predecessors. The priest St. Jerome (347-420) translated the Bible into Latin, the vernacular of that time. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek.
Other well-known Church Fathers include St. Augustine (354-430) and St. Gregory the Great (540-604). They all lived a holy life and had a close relationship with Jesus. Because of this relationship and their profound writings, they can serve as excellent role models for us. On this website you will find numerous texts by Church Fathers below the answer to each of the questions.
The Church Fathers deserve their name: they are saints who, with the force of their faith, and their profound and rich teachings, have reinvigorated and formed the Church. They are truly "fathers" of the Church, for it is from them, through the Gospel, that she has received her life. [John Paul II, Patres Ecclesiae, n. 1]
